Bhagavad Gita · Mahabharata Codex

Kunti

कुन्ती · kuntī

Mother of the Pandavas, and of Karna; aunt of Krishna

She has six sons, and five of them do not know about the sixth.

Kunti was born Pritha, sister of Krishna's father, and was adopted by King Kuntibhoja. A sage gave her a mantra to call any god. Before her marriage she used it once and bore Karna, whom she gave up. As Pandu's queen she used it again to bear Yudhishthira, Bhima and Arjuna. When Krishna calls Arjuna 'Partha' or 'Kaunteya' in the Gita, he is calling him his mother's son.