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.

  1. Mahabharata

    1,162 verses · 367 chapters

    All 1,162 verses in the Mahabharata

    Also in the Gita Press edition: 1,477 verses

    • 3.290.9

      Apni yog ki taakat se woh do roop mein aa gaye. Chamakne lage aur Kunti se bade pyaar se baat ki.

    • 3.291.8

      Kunti boli, dev, mera baap mera zimmedar hai. Meri maa bhi hai, aur rishtedaar bhi hain. Jab tak woh log mera khayal rakhte hain, tab tak main aisa nahi kar sakti. Yeh galat hoga.

    • 15.22.7

      Woh apni maa Kunti ke paas gaya. Kehne laga, main raja ko dhoondhne jaa raha hoon. Aap wapas chale jao.

  2. Bhagavatam

    89 verses · 21 chapters

    All 89 verses in the Bhagavatam
    • 10.49.1

      Shukadeva ne kaha, Akrur Hastinapur gaya. Yeh shehar Puru vansh ke raja logon ke liye famous hai. Wahan usne Dhritarashtra ko dekha, Bhishma Pitamah ko, Vidur ko, aur Kunti ko. Bahlik aur unka beta Somdatt bhi wahan the. Dronacharya…

    • 10.82.17

      Pritha ne apne bhai-bahen aur unke bacchon ko dekha. Maa-baap bhi mile, bhaiyon ki biwiyan bhi. Mukund bhagwan bhi saath the. Jab sabse baat hui to dukh bhool gayi.

    • 10.58.7

      Phir Krishna apni bua Kunti ke paas gaye. Kunti ne unko dekh ke bahut pyaar se lipta liya, unki aankhon mein paani aa gaya. Krishna ne poocha ki sab theek hai na aap logon ka. Kunti aur Draupadi ne bhi Krishna se Dwaraka ke sab logon ke…

  3. Devi Bhagavatam

    52 verses · 7 chapters

    All 52 verses in the Devi Bhagavatam
    • 2.6.8

      Pandu ki bhi do patniyan thi. Veda jaannewale log bolte hain - ek thi Kunti, Shurasena ki beti. Doosri thi Madri, Madra desh ki.

    • 2.7.35

      Raja ne sab kaam khatam kiya. Phir Gandhari ke saath jaldi se van mein chala gaya. Kunti aur Vidur bhi unke saath the.

    • 2.8.1

      Suta ne kaha, teesre din Raja Dhritarashtra van mein phans gaye. Van mein aag lag gayi. Woh apni patni aur Kunti ke saath us aag mein jal kar mar gaye.

  4. Bhagavad Gita

    24 verses · 11 chapters

    • 1.16

      Raja Yudhishthir, Kunti ka beta, apna shankh bajaya. Uska naam tha Anantavijay. Nakul aur Sahadeva ne bhi apne shankh bajaye. Nakul ka shankh Sughosh tha, Sahadeva ka Manipushpak.

    • 2.14

      Arjun, thanda aur garmi, khushi aur dukh, yeh sab aate hain aur chale jaate hain. Yeh sab waqt ke saath badalta rehta hai. In sab ko bardaash karke rehna seekho.

    • 3.9

      Yeh duniya kaam mein phansi hai. Bas woh kaam alag hai jo bhagwan ke liye kiya jaye. Isliye, tum bhi aise hi kaam karo, bina kisi chiz ko apna banaye.

Also named in

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

Also known to Wikipedia · Wikidata Q844424