Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c8.1823

c8.1823

While she was living in the palace of Kuntībhoja the sage Durvāsas came and stayed in the palace as the king's guest. Kuntī was a little girl then and yet she served the sage with such care, patience and devotion that the sage was greatly pleased with her and gave her a divine mantra. He said: "If you call upon any god repeating this mantra he will manifest himself to you and bless you with a son equal to him in glory and valour. You can use this only five times." The impatient curiosity of youth made Kuntī give a test to the power of the mantra and though unmarried she invoked the Sun. The Sun immediately presented himself before her and by his grace she conceived and got a son whom she secretly set afloat in a river. A childless charioteer named Adhiratha happened to see the child and he took it home and brought it up. When he grew up he was sent to Hastināpura and the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra took him in their service. He was Karṇa, the celebrated warrior of the Kauravas. Kuntī married Pāṇḍu after the birth of Karṇa.