Mahabharat - An Epic, Retold

4. Kunti in a reverie

The Kuntibhojas heaved a sigh of relief. Every one was in tenterhook all these days. The royal couple was gladder than all others and they grew more proud of the daughter. Gradually life returned to normalcy.

Since the saint left a childish curiosity kept tormenting Kunti to verify whether or not the mantra worked really. One morning while reclining in her bed she was looking at the sky through the huge windows of the room. At that time she chanced to see the magnificent Sun God ascending the sky. At that moment she suddenly remembered the mantra and felt an irresistible curiosity to test it.

The innocent princess chanted the mantra with a mix of disbelief and trepidation in heart. The power of mantra was however felt as soon as the chanting was complete. Its massive vibration filled her entire body sending her to a deep trance. In that she felt the presence of the immensely luminous Sun God with all his glory and magnificence. Kunti grew nervous and implored:

-‘Oh God, please forgive me! I had just tried to find out if the Mantra worked. I promise I shall never act such indiscreetly again in life.’

However, the words of the Saint could not fail. Kunti felt million of bright rays entered her body and she fell unconscious. By the time she woke up again, everything else was normal. But she carried a strange divine feeling in all her entity.

As days passed she started feeling the presence of another soul within. Fear and shame of becoming an unwed mother started engulfing her. Kunti stopped visiting her parents. Even when called, she avoided meeting them on some pretext or the other. None except her chief maid, an elderly lady, knew that she was carrying. As days progressed, Kunti got increasingly restless knowing not what to do. But the maid was an understanding motherly woman and she assured her that the child birth shall be kept a secret and they would float the new born in the nearby ‘Ashwa’ river in a secure casket so that some kind soul can pick it up and take home.

Kunti delivered a son in time. The newborn exuded aura like Sun, and in every measure looked like son of a God as if sent fresh from the heavens. The child was born with armour and earrings that declared to the world that growing up he would be invincible warrior. The more she saw him, Kunti was overpowered by tender motherly feelings. She was completely confused as to what she should do – on one hand was her divine child and on the other hand was the reputation of the Kuntibhojas. The maid who had more earthly wisdom hurried Kunti up lest any one else comes up and discovers the childbirth. Both of them went to the riverside. The maid had arranged a specially designed river-worthy box with its walls waxed for protection. Kunti decorated it with vermilion and tender grass to invoke divine blessings and dispel evils.  The newborn was placed on the bed inside the box, its door was shut and then it was placed on the swirling water of the river. While pushing the box to the mid-stream, Kunti sobbed inconsolably. As the box danced its way riding the strong current, Kunti prayed to the Sun God to protect their dear son from all perils and dangers. She kept looking at the river for a long time till the box reduced to a dot and thereafter completely went out of sight.

She held this as a top secret. None other than the maidservant knew about it. This grief was therefore very personal and visited her whenever alone. She hoped that God would hear her prayers, her son would reach safe hands and find his own place under the sun wherever he is. From her whole self she yearned for the day when she would meet her estranged son and hear the words ‘mother’ from him.

Suddenly, there was knocking on the door and she heard the words, ‘Mother! Mother! Open the door’.