Character
Kunti
कुन्तीKuntī
- verses
- 1,425
- books
- 18
- chapters
- 464
- Parent of
- Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Karna
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.”
- 3.290.9
- 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…
- 10.49.1
- 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.
- 2.6.8
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.
- 1.16
Also named in
- Skanda Purana17 verses
- Padma Purana15 verses
- Mudgala Purana11 verses
- Agni Purana9 verses
- Matsya Purana9 verses
- Garuda Purana9 verses
- Brahmanda Purana9 verses
- Brahma Purana7 verses
- Vishnu Purana4 verses
- Narada Purana3 verses
- Markandeya Purana2 verses
- Linga Purana1 verse
- Narasimha Purana1 verse
- Kurma Purana1 verse
Key chapters
The chapters where Kunti matters most.
Yudhishthira-adi Utpatti Varnanam
Adhyāya 290: Kuntī’s Mantra-Parīkṣā and the Appearance of Sūrya (कुन्ती-सूर्यसंवादः)
Young princess whose curiosity initiates a binding ritual act
Kuntī-Sūrya-saṃvāda: Autonomy, Reputation, and the Promise of Karṇa
Young princess negotiating consent, dharma, and reputation…
Kuntī’s Resolve to Depart for the Forest
Moral center and renunciant decision-maker
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 113: Maryādā-sthāpana (Śvetaketu’s Boundary) and the Niyoga Deliberation of Pāṇḍu and Kuntī
Agent of continuity whose consent, capacity, and ritual…
Pṛthā’s Atithi-Sevā and the Gift of the Deva-Āhvāna Mantra (पृथायाः अतिथिसेवा तथा देवाह्वानमन्त्रप्रदानम्)
Exemplar of disciplined hospitality
Kuntī’s concealed childbirth and the river-borne casket
Central agent torn between maternal love and social peril
Draupadī’s Arrival, Kuntī’s Unintended Utterance, and the Decision for Fraternal Unity
Catalyst of the crisis: her habitual instruction about shared…
Kuntī-Vyāsa Dialogue on Durvāsā’s Boon and Karṇa’s Birth
Confessor and moral witness
Kuntī’s Consolation to Draupadī and Lament for the Dispossessed Pandavas (सभा पर्व, अध्याय 70)
Moral center of the domestic sphere: she counsels Draupadī…
Key episodes
The Birth of Karna
Mahabharata 1.104
Draupadi's Svayamvara
Mahabharata 1.176-1.182
Also known to Wikipedia · Wikidata Q844424