Kunti Earth Godess

KUNTI THE EARTH GODESS

On 6.12.2007 the TOI carried an article titled Kunti Personifies Mother Earth by S.M.Bhaskar in Speaking Tree column. It is a fashion of our learned to find heroes, heroines and episodes from epics and impart new meanings according to the inclination of the writer. They might be moralists, mystics, spiritualists and else. The Sanskrit language used in our epics is so flexible that each word could have many meanings and sometimes contradictory. In Sanskrit words, have roots and syllables denoting different meanings. It facilitates the scholar to go beyond the felt ones. It is a game that is going on for centuries. The exemplary examples are the commentaries to ancient works like Brahma sutra and Bhagavat Gita by adherents of advaita, visishtadvaita and dvaita. In fact Bhagavat Gita has more contradictory commentaries from ancient times and additionally expanded by modern scholars.

So I was not surprised to find one like Bhasker interpreting the Mahabharata character Kunti mother of Pandava trio. By depicting Kunti as the mother earth the writer admits that the story of Mahabharata is just story teaching some mystical truths or so. Be it so. But…

Take the birth of Karna. The writer gives a meaning that the birth of Karna signifies the seed and growth of trees with their barks and fruits. Could we accept the story even if it has other meanings hidden? Kunti was a virgin and not married. She gave birth to Karna and abandoned him to float on the river. At a very late stage of the story she tried to claim him as her eldest son. Could we not conclude that virginity in girls is not as understood today at those ancient times?

Bhaskar takes up explanations for the birth of five Pandavas. Yes, the elder three were from Dharma, Vayu and Indra. But the two younger ones were born of Madri and not Kunti. If Kumti is the Mother earth then there is no need for Madri in the story. Why hide Madri so as to interpret Kunti as earth?

Next the author introduces a twist in his interpretation. The sequence of the five or is four births are first brain next mind third energy fourth twin legs. What a wonderful way of interpreting epic episodes? We all should appreciate Bhaskar for enlighten us and be thankful for it.