Kunti: Pritha, Who Called the Gods
At a glance
- Who is Karna’s mother? Karna’s mother is Kunti.
- Who is Yudhishthira’s mother? Yudhishthira’s mother is Kunti.
- Who is Bhima’s mother? Bhima’s mother is Kunti.
- Who is Arjuna’s mother? Arjuna’s mother is Kunti.
- Who are Kunti’s fathers? Kunti’s fathers are Shurasena and Kuntibhoja.
- Who is Kunti’s mother? Kunti’s mother is Marisha.
- Who is Kunti’s husband? Kunti’s husband is Pandu.
Pritha, Vasudeva’s sister. Mother of Karna in secret, then of the three elder Pandavas.
Also called Pritha · Prithe
Who Kunti is
Kunti is Pritha, Shurasena’s daughter, given to childless Kuntibhoja, and so Vasudeva’s sister and Krishna’s aunt. Durvasa gives her a mantra: whichever god she calls will give her a child.
Still a maiden, she calls Surya. Karna is born and sent down the river. As Pandu’s queen, cursed not to touch him, she calls Dharma, Vayu, and Indra. She is the hinge between the secret firstborn and the five who will claim the throne.
Names and spellings
The name used here is Kunti. Also called Pritha, Prithe. Common Mahabharat spellings stay in the aliases rather than being repeated in every heading.
Parents and foster-parents
Spouses
Children
Teachers
Narrative role
Adi Parva — the mantra She tests the gift. Surya will not come for nothing. A son is born with armour. She puts him in the water. Adhiratha lifts him out.
The forest Pandu bids her raise sons as he himself was raised. She tells him she already has the means. Three gods, three sons. She lets Madri use the mantra once.
The lac house and after She walks out of Varanavata with five boys. She says ‘share whatever you have brought’ and then sees Draupadi. She does not take the word back.
Udyoga — the war’s eve She goes to Karna at the river and names him. He will spare her other sons. He will not spare Arjuna. After the war she names him again, in front of the survivors, and it is too late for anyone.
How Kunti is related
How is Kunti related to Karna? Birth-mother and the woman who hid him. The basket and the naming on the eve of battle are the two scenes the recitation will not let go. Karna
How is Kunti related to Pandu? Husband who cannot father children. The Pandavas are his by niyoga with the gods, which this graph records as parent-bonds of two kinds. Pandu
How is Kunti related to Krishna? She is his father’s sister. The Yadava embassy and the Gita sit inside that kinship, not outside it. Krishna
How is Kunti related to Yudhishthira? Eldest of the three she called as queen. He carries her word about sharing Draupadi as if it were a law. Yudhishthira
Source notes
Mahabharata text (Adi Sambhava, Jatugriha, Udyoga, Stri), Ganguli. Kuntibhoja is recorded as adoptive father beside Shurasena. Last reviewed 12 September 2026.
See the methodology for how foster, niyoga, divine, and story-bonds are labelled. Send a correction via About.