9. KUNTI DEVI:

SURA, the grandfather of Sri Krishna,
was a worthy scion of the Yadava race.
His daughter Pritha was noted for her
beauty and virtues. Since his cousin
Kuntibhoja was childless, Sura gave his
daughter Pritha in adoption to him. From
that time she was known by the name of
Kunti after her adoptive father.

When Kunti was a little girl, the sage
Durvasa stayed for a time as a guest in her
father's house and she served the sage for
a year with all care, patience and
devotion. He was so pleased with her that
he gave her a divine mantra. He said:
"If you call upon any god repeating this
mantra, he will manifest himself to you
and bless you with a son equal to him in
glory." He granted her this boon because
he foresaw by his yogic power the
misfortune that was in store for her future
husband.

The impatient curiosity of youth made
Kunti test then and there the efficacy of
the mantra by repeating it and invoking
the Sun whom she saw shining in the
heavens. At once the sky grew dark with
clouds, and under cover of them the Sun
god approached the beautiful princess
Kunti and stood gazing at her with ardent
soul scorching admiration. Kunti,
overpowered by the glorious vision of her
divine visitor, asked: "O god, who art
thou?"

The Sun replied: "Dear maiden, I am the
Sun. I have been drawn to you by the spell
of the son-giving mantra that you have
uttered."

Kunti was aghast and said: "I am an
unwedded girl dependent on my father. I
am not fit for motherhood and do not
desire it. I merely wished to test the power
of the boon granted by the sage Durvasa.
Go back and forgive this childish folly of
mine." But the Sun god could not thus
return because the power of the mantra
held him. She for her part was mortally
afraid of being blamed by the world. The
Sun god however reassured her:
"No blame shall attach to you. After
bearing my son, you will regain virginity.''

Kunti conceived by the grace of the Sun,
the giver of light and life to all the world.
Divine births take place immediately
without the nine months weary course of
mortal gestation.

She gave birth to Karna who was born
with divine armor and earrings and was
bright and beautiful like the Sun. In time,
he became one of the world's greatest
heroes. After the birth of the child, Kunti
once again became a virgin as a result of
the boon granted by the Sun.

She wondered what she should do with
the child. To hide her fault she placed the
child in a sealed box and set it afloat in a
river. A childless charioteer happened to
see the floating case, and taking it, was
surprised and delighted to see within it a
gorgeously beautiful child.

He handed it over to his wife who
lavished a mother's love on it. Thus
Karna, the son of the Sun god, came to be
brought up as a charioteer's child. When
the time came for giving Kunti in
marriage, Kuntibhoja invited all the
neighboring princes and held a
swayamvara for her to choose her
husband.

Many eager suitors flocked to the
swayamvara as the princess was widely
famed for her great beauty and virtue.
Kunti placed the garland on the neck of
King Pandu, the bright representative of
the Bharata race, whose personality
eclipsed the lustre of all the other princes
assembled there. The marriage was duly
solemnised and she accompanied her
husband to his capital Hastinapur.

On the advice of Bhishma and in
accordance with the prevailing custom,
Pandu took a second wife Madri, the sister
of the king of Madra. In the old days the
kings took two or three wives for making
sure of progeny and not for mere sensual
desire.