666
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 13]
with her, but she declined. But the sun-god assured her immunity from virgin adulteration, and so she agreed to his proposal. As a result of this couplement, she became pregnant, and Karṇa was born by her. By the grace of the sun, she again turned into a virgin girl, but being afraid of her parents, she quitted the newly born child Karṇa. After that, when she actually selected her own husband, she preferred Pāṇḍu to be her husband. Mahārāja Pāṇḍu later on wanted to retire from family life and adopt the renounced order of life. Kuntī refused to allow her husband to adopt such life, but at last Mahārāja Pāṇḍu gave her permission to become a mother of sons by calling some other suitable personalities. Kuntī did not accept this proposal at first, but when vivid examples were set by Pāṇḍu she agreed. Thus by dint of the  mantra  awarded by Durvāsā Muni she called for Dharmarāja, and thus Yudhiṣṭhira was born. She called for demigod Vāyu (air), and thus Bhīma was born. She called for Indra, the King of heaven, and thus Arjuna was born. The other two sons, namely Nakula and Sahadeva, were begotten by Pāṇḍu himself in the womb of Mādrī. Later on, Mahārāja Pāṇḍu died at an early age, for which Kuntī was so aggrieved that she fainted. Two cowives, namely Kuntī and Mādrī, decided that Kuntī should live for the maintenance of the five minor children, the Pāṇḍavas, and Mādrī should accept the  satī  rituals by meeting voluntary death along with her husband. This agreement was endorsed by great sages like Śatasṛṅga and others present on the occasion.
Later on, when the Pāṇḍavas were banished from the kingdom by the intrigues of Duryodhana, Kuntī followed her sons, and she equally faced all sorts of difficulties during those days. During the forest life one demon girl, Hiḍimbi, wanted Bhīma as her husband, which was refused by Bhīma, but when the girl approached Kuntī and Yudhiṣṭhira, they ordered Bhīma to accept her proposal and give her a son. As a result of this combination, Ghaṭotkach was born, and he fought very valiantly with his father against the Kauravas. In their forest life they lived with a  brāhmaṇa  family that was in trouble because of one Bakāsura demon, and Kuntī ordered Bhīma to kill the Bakāsura to protect the  brāhmaṇa  family against troubles created by the demon. She advised Yudhiṣṭhira to start for the Pāñcāla-deśa. Draupadī was gained in this Pāñcāla-deśa by Arjuna, but by order of Kuntī all the five brothers of the Pāṇḍavas became equally the husbands of Pāñcālī or Draupadī. She was married with five Pāṇḍavas in the presence of Vyāsadeva. Kuntīdevi never forgot her first child, Karṇa, and after Karṇa's death in the Battle of Kurukṣetra she lamented and admitted before her other sons that Karṇa was her eldest son prior to her marriage with Mahārāja Pāṇḍu. After the Battle of Kurukṣetra, when Lord Kṛṣṇa was going back home, her prayers for the Lord are excellently explained. Later