Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Kunti included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).
Story of ܲԳī
(ṚTĀ). Wife of King ṇḍ and the mother of the ṇḍ, ܲԳī is a noble heroine in the Ѳٲ.
Birth.
ܲԳī was the sister of Śrī ṛṣṇa’s father Vasudeva. Her real name was Pṛthā. Vasudeva and Pṛthā were the children of King ŚūԲ of the 岹 dynasty. King Kuntibhoja was the son of ŚūԲ’s sister. He had no issues. ŚūԲ had promised to give the daughter first born to him as the adopted daughter of Kuntibhoja, and accordingly his first-born daughter Pṛthā was given to Kuntibhoja, and ܲԳī was brought up in his palace. From that day onwards Pṛthā came to be known as ܲԳī. (Ādi Parva, Chapter 111).
ܲԳī, ī and Իī were born from aspects respectively of the three celestial women Siddhi, ṛt and Mati. (Ādi Parva, Chapter 67, Verse 160).
ܲԳī and the mantra.
To treat brahmins who came to the court of Kuntibhoja with worshipful offerings etc. was the duty of ܲԳī. Once sage ٳܰ visited Kuntibhoja, and as he knew that the sage was easily annoyed ܲԳī was specially deputed for his service, and she served him to the utmost. One day, to test ܲԳī, he asked her to be ready with his food by the time he took his bath, and he took practically no time to return after bath and sit for meals. By that time ܲԳī had managed to cook his food, which she placed before him in a plate. The food was too hot and steaming, and the sage meaningfully looked at the back of ܲԳī. Realising the meaning of the look, ܲԳī turned her back to the sage for him to place the plate of food thereon. The sage placed it accordingly on her back and began eating. Though her back was really burning she showed no sign of it. Pleased at her behaviour the sage taught her a mantra and blessed her to the following effect.
"Repeating this mantra you invoke whichever Deva you like and thanks to his favour you will get children. (ٳٲ岵, Lāvāṇakalambaka, ղṅg 2 and ٲ (Malayālam) Chapter 111).
ܲԳī tested the mantra.
After the departure of ٳܰ from the palace, ܲԳī developed an irresistible desire to test the efficacy of the mantra. and one day she invoked Sun-god with the mantra. Thereupon ūⲹ approached her in the guise of a brahmin youth. ܲԳī got alarmed. Owing to disinclination to become an unmarried mother ܲԳī could not make up her mind to welcome the brahmin youth. But, ūⲹ deva argued that his coming could not be in vain, and ܲԳī had to yield. She requested ūⲹ for a son adorned with helmet, ear-rings etc. (Vana Parva Chapter 207 Verse 17).
ūⲹ assured ܲԳī that even though a child was born to her from him, that will not affect her virginity and departed. ܲԳī delivered a son in due course of time in secret. She locked up the child in a box and floated it in the ۲ܲ. An old charioteer called Adhiratha picked up the child from the river and brought it up as though it were his own son. That boy grew up to become the famous ṇa. (Ādi Parva, Chapter 112).
ܲԳī’s wedding.
In due course Kuntibhoja celebrated ܲԳī’s ⲹṃv and she chose King ṇḍ of the lunar dynasty as her husband, and ṇḍ took her to Haṣtināpura in all pomp and glory. (Ādi Parva, Chapter 112).
ܲԳī’s wedded life.
ṇḍ married another wife also called ī, and all the three of them led a very happy life. During one of those days ṇḍ went a hunting in the forest and arrowed to death sage Kindama, who was making love with his wife in the forest, both of them having assumed the forms of deer. The sage cursed ṇḍ with death the moment he touched his wives, and grief-stricken at the curse he told his wives about it and decided to take to ԲԲ. But, the wives told him that they would commit suicide in case he took to ԲԲ. Ultimately ṇḍ went to Śٲśṛṅ with his wives, and there he began the performance of penances.
After some time ṇḍ asked his wives to become mothers by some noble persons. But, ܲԳī and ī did not agree to it. Then ܲԳī told ṇḍ about the boon she had got from ٳܰ, and with his permission she bore three sons called Dharmaputra, ī and Arjuna respectively from the three Devas, Dharma, and Indra. As it had been ordained that the fourth and fifth children would bring sorrows and pain to the parents ܲԳī satisfied herself with three children (Ādi Parva, Chapter 122, Verses 77, 78).
But, as ṇḍ desired that ī also should have children by Kunti’s mantra she used the remaining mantra and two sons, Nakula and Sahadeva from the Aśvinīdevas were born to her.
ܲԳī widowed.
During a winter when the forest was fragrant with flowers, ṇḍ forgot all about the Sage’s curse and indulged in sexual joys with ī, and immediately he expired. ܲԳī and ī competed with each other to end their life in the funeral pyre of their husband. But, as the sages and other relations insisted that one of them should live to bring up the children, ī alone ended her life, and ܲԳī returned to Ჹپܰ with the five children. (Ādi Parva, Chapter 125).
ܲԳī at Ჹپܰ.
At Ჹپܰ differences cropped up between the ṇḍ and the Kauravas. ܲԳī and the five ṇḍ removed themselves to the 'Lac palace' built at ṇāvٲ. When the palace was gutted by fire ܲԳī and her sons escaped through a secret tunnel to the forest, and ī carried the worn out ܲԳī on his shoulders. In the forest the ṣa woman ᾱḍiī, requested ܲԳī to permit ī to become her husband, and ܲԳī advised ī to beget a child by ᾱḍiī, and thus was born ҳṭoٰ첹. At the city named 첹, ղ consoled ܲԳī. There the brahmins complained to ܲԳī about the depredations of ܰ. ܲԳī got Baka killed by ī and asked the brahmins to keep the matter secret. On the advice of a brahmin who came there accidentally ܲԳī and others visited the ñ kingdom, and there Arjuna, having defeated all the Kings present at ñī’s ⲹṃv wedded her. The ṇḍ who returned with ñī at dusk time were asked by ܲԳī to enjoy that day’s ṣ� (Alms received) together among themselves. Accordingly ñī became the wife of all the five ṇḍ. Vidura, at the court of the ñ King saluted ܲԳī and presented to her various varieties of gems. ܲԳī and Vidura talked about the painful incidents of the past, and Vidura escorted the ṇḍ back to Ჹپܰ.
Arjuna led a solitary life in the forest for one year, and then returned to Ჹپܰ with ܲ whom he had married meanwhile. ܲԳī received ܲ heartily. In the game of dice with Duryodhana, Dharmaputra was defeated, and the ṇḍ again started for their life in the forest. During this period ܲԳī lived in Vidura’s house. Meanwhile Śrī ṛṣṇa one day visited ܲԳī, and she told ṛṣṇa about the fate of her sons with tears in her eyes. Duryodhana refused to give half of the kingdom to the ṇḍ, who returned after twelve years' life in exile in the forest and one year’s life incognito. Śrī ṛṣṇa prompted the ṇḍ to war with the Kauravas, and both the parties began preparations for war. (Ādi Parva, from Chapter 135 to and Vana Parvans and Udyoga Parva, upto Chapter 137).
ܲԳī before ṇa.
War clouds grew thick and fast, and ܲԳī at Vidura’s house got restless. Her heart trembled at the disasters of war as described by Vidura. She went alone to the banks of the Ҳṅg where just then ṇa was engaged in Japa with his hands raised and face turned to the east. ܲԳī waited for some time after which they began to talk. With tears in her eyes ܲԳī told ṇa that he was her son and implored him to return to the ṇḍ side to which ṇa replied as follows: "Oh! noble lady, that is quite impossible. I have vowed to kill Arjuna. I will not kill the other four ṇḍ. You shall always have five sons alive. If Arjuna were to be no more I would be there for you in his stead."
ܲԳī shuddered at those terrible words of ṇa, and thus did both of them part with each other. (Udyoga Parva, Chapters 145 and 146).
Last days of ܲԳī.
The great war ended. Thousands of warriors on the Kaurava side like the mighty ṇa were no more. On the ṇḍ side also many were killed. Though the ṇḍ won the war their hearts no more enjoyed peace or happiness. ܲԳī suffered as though caught in a wild fire. She asked the ṇḍ to perform the obsequies for ṇa also. When she let out the secret that ṇa was her firstborn child Dharmaputra burst into tears. ܲԳī consoled ܲ and ٳٲ who were lamenting over the death of Abhimanyu. She requested Śrī ṛṣṇa to cremate the dead son of ٳٲ.
Then ܲԳī went to Իī, who stood there bathed in tears. Grief-stricken, ٳṛtṣṭ and Իī started for the forest. Holding Իī’s hand in hers ܲԳī led the way. The ṇḍ prevented their mother from going, but she did not yield. She advised Dharmaputra to have a special eye on Sahadeva, not to forget ṇa’s name and not to show any displeasure towards ī and ñī. But, the ṇḍ wanted to follow their beloved mother into the forest. ñī and ܲ stationed themselves behind ܲԳī, who shed copious tears at the sight. ٳṛtṣṭ and Իī, who also felt deeply pained at the sight tried their best to dissuade ܲԳī from following them to the forest. But, ܲԳī consoled her sons and daughters-in-law by means of sympathetic words and followed ٳṛtṣṭ and Իī to the banks of the Ҳṅg, where all of them lived together.
The ṇḍ felt acutely the absence of their mother at home. They went to the forest and paid their respects to ܲԳī on the banks of the Ҳṅg. ܲԳī embraced Sahadeva with tears in her eyes. Though ۳ܻṣṭ and Sahadeva wanted to stay with ܲԳī in her service she did not allow that. ܲԳī, ٳṛtṣṭ and Իī performed penance in the forest near the Ҳṅg, taking food only once in a month. The three of them died there in a wild fire. (Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapter 37, Verse 31). Their relations inmersed their bones in the Ҳṅg and performed the necessary obsequies. (ٰī, ŚԳپ, Āśramavāsika and Āśvamedhika Parvans).
ܲԳī in Devaloka.
ܲԳī, ī and ṇḍ went to Devaloka. (Svargārohaṇa Parva, Chapter 5, Verse 15).