Kunti's farewell

As Kunti made her way down to the river with her newborn son, she couldn't help feeling overwhelmed with emotions of all range. She felt shame, and anger, and grief. She had millions of thoughts running through her mind.

"What will people think if they find out? How will I face everyone?" thought Kunti. But the one thought that was the most prominent was "can I really give up my son?" She held back tears for she knew she had to be strong about this. She thought about the day that her life changed.

The day that Surya, the Sun god, had come to her, she did not know her life was going to change. Her curiosity got the best of her. She felt angry at herself for not paying heed to Sage Durvasa’s words. He had given her a mantra that would invoke any god she wanted and the god would bless her with a child. She knew what invoking the mantra would do, but she still did it anyway. Kunti initially didn’t expect for the mantra to work, but when the god Surya had showed up, she was in shock. Surya told her that he was bound by the mantra and couldn’t leave until the deed was done. Kunti couldn’t even keep control of herself from the magnetic attraction she felt for Surya. She thought back to when she had first seen him.

Light had radiated from the sun god. The earrings he had worn were made of gold. On his chest was a breastplate that she was sure was made of the best metal. “He’s glowing like a burning star,” thought Kunti. “My fair maiden, you have summoned me? I am to fulfill any wish and command of yours,” Surya had said. After hearing those words, Kunti came out of her trance. “Oh no, My Lord. You need to go back to wherever you came from. I was only trying the mantra out of my curiosity. I wasn’t actually expecting it to work,” Kunti said. The god, however, remained adamant on staying. Surya continued to flirt with Kunti. He had eventually convinced her with his sweet words. Before he left her, he gave her a promise. A promise that she would remain a virgin, and that her son would be a powerful being.

Coming back to reality, she stared down at her boy, her beautiful baby Karna. He radiated light just like his father. Karna had been born with celestial earrings made of gold. Just like his father, he had an indestructible breastplate. His eyes already ferocious like a lion. Even though he was just a baby, he already had strong shoulders just like a bull. Out of all the emotions she was feeling, she felt shame at the moment. Shame that she knew would haunt her for the rest of her life if she didn't do what she was about to do. She didn’t want to do this, but she knew she had to.

At the riverbed, she wrapped Karna in the softest of sheets and laid his head down on a costly, soft pillow. She placed the wicker basket in the water and floated him down the River Aswa. She watched the basket make its way down the river, floating in the gentle waves. This time she couldn't hold back the tears. Kunti cried her heart out for the son she knew she had lost, quite possibly forever.

"Oh my child, I hope you are protected by everyone. Please protect my baby," she pleaded to the gods. "May you be shielded from harm. May your father, the Sun god, give you warmth."

Kunti sat there watching her baby float away from her. She sat for hours after just staring at the river, thinking about what she had just done. She thought about who would find her son, who would raise him.

She even thought about how her life would've been if she had kept Karna. She thought about all the trouble her little boy would've caused, about all the times she would be running after him to punish him. Kunti wallowed in her grief for a little bit longer but she knew she couldn't stay like this forever. She mustered together all the strength she could and started on her way back home. All the while, she still thought about her actions and hoped for a bright future for her son.

Bibliography:

Kunti and Her Son. Public Domain Edition: Mahabharata.

Indian Myth and Legend. Donald A. Mackenzie.

Sacred Texts. Section CCCIV. Pativrata-mahatmya Parva.

Sacred Texts. Section CCCV. Pativrata-mahatmya Parva.

Sacred Texts. Section CCCVI. Pativrata-mahatmya Parva.

Author's Note: This story is my rendition of what I thought would be a mother’s emotional journey of separating from her son. I based it off the chapter, Kunti and Her Son, from the Public Domain Edition of the Mahabharata. As I was reading this chapter, I felt very emotional because in a way I felt the hurt through the words. I can't imagine the pain Kunti must have gone through when she had to give Karna up. In the PDE chapter originally, the separation in my opinion is mentioned very briefly. It goes straight from when Kunti sends the basket with Karna in it on its journey down the river to when the basket is found by a woman named Radha. I think this particular scene needed to be expanded. I started my story off with Kunti carrying Karna down to the river. That isn't mentioned in the PDE version. I added some dialogue of my own and some inner thoughts to show more emotion from Kunti. In the PDE storyline, there is nothing about her interaction with Surya in it. It is briefly mentioned that he appeared before in his godly attire and then she magically has a child. However, after reading this Sacred Texts version of their interaction, I decided to add a little more to that to give more background. As I mentioned earlier, the scene of Kunti sending the basket down the river goes straight to the basket being pushed down the river to the woman named Radha. I decided to expand on that as well. In the end, I added that she stayed at the river for hours thinking about how her life would be if she had kept Karna with her. I ended on the note that she left by mustering all her strength and wishing for a bright future for her son.