Born Pritha to king Shurasena, adopted by childless uncle Kuntibhoja. Received a divine boon from sage Durvasa to summon any god and bear his son. Mother of three elder Pandavas — and of Karna, her greatest secret.
Teenager Kunti served sage Durvasa so perfectly that he gave her a mantra to summon any god for a son. Curious, she tested it on Surya (Sun god) — who arrived and gifted her a glowing, armored son. Terrified of scandal (she was unmarried), she placed the infant in a basket on the Ganga. The guilt of this abandonment haunted her entire life.
When husband Pandu was cursed (death if he touched a woman), Kunti used the boon to call Dharma (Yudhishthira), Vayu (Bhima), and Indra (Arjuna). She also shared the mantra with Madri, who called the Ashwini Kumars (Nakula and Sahadeva). Thus the five Pandavas were born of divine fathers.
Days before the war, Kunti visited Karna at his sunrise prayer. She revealed she was his mother — the first time in his life he heard this. She begged him to join the Pandavas. Karna refused Duryodhana's betrayal but gave a magnificent promise: 'You will always have five sons, mother. I will not kill any Pandava except Arjuna.' He kept it exactly — sparing Yudhishthira, Bhima, Nakula, and Sahadeva though he had each at his mercy.
ಶೂರಸೇನನ ಮಗಳಾಗಿ ಪೃಥಾ ಎಂಬ ಹೆಸರಿನಿಂದ ಜನಿಸಿ, ಕುಂತಿಭೋಜನಿಂದ ದತ್ತು ಪಡೆದವಳು. ದೂರ್ವಾಸರ ವರದಿಂದ ಯಾವ ದೇವತೆಯನ್ನಾದರೂ ಆಹ್ವಾನಿಸಬಲ್ಲವಳಾದಳು.
ಬಾಲ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ದೂರ್ವಾಸ ಮುನಿಗಳ ಸೇವೆ ಮಾಡಿ ವರ ಪಡೆದಳು — ಯಾವ ದೇವತೆಯನ್ನಾದರೂ ಆಹ್ವಾನಿಸಿ ಪುತ್ರನನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುವ ಮಂತ್ರ. ಕುತೂಹಲದಿಂದ ಸೂರ್ಯನನ್ನು ಕರೆದಳು — ಕರ್ಣ ಜನಿಸಿದನು. ಆ ಪರಿತ್ಯಾಗದ ಪಾಪಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆ ಜೀವನವಿಡೀ ಅವಳನ್ನು ಕಾಡಿತು.
ಯುದ್ಧಕ್ಕೆ ಕೆಲವೇ ದಿನ ಮೊದಲು ಸೂರ್ಯೋಪಾಸನೆಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ ಕರ್ಣನ ಬಳಿ ಬಂದು ತಾನೇ ತಾಯಿ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದಳು. ಪಾಂಡವರ ಪಕ್ಷ ಸೇರುವಂತೆ ಬೇಡಿಕೊಂಡಳು. ಕರ್ಣ ದುರ್ಯೋಧನನಿಗೆ ದ್ರೋಹ ಬಗೆಯಲಾರೆನೆಂದನು — ಆದರೆ ವಚನ ಕೊಟ್ಟನು: 'ಅರ್ಜುನನನ್ನು ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಬೇರೆ ಯಾವ ಪಾಂಡವನನ್ನೂ ಕೊಲ್ಲೆನು. ತಾಯೀ, ನಿನಗೆ ಸದಾ ಐವರು ಮಕ್ಕಳಿರುತ್ತಾರೆ.'