Redefining our Protagonists!
Part 9
Krishna is a nephew of Kunti, much younger to her. However, her relationship with Krishna is much more, above all the human relationships.
Krishna meets Kunti for the first time after Draupadi Swayamvara. At that point of time Kunti is in dilemma. She has accidentally ordered her sons to share her daughter-in-law. But looking at her four sons she realizes that they want to follow her order. Until then ‘to share a wife’ is something unusual, rather never heard of. Kunti is confused — is she right? And here Krishna comes to her help. He understands Kunti’s point of view that she wants to ensure unity of the Pandava. So, with his great convincing power, Krishna convinces Draupadi that Kunti’s order should be followed. He also explains Draupadi what are benefits of the decision and finally Draupadi agrees to get wedded to all five brothers. We can say that it’s a pure family matter of Pandava; but Krishna’s skills of handling this family matter as a third person are extraordinary. He understands a situation from everybody’s point of view. He showcases farsightedness and unbiasedness of his character while taking a decision. Kunti being a good judge of character gets fascinated with his skills and considers him as a director of her life. Also until that moment, Kunti has been all alone in her life without a support. So she looks forward to Krishna to get all kind of support she needs. Being a paternal relative, she also looks at Krishna as an only thread that connects to her maiden house. Arrival of Krishna brings a maiden support in Kunti’s life. Being satisfied with the extent of faith that Kunti poses on him, Krishna in turns keeps giving all the support to her throughout her life.
In due course, Krishna starts playing a role of a guide in Kunti’s life. Kunti starts walking on a path of her life with confidence and positivism while holding Krishna’s hand in a faith. Once she holds Krishna’ hand, she leaves behind all worries and concerns. In twists and turns of Kunti’s life she realizes that with a camaraderie of Krishna, she can face everything. In this journey, a great web of relationship gets woven between Kunti and Krishna with the threads of love and respect. It makes this relationship a beautiful piece of a silky fabric.
During the incidence of game of dice when Dushassana tries to disrobe Draupadi, she calls forth Krishna from a bottom of her heart; Krishna rushes to her and helps her from being disgraced. Kunti appreciates that when there is no-body to help, it is Krishna who has helped to her beloved daughter-in-law. Kunti is grateful to Krishna about this help for rest of her life. This incidence strengthens Kunti’s faith on Krishna. Kunti knows that Krishna has an ability to bring out the desired change. Kunti is confident that Krishna keeps all his promises and comes to rescue of those who call him from a bottom of their hearts. For Kunti, Krishna is a kind of a person who helps needy-ones to sail through the waves of hindrances; and therefore she starts looking at him as a sailor of her lifeboat.
Kunti does her best to understand Krishna’s character in depth. She take one step further toward understanding Krishna from all aspects which broaden her understanding of Krishna’s character. She expands her mind and tries to understand an esoteric meaning of Krishna’s character. Kunti is the one who gathers all the acute details of Krishna in order to bring completeness in her analysis of character.
The more she knows Krishna, the more she appreciates his qualities. Kunti’s thoughts around Krishna are philosophical in nature and portray an accomplished analysis through all the angles.
During the exile of her sons and daughter-in-law Kunti spends distressed time in Vidura’s hut all alone. However, even in this distressed time, Kunti does not lose her faith on Krishna. With the help of this strong faith, she spends her time patiently without getting emotionally disturbed in such a distressed time. This shows mental strength of Kunti’s character. In this difficult time Kunti keeps her moral high by keeping faith on Krishna’s sense of justice. She consoles herself that Krishna will come to rescue of her deprived sons and daughter-in-law and will help them to regain what they deserve. She looks upon Krishna as a source of positive energy and remains positive even in a hard time. With a power of her positive thoughts, things around her start moving positively. It triggers an action on Krishna’s part. After the end of exile period he comes to Hastinapur as a messenger from the Pandava side. When Kunti sees Krishna after long time, she bursts into tears. This shows Kunti’s emotional intimacy with Krishna. Krishna assures her that she with get due justice. Thereafter Kunti mentally prepares herself for the war. She sends an inspirational message to her sons with Krishna which reiterates her faith on Krishna and her urge to her deserving sons to execute a plan sketched by Krishna.
There is an important dimension to Kunti’s relationship with Krishna. Krishna knows about Karna’s secret. When Krishna comes to Hastinapur for a peace embassy, he reveals Karna a secret of his birth. In fact it is Krishna who makes Kunti to meet Karna before an outbreak of the war. The promises that Kunti receive during her visit not to kill the Pandavas except for Arjuna are also part of Krishna’s plan to safeguard the interest of Pandava. On a deathbed Karna tells his death wish only to Krishna; because like Kunti, he also has great respect for Krishna and has great faith on him. This brings out triangular emotional relationship between Kunti, Krishna and Karna. Krishna’s relationship with Kunti as well as Karna provides a new aspect to a linear relationship between Kunti and Karna. Krishna is a connecting point between Kunti and Karna. Krishna knows in depth Kunti’s immense love and concern for Karna. Therefore, whenever possible, he takes initiative to direct Karna’s life in a positive way. Krishna also values Karna’s valor and gives respect to him as the eldest of Pandava. After death of Karna when Kunti reveals secret of Karna to Pandava, Yudhishthira curses her. It is none other than Krishna who consoles her sympathetically for her personal loss. At this point of time Kunti’s sons should have given her an emotional support; but none other than Krishna does that because he is the only person who understands and respects Kunti’s relationship with Karna.
Kunti carefully cements the right alliances for the Pandavas. An alliance between Krishna and Pandava is the one of that. This alliance reaps wonderful results in the course of Mahabharata. Although Krishna has not taken part in Kurukshetra war as a warrior, Kunti considers him as the greatest warrior. She knows that he has acted not as a mere charioteer of her son; but has driven the entire course of the war. He is a mastermind because of whom in spite of having great warriors like Bheeshma, Dronacharya, Karna and many more on Kaurava side, victory comes to the Pandava side. Kunti is grateful to Krishna for doing all this and gives a credit of victory to him alone. A gratitude to Krishna shows greatness of Kunti’s character.
After the end of war, Kunti gets back what she has been deprived of for many years. She achieves the highest amount of wealth in the material world but she values Krishna as real jewel, more than the material wealth. Kunti is a kind of matured personality who understands that this relationship is more precious than any material wealth. When Krishna starts for a departure to his capital, Kunti becomes emotional. She praises Krishna with such a grace that her expression has become a famous piece of literature. In Bhagwat Purana, this piece of twenty eight couplets is known as Teaching of Queen Kunti. It portrays a character of Kunti as an enlightened woman who has embraced the character of Krishna like a fish that goes deep down in an ocean and unearths the treasures. She offers her obeisance to Krishna by offering him a beautiful garland of praises woven with a thread of deepest emotion. That poetic piece shows that Kunti is the one who is free of all material clutches and most importantly as the one who tries to achieve a state of consciousness in her life. From this piece she emerges as a philosopher which shows altogether a different aspect of her character. She has done a wonderful analysis of Krishna which is difficult to understand for a normal human being; that sets her above an ordinary character. This poetic piece leaves astonished even modern philosophers with its wholesomeness. Kunti’s understanding of character of Krishna takes a relationship between Kunti and Krishna to new height. This relationship is a mélange of emotions. It can be said that this relationship opens up emotional aspect of Kunti’s character that has otherwise been portrayed as ‘emotionally detached one’ throughout the story of Mahabharata. The emotions of Kunti are fixed and anchored on Krishna; and therefore she is able to live with an approach of practicality and equanimity in all the phases of her life.
