Week 12 Lab: Storybook Research

Mothers in the Mahabharata
Kunti and Gandhari
These are two mothers who share their story, and also, in a way, give birth to the great story, and great war, in the Mahabharata. Sisters, sisters-in-law, children of noble/royal blood, devoted wives and both lost children and grandchildren to the great war
Kunti Quick facts: Mother of the Pandavas (hers are Yud, Arjuna and Bhima but also the twins by Madri, who throws herself to the pyre when her husband, Pandu dies); has another son Karna, by the sun god, because of the mantra given to her by sage Durvasa; she gives Karna up at birth and he later becomes the enemy of the Pandavas; she is the one who inadvertently causes the Pandavas to each marry Draupadi, such that the one woman born of the fire becomes the wife of five husbands; she also raises the Pandavas on her own; when the time comes, she loses most of her grandchildren in the great war
Gandhari Quick facts: Mother of the hundred sons, including Duryodhana (jealous of the Pandavas, is killed by Bhima); married to the blind Dhritrashtra, she takes on a life of blindness by blindfolding herself in order to exist as her husband does (blind devotion to him and her sons :/); she gives birth to a ball of rotten flesh after a very long and painful pregnancy filled with bad omens and signs; but she was promised that she would have a hundred sons and so the ball is split into a hundred pieces and placed in oil (to incubate?) for another year; after this time, her sons come out and Duryodhana is her firstborn; yet, bad omens continue and the children all seem to have darkness in their hearts; Gandhari had seemed ever more saddened during her pregnancy when she learns Kunti had given birth to lovely sons; after the great war, Gandhari has lost every single one of her sons and for their deaths she takes off her blindfold for the first time, and burns up one of the Pandavas feet; she curses Krishna and his clan saying they will all die (they end up all killing each other and Krishna dies by an arrow in the foot from a hunter who mistakes it for a deer)
*In some versions, Kunti, Gandhari and Dhritrahtra go the forest alone to pay penance for everything that occurred, and they die there together

Web Sources/Readings: Kunti, Wikipedia
                 Gandhari, Wikipedia
                 Karna, Wikipedia
                 Kunti and Gandhari, Dolls of India Art Store 
                Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Teachings of Queen Kunti [Print]; available on Amazon (want to read)
                 Tales of the Mahabharata, Youtube

Images/Pictures: 
Gandhari uses her mantra to invoke Indra, who grants her Arjuna, second son. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Kunti gives Draupadi, her daughter-in-law, advice. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Gandhari reprimands her son, Duryodhana for his cruel intentions. Source: Wikimedia Commons


Gandhari talks to Dhritrashtra (who often sought her council). Sources: Wikimedia Commons

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