The Untold Story of A Panchkanya- Kunti, From The Great Epic Mahabharata

Abstract

Indian culture is governed by various mythical tales and epics. Most of these tales and epics highlights the sacrificing, submissive and obedient nature of women and focuses on their single dimensional personalities. Oppressed women facing injustice and hardships is not a new concept, it has been going on since the mythical times. This paper deals with the life of one of the important yet forgotten female character of the great epic Mahabharata, Kunti. Kunti was the first wife of King Pandu and the mother of the five Pandavs namely Yudhishthira, Bheema, Arjun and her two step sons Nakul and Sahadev along with Karana, whom she had out of a wedlock. She has often been criticized for various things but lesser known is the fact that her life was full of struggles and hardships. The Pain and suffering of Draupadi, Gandhari and Amba have always been discussed at length but Kunti, inspite of the injustice she faced since her childhood until she died has got no mention anywhere. The paper aims to give her the due credit she deserves, taking into account the various aspects of her life and analyzing them through the lens of feminist criticism.