Posted:
Hey everyone,
I am back with another female-centric topic. My last post on Draupadi's Pativrata-ness fuelled a lot of arguments, n everyone went off the topic, that made the mods to close it.
I hope, IT WILL NOT BE THE SAME, this time.
Now, before, I start writing, I would like to make it clear that I am not well-versed in Vedas, Upanishads, Shastras, etc, and have not completed reading the whole unabridged version of Mahabharat. I write, what I feel, based on the facts that I know and I tend to get a bit sentimental with issues related to women.
So, please forgive me, if I offend anyone.
Kunti is probably, one of the most controversial characters in Mahabharat, atleast, as far as her motherhood is concerned.
She is revered by many as the Pancha Kannyas, and at the same time hated by many(mostly by Karna fans), for abandoning Karna.
Well, there is no doubt about the fact that abandoning a child is wrong, n Karna suffered a lot in his life, for this one decision of Kunti.
While some male fans of Karna(not all), easily point fingers at her for ruining Karna's future, I being a woman, have some sympathy for her.
I know that abandoning a child is wrong, but is it completely the mother's fault?
Is the society not responsible too?
Even today, especially in India, if a woman gets pregnant before her marriage, people ostracize her.
Her parents think of hiding her somewhere. Some conservative people consider her to be of poor character. Most people don't question the father, but everyone blames the woman.
Finally, most of these women are left with no other option, n they end up in remote nursing homes, to put an end to their "shame".
Now who decides this "shame"? The society does.
I know that Dwapar Yuga was different. Women practised polyandry n niyog.
However, I am sure some dilemma must have been there. Otherwise, why would Kunti abandon Karna?
Maybe her dilemma was greater bcoz, she was a royal princess. Or maybe she was simply scared that her future would be ruined.
Whatever be the reason, I think society and how it perceives a woman, had a major role to play in it.
Many people say that Kunti was the sole reason for all the struggles in Karna's life.
Certainly, she was responsible. But I don't think, she was entirely the reason.
Karna's fate played a role too.
What if Karna had been adopted by a Brahmin or a Kshatriya family?
His life would have certainly been different. He would have got recognition, n acceptance, without much struggle. So, it was also his fate that played a major role n chose a Suta family for him, so that he could be remembered for thousands of years, n set an example to everyone n prove to the world that it is possible to shatter everyone's expectations and go beyond them. It is possible to rise above people's perception.
Sometimes I wonder, what would Karna's life have been, if Kunti had kept him.
What if, she had fulfilled all duties of a mother to Karna?
People say that Karna would have had a better life, if Kunti had not abandoned her.
Some people even claim that he was the rightful heir to the throne of Hastinapur.
But is it really true?
Let us analyse.
Would Pandu or any other king have accepted an unmarried mother to be his Queen?
Would Pandu or any other king have accepted an unmarried mother to be his Queen?
Even if he had, would he have accepted Karna to be his heir?
Maybe yes. Maybe no.
If yes, then people like Shakuni would have raised questions on this, n Duryodhan n the Kauravas, then would have become his greatest enemy.
And if no, then once again, he would have gone back to the shadows of a life of abandonment.
Although, there could be miilions of explanations n possibilities, I am only stating what I feel.
So, this is how, we see Kunti as the mother of Karna.
Now, let us look at it from another point of view.
Kunti was the mother of 5 Pandavas.
There, she seemed to have done a decent job, or atleast better than Gandhari.( This is MY opinion)
The Pandavas were no saints or angels as they are popularly portrayed, but they were somewhat decent humans. She raised, these sons of her , including her step-sons, quite well.
So, here, she comes across as one caring, loving mother, who would do anything to ensure the security of her sons' future.
She knew, that she was alone, and except Vidur, nobody was really keen on helping her.
So, she made certain decisions to keep her sons well.
Like from allowing that tribal woman to burn with her 5 sons to dividing Draupadi among her 5 sons to keep their unity intact, she did make some shrewd, political moves.
N all that, for her 5 sons, n only her sons.
And then, finally, she tells Karna about his true lineage, at an impeccable time...JUST BEFORE THE WAR.
There she pleads to Karna to spare her 5 sons.
Now, this act of her raises a few questions.
Why did she do this?
There could be many reasons.
Either she wanted to weaken Karna's morale of killing Arjun.
Or maybe she was simply scared that her beloved 5 sons, especially Arjun would be killed in the hands of their own brother.
Or maybe, she just couldn't take it anymore, and wanted to prevent losing all her sons(including Karna) or losing Karna alone.
The last reason, though quite possible, loses the impact, because of the timing.
If Kunti really wanted all her sons to be together, y did she not say it before?
Why just before the war? That seems quite convenient.
Thus, Kunti was a mother.
On one hand, she played this role terribly, by abandoning her son, not revealing the truth of his lineage when she had the time, watching silently as her son got insulted , for his supposed caste n then finally spilling it all out at the most convenient hour, that would benefit only her other 5 sons, not Karna.
Then, on the other hand, she was this caring mother of 5, who even got ready to spill the beans of her scandalous past, just to ensure that her sons' lives would be spared.
This brings about 2 dimensions in her character, or atleast her motherhood.
She may have been unfair to Karna, but the same cannot be said about her affection for the Pandavas.
How can a mother do that?
Was she simply selfish and didn't want to tarnish her image, or was her she compelled by society?
After all, it is this same society that insulted Karna again n again.
Well, readers of Mahabharat, see this from various perspectives.
Some blame her, while some sympathize with her.
After all, it cannot be denied that our society is very liberal, when it comes to a man, but tends to get judgemental, when it comes to a woman's character.
From the dawn of civilization, kings have had multiple wives. Do we even count them?
But there was one Queen named Draupadi who dared to marry 5 men, n people still debate on her chastity, even after 5000 years of her death.
Well, these are simply MY opinions. Please forgive me, if I have blamed the society too much. 😆
Amrita
Geet - Hui Sabse Parayee
Advocate Anjali Awasthi
Members Lounge
