The story so far…
Pandu accidentally kills a hermit and gets cursed.
Kunti tells him that she could summon Gods to get children.
The deity Kunti called upon first was Yama.
The God of truth and death.
In the darkness of the forest
Yama responded to Kunti’s chant
and gave her a son who would be the very embodiment of virtue and patience.
Pandu was beyond himself with happiness.
He named his first son Yudhishthir.
He who would keep calm even in the heat of the battle.
In the years to come,
Yudhishthir would become the mental block that his brothers would rely upon in times of turmoil.
Kunti then called upon Vayu dev, the wind God.
His stormy embrace gave Kunti a son who would be as strong and as fast as the wind itself.
When Kunti was giving Bhim to Pandu she dropped him.
But when Pandu saw that the baby’s fall had shattered a rock he was pleased with Vayu’s gift.
They named their second son, Bheem.
Bheem would gain fame and be known all over the world as a hero of unmatched strength and courage.
After this Kunti spoke the mantra once more and called upon Indra,
the king of the Devas.
The night spent with Indra, gave her a son destined to be one of the greatest warriors the world has ever known.
When Pandu beheld his third son he was struck by the child’s expression.
He thought
the boy had an archer’s eyes
and became convinced that the world would come to acknowledge his talent one day.
Pandu and Kunti named their third son Arjun.
After Arjun’s birth Kunti made it clear that she would not mother any more sons.
Despite Pandu’s many pleas she refused to use the mantra again.
Madri however was still without children.
And Kunti agreed to help her become a mother.
Under a night sky full of stars
Kunti spoke the mantra and summoned the ashwin twins for Madri
As a result of her time with the celestial brothers Madri had two most beautiful sons.
With his five sons, Pandu spent a joyful time in the forest.
Yudhishthir,
Arjun
and Bhim trained with the forest dwellers
while Nakul and Sehdev grew in the care of Kunti and Madri.
Pandu almost forgot about the misfortune that had visted him recently.
But the curse was inescapable.
One day when Kunti returned from a journey into the forest she found that Pandu was no more.
In a moment of passion, Pandu had lost control and forced himself upon Madri.
His death
which had been waiting in the shadows all this while finally took him away.
When Pandu was cremated,
Madri chose to enter the flame in order to share her husband’s fate.
Hastinapur lost yet another son and with him a daughter as well.
After the death of her husband Kunti could not bear the sight of their silvan home anymore.
It reminded her of all that she had lost here.
After spending a few more months in the forest
she said her goodbyes and left for Hastinapur with the five sons of Pandu.
For the pandavas,
Kunti was everything in the world now.
Next time on Epified
Prophecy's Child