Episode 13 : Kunti Tests Durvasa's Mantra : Karna's Birth

Kunti Remembers Her Past

Note: Before she was called Kunti, she was Pritha — daughter of Shurasena, ruler of the Yadavas and father of Vasudeva (Krishna’s father). In honour of a promise made to his dear friend Kuntibhoja, Shurasena gave little Pritha to him in adoption.

Kunti sits with her companion, visibly disturbed after learning from King Kuntibhoja that a marriage proposal has arrived from Hastinapur. Her friend, sensing the unrest, asks gently why such news brings tears instead of joy.

Kunti hesitates, then speaks the secret she has carried alone for years:

Vyasa Warns About Durvasa's Arrival

Mathura celebrates Kunti’s coming of age with joy and grandeur. Her adoptive parents advise her gently that a maiden’s honour must be guarded, for one careless rumour can destroy a girl’s future.

Sage Vyasa arrives, blesses the family, and warns that Durvasa — an ascetic famed for both terrible anger and potent boons — will likely visit. His presence can bring prosperity, provided he is served exactly as he expects. Pritha overhears.

Durvasa's Demand

Durvasa soon appears. The lavish welcome offends him. “I expect sincerity, not pomp,” he says. He demands that Pritha serve him for a year, assisting in rituals and keeping strict vows; the family must not contact her during this time. Kuntibhoja offers to assist himself, but Durvasa insists on Pritha.

Pritha assures her worried father that she wants to serve them in return for all the love they gave her. For a full year, Pritha serves Durvasa with absolute dedication — gathering flowers, preparing offerings, cooking food, washing clothes, and assisting in rituals. When the year ends, Durvasa is pleased. He teaches her a sacred mantra by which she can summon any god to grant her a son. But he warns her to use it only when there is true necessity.

Pritha tells her companion the mantra and, in innocent curiosity, invokes Surya. The Sun God appears in radiance; Pritha is overwhelmed and terrified.

Surya says, “I cannot leave without fulfilling this summons. The child will be born at once, bearing my armour and earrings; he will aid you in a future crisis. Your maidenhood will be restored afterward.”

Kunti protests, pleads, weeps. But destiny does not move backwards.

The Child of the Sun

A child is born — golden-armoured, and wearing earrings that gleam.

Kunti’s heart breaks. Young and frightened of shame, she has no one to confide in.

With trembling hands, she places her newborn son in a box lined with soft cloth, whispers a prayer, and sets him adrift on the river Aswa, a tributary of the Ganges river that flowed near the palace.

Kunti is tormented by guilt. Her friend assures her she acted as a frightened girl and urges her to accept her future marriage; the child of a god will be looked after, the friend says, and perhaps one day they will meet.

The Foster Son of a Charioteer

The box drifts downstream to Radha and Adhiratha — a humble suta couple. Adhiratha, who served as the royal charioteer of Dhritarashtra, and his childless wife Radha, take the divine infant into their arms.

They raise him with love, giving him a name that will one day shake kingdoms:

Karna.

He grows up in humble surroundings, while his mother carries the memory in silence.

Marriages of Dhritarashtra and Pandu

Dhritarashtra marries Gandhari and Pandu marries Kunti amidst vedic chants and with blessings from Bhishma, Satyavati, Ambika and Ambalika.