Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c4.796

c4.796

3) Birth. To Vicitravīrya son of Śantanu was born Dhṛtarāṣṭra by Ambikā, and Pāṇḍu by Ambālikā. Pāṇḍu had two wives, Kuntī and Mādrī. The curse of a Muni made physical contacts with his wives impossible for Pāṇḍu. (See Pāṇḍu). Kuntī, before her marriage had attended on Maharṣi Durvāsas who pleased with her service made a gift of five mantras to her. The effect of the mantras was that Kuntī would become mother of a son from him about whom she was thinking while she repeated the mantra. As soon as she got the mantras she retired to a solitary place and thinking of the Sun-God repeated the first mantra. At once Sūryadeva appeared and Karṇa was born to her by him. After assuring her that the incident would not affect her chastity Sūrya disappeared. Kuntī abandoned the child to float in the river Gaṅgā, and stayed with Pāṇḍu keeping the other four mantras to herself. Since Pāṇḍu could not contact the body of his wives, with his permission Kuntī began practising the other four mantras one by one. By three mantras she got three sons, Dharmaputra from Kāla, Arjuna from Indra and Bhīmasena from the wind God (Vāyu). The remaining one mantra Kuntī gave to Mādrī. She repeated it thinking of the Aśvinī Devas, and two sons, Nakula and Sahadeva were born to her. (M.B., Ādi Parva, Chapter 63 onwards).