MAHABHARATAM PART-5

PAANDU TO WEDD WITH KUNTI

After paandu was the ruler of hastinapuram,bhishma pithamaha and rajamatha satyavathi decides to be get married to paandu.In search of an bride for pandu the king of KUNTHI rajya "KUNTIBHOJYA" announces swayamvaram to her only daughter "KUNTHI".

Many kings and samrats has attended to swayamvaram,but kunti chooses pandu as his husband.kuntibhoja was happy with his daughter decision and made her as the queen of hastinapura.

                                                               ABOUT "KUNTHI"

Kunti was the biological daughter of the Shurasena, a Yadava chief. Her birth name was Pritha. Kunti was the sister of Vasudeva, the father of Krishna and shared close relationship with Krishna. Her father gave Kunti to his childless cousin Kuntibhoja.

Birth of Karna:

Once Sage Durvasa visited Kuntibhoja. He was extremely pleased by the services and comforts offered by Kunti, and offered her a boon to invoke any god to bear a child. Curious, Kunti invoked the mantra and accidentally bore Karna from Surya, the solar deity. Afraid of being an unwed mother, she placed the baby in a basket and set him afloat on a river. This child was later found and adopted by a charioteer Adhiratha and his wife Radha.

Arrival of Madri:

Soon after, during his mission to expand his empire, Pandu married Madri, a princess of Madra in order to secure the vassalage of Madra. Madri was of the view that Kunti was inferior by birth to her because Yadavas were cattle herders while she was a princess. Kunti was disturbed by her husband's act, but eventually reconciled with him.[citation needed]

Pandu's Curse:

While hunting in a forest, Rishi Kindama and his wife, who had taken up the form of deer to mate, were shot and killed by Pandu as he mistook them as deer. The dying sage placed a curse on Pandu, since he had not only killed them in the midst of lovemaking, but was not remorseful for his action. King Pandu argued with sage Kindama by misquoting sage Agastya's ruling on the right of Kshatriyas on hunting.[citation needed] Sage Kindama then decided to curse him to die if he ever should become intimate with his wife. Pandu renounced the kingdom and went into exile with Kunti and Madri.

The Pandavas and Hastinapur:

Pandu could not make love with his wives due to a curse by sage Kindama. When Pandu expressed to Kunti his despair at the prospect of dying childless, Kunti used the boons given to her by Sage Durvasa to bear three sons-Yudhishthira (by Yama), Bhima (by Vayu), and Arjuna (by Indra). Kunti having warmed up to Madri during their exile shares the mantra with her, on the condition that she only use it once. Madri cleverly summons the Ashvins, who give her twin sons Nakula and Sahadeva.

Pandu attempted to join physical relations with his wife Madri. As a result of Kindama's curse, he died. Madri committed sati as she was the cause of his Death. Kunti stood helpless in the forest with her children.

After the death of Pandu and Madri, Kunti took care of all five Pandava children, taking them back to Hastinapur. As the rivalry culminates between Pandavas and Kauravas, she decides to go back to Kunti Bhoja. But her attempt was stopped by Bhishma. She performed the puja for the Kala Bhairava for his return.