Character

Kunti

कुन्तीKuntī

verses
1,425
books
18
chapters
464

What the texts say

In the Mahabharata, Kunti (Pritha) is the daughter of Shura, a Yadava chief. Mahabharata 1.104.1 Her son Karna tells Krishna that she, unmarried, conceived him by the Sun god and set him adrift. Mahabharata (Gita Press) 5.140.4, 5.140.3 The Mahabharata says that through the sage Durvasa's mantra, Yudhishthira, Bhima and Arjuna were born to Kunti by grace of Dharma, Vayu and Indra. Mahabharata 5.142.19Mahabharata (Gita Press) 1.1.114 When her sons announced "Alms" for the maiden Draupadi, Kunti, not looking, said to share it, and called it a grave mistake. Mahabharata 1.182.1, 1.182.2 In the Bhagavata Purana, Kunti thanks Krishna for protecting them from fire, exile and battle. Bhagavatam 1.8.24

Where to read

Every verse that names Kunti, book by book.

    • 3.290.9

      By yogic power, having made himself twofold, he came and also shone forth; then he addressed Kuntī in a most gentle, conciliatory tone.

    • 3.291.8

      Kuntī said: “O deity, my father is under guardianship, and my mother and other relatives as well. While they remain responsible for me, this would constitute a breach of proper procedure.”

    • 15.22.7

      Approaching his mother Kuntī, he said: “O bull among the Bharatas, I will go in search of the king; you should return.”

    • 10.49.1

      Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Akrūra went to Hastināpura, the city distinguished by the glory of the Paurava rulers. There he saw Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Bhīṣma, Vidura and Kuntī, along with Bāhlika and his son Somadatta. He also saw Droṇācārya, Kṛpācārya…

    • 10.82.17

      Queen Kuntī met with her brothers and sisters and their children, and also with her parents, her brothers’ wives and Lord Mukunda. While talking with them she forgot her sorrow.

    • 10.58.7

      The Lord then went to see His aunt, Queen Kuntī. He bowed down to her and she embraced Him, her eyes moist with great affection. Lord Kṛṣṇa inquired from her and her daughter-in-law, Draupadī, about their welfare, and they in turn…

    • 2.6.8

      The knowers of the Vedas declare that Pandu also had two wives: Kunti, the daughter of Shurasena, and Madri, born in the Madra country.

    • 2.7.35

      Having completed all the final rites, the King (Dhritarashtra), along with Gandhari, Kunti, and Vidura, quickly entered the forest.

    • 2.8.1

      The Description of Ruru's Story. Suta said: Then, on the third day, King Dhritarashtra, along with his wife (Gandhari) and Kunti, were burnt to death by a forest fire in the woods.

  1. Bhagavad Gita

    24 verses · 11 chapters

    • 1.16

      King Yudhiṣṭhira, son of Kuntī, blew the conch named Anantavijaya; and Nakula and Sahadeva blew the conches named Sughoṣa and Maṇipuṣpaka.

    • 2.14

      Sense-contacts, O son of Kunti, give rise to cold and heat, pleasure and pain; they come and go and are impermanent—endure them, O Bharata.

    • 3.9

      This world is bound by action, except by action done for yajña (sacrifice). Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform action for that purpose, free from attachment.

Key chapters

The chapters where Kunti matters most.

  1. Yudhishthira-adi Utpatti Varnanam

    Devi Bhagavatam 2.6 · 34 verses

  2. Adhyāya 290: Kuntī’s Mantra-Parīkṣā and the Appearance of Sūrya (कुन्ती-सूर्यसंवादः)

    Mahabharata 3.290 · 25 verses

    Young princess whose curiosity initiates a binding ritual act

  3. Kuntī-Sūrya-saṃvāda: Autonomy, Reputation, and the Promise of Karṇa

    Mahabharata 3.291 · 25 verses

    Young princess negotiating consent, dharma, and reputation…

  4. Kuntī’s Resolve to Depart for the Forest

    Mahabharata 15.22 · 24 verses

    Moral center and renunciant decision-maker

  5. Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 113: Maryādā-sthāpana (Śvetaketu’s Boundary) and the Niyoga Deliberation of Pāṇḍu and Kuntī

    Mahabharata 1.113 · 23 verses

    Agent of continuity whose consent, capacity, and ritual…

  6. Pṛthā’s Atithi-Sevā and the Gift of the Deva-Āhvāna Mantra (पृथायाः अतिथिसेवा तथा देवाह्वानमन्त्रप्रदानम्)

    Mahabharata 3.289 · 23 verses

    Exemplar of disciplined hospitality

  7. Kuntī’s concealed childbirth and the river-borne casket

    Mahabharata 3.292 · 23 verses

    Central agent torn between maternal love and social peril

  8. Draupadī’s Arrival, Kuntī’s Unintended Utterance, and the Decision for Fraternal Unity

    Mahabharata 1.182 · 7 verses

    Catalyst of the crisis: her habitual instruction about shared…

  9. Kuntī-Vyāsa Dialogue on Durvāsā’s Boon and Karṇa’s Birth

    Mahabharata 15.38 · 21 verses

    Confessor and moral witness

  10. Kuntī’s Consolation to Draupadī and Lament for the Dispossessed Pandavas (सभा पर्व, अध्याय 70)

    Mahabharata 2.70 · 21 verses

    Moral center of the domestic sphere: she counsels Draupadī…

Key episodes

  1. The Birth of Karna

    Mahabharata 1.104

  2. Draupadi's Svayamvara

    Mahabharata 1.176-1.182

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