01
Origins and family
As a young woman she tested Durvasa's mantra and gave birth to Karna, whom she abandoned in fear.
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Character Chronicle
Mahabharata · Pandava matriarch
Kunti
Mother of Karna and the Pandavas, whose secret and endurance shaped the epic's central tragedy.
MahabharataInvocation mantraChoices
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Biography
The story of Kunti
Kunti is mother of Karna and the Pandavas, whose secret and endurance shaped the epic's central tragedy. Born Pritha, daughter of Shurasena and foster-daughter of Kuntibhoja; wife of Pandu.
As a young woman she tested Durvasa's mantra and gave birth to Karna, whom she abandoned in fear.
She married Pandu and used the mantra to bear Yudhishthira, Bhima and Arjuna, also sharing it with Madri.
After Pandu's death she raised the five brothers through danger, exile and political hostility.
She revealed Karna's birth too late, later retired to the forest with Dhritarashtra and Gandhari, and died in a forest fire.
Life journey
Four defining chapters
02
Rise and relationships
She married Pandu and used the mantra to bear Yudhishthira, Bhima and Arjuna, also sharing it with Madri.
03
Defining crisis
After Pandu's death she raised the five brothers through danger, exile and political hostility.
04
Final phase and legacy
She revealed Karna's birth too late, later retired to the forest with Dhritarashtra and Gandhari, and died in a forest fire.
Choices made under fear can echo through generations.
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