The Prayers of Queen Kuntī - On Calamities, Sanctity, and Surrender

This article presents a thematic survey of Queen Kuntī's realization of Kṛṣṇa's position as the Supreme Controller, her philosophy of welcome calamities, and her prayers for unalloyed devotion. It organizes the profound verses found in the Vaniquotes category Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Verses Spoken by Queen Kuntī.

Queen Kuntī is a unique figure in Vedic history. As a woman, a widow, and a mother, she endured a life of constant political intrigue and danger. Yet, precisely because of these difficulties, she developed an intense, uninterrupted remembrance of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Her prayers serve as a guide for all devotees on how to approach the Lord—not with demands for material comfort, but with a desperate cry for His presence. She reveals that Kṛṣṇa is not just a historical figure or a nephew, but the internal "Super-soul" and the director of Eternal Time.

The Philosophy of Calamity (Vipadaḥ Santu Tāḥ)

When Kṛṣṇa prepares to leave Hastināpura for Dvārakā, Kuntī approaches Him to offer her farewell. Unlike ordinary persons who thank God for saving them from danger, Kuntī prays for the dangers to return. She understands the spiritual science: comfort leads to forgetfulness (māyā), while calamity leads to remembrance (smaraṇa).

Seeing Kṛṣṇa Means No More Birth

Queen Kuntī asserts that the only purpose of life is to see Kṛṣṇa. If danger is the price to pay for that vision, she welcomes it. This statement reveals that for a pure devotee, the cessation of saṁsāra (birth and death) is more important than temporary bodily safety.

  • "I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths."
  • "My dear Kṛṣṇa, Your Lordship has protected us from a poisoned cake, from a great fire, from cannibals, from the vicious assembly, from sufferings during our exile in the forest and from the battle where great generals fought."
  • "O Hṛṣīkeśa, master of the senses and Lord of lords, You (Kṛṣṇa) have released Your mother, Devakī, who was long imprisoned and distressed by the envious King Kaṁsa, and me and my children from a series of constant dangers."
  • "You (Kṛṣṇa) have saved us from the weapon of Aśvatthāmā."

The Qualification for Approach (Akiñcana-Gocara)

Kuntī Devī outlines who can truly approach God. She argues that material assets—often seen as blessings—are actually impediments to the path of bhakti.

The Disqualification of Progress

She explains that those intoxicated by birth, wealth, education, and beauty cannot sincerely call out "Kṛṣṇa" or "Govinda." Their pride blocks their throat. Only those who have nothing (akiñcana) or who think they have nothing can fully surrender.

  • "My Lord, Your (Kṛṣṇa's) Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted."
  • "One who is on the path of (material) progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling."
  • "My respectful obeisances are unto You (Kṛṣṇa), O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus and whose feet are engraved with lotuses."
  • "You (Kṛṣṇa) are the proprietor of the transcendental abode, and You descend to relieve the distresses of the cows, the brāhmaṇas and the devotees. You possess all mystic powers, and You are the preceptor of the entire universe."

The Bewildering Nature of the Lord (Paradox)

Kuntī is fascinated by the contradictions in Kṛṣṇa's character. He is the Supreme Lord, yet He plays the part of a human so perfectly that even great sages are bewildered.

Fear Personified is Afraid

Queen Kuntī recalls the Dāmodara pastime. She marvels that the Supreme Person, of whom Fear itself is afraid, appeared terrified of Mother Yaśodā's whipping stick. This human-like behavior (nara-līlā) is the curtain of māyā that hides His divinity from the non-devotees while increasing the love of the devotees.

  • "Queen Kuntī said: My dear Kṛṣṇa, Yaśodā took up a rope to bind You when You committed an offense, and Your perturbed eyes overflooded with tears, which washed the mascara from Your eyes. And You were afraid, though fear personified is afraid of You."
  • "Of course it is bewildering, O soul of the universe, that You (Kṛṣṇa) work, though You are inactive, and that You take birth, though You are the vital force and the unborn."
  • "Others say that since both Vasudeva and Devakī prayed for You (Kṛṣṇa), You have taken Your birth as their son. Undoubtedly You are unborn, yet You take Your birth for their welfare and to kill those who are envious of the demigods."
  • "You (Kṛṣṇa) Yourself descend amongst animals, men, sages and aquatics. Verily, this is bewildering."
  • "O Lord (Kṛṣṇa), no one can understand Your transcendental pastimes, which appear to be human and are so misleading. You have no specific object of favor, nor do You have any object of envy. People only imagine that You are partial."

The Screen of Māyā

She notes that Kṛṣṇa is covered by a curtain, visible only to those with eyes of devotion. To the foolish, He appears as an ordinary actor on a stage.

  • "Śrīmatī Kuntī said: O Kṛṣṇa, I offer my obeisances unto You because You are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You are invisible to all."
  • "You (Lord Kṛṣṇa) are the eternally irreproachable factor covered by the curtain of deluding energy. You are invisible to the foolish observer, exactly as an actor dressed as a player is not recognized."
  • "You descend to propagate the transcendental science of devotional service unto the hearts of advanced transcendentalists and mental speculators, who are purified by being able to discriminate between matter and spirit. How can we women know You perfectly?"

The Lord as Time and Controller

Kuntī recognizes that the smiling boy in front of her is actually Eternal Time (*kāla*), which destroys everything.

  • "My Lord, I consider Your Lordship to be eternal time, the supreme controller, without beginning and end, the all-pervasive one. In distributing Your mercy, You are equal to everyone. The dissensions between living beings are due to social intercourse."
  • "O Kṛṣṇa, O friend of Arjuna, O chief amongst the descendants of Vṛṣṇi, You are the destroyer of those political parties which are disturbing elements on this earth. Your prowess never deteriorates."

The Prayer for Detachment (Severing Ties)

Ultimately, Kuntī realizes that her affection for her family (the Pāṇḍavas) and her relatives (the Vṛṣṇis) is a form of bondage. She prays for this knot to be cut, so her love can flow exclusively to Kṛṣṇa.

The Ganges Analogy

Queen Kuntī prays that her attraction be diverted from kinsmen to Kṛṣṇa, just as the Ganges flows naturally toward the ocean without being diverted. This is the definition of ananyā-bhakti (unalloyed devotion).

  • "O Lord of the universe (Kṛṣṇa), soul of the universe, O personality of the form of the universe, please, therefore, sever my tie of affection for my kinsmen, the Pāṇḍavas and the Vṛṣṇis."
  • "O Lord of Madhu, as the Ganges forever flows to the sea without hindrance, let my attraction be constantly drawn unto You without being diverted to anyone else."
  • "O my Lord, You (Kṛṣṇa) have executed all duties Yourself. Are you leaving us today, though we are completely dependent on Your mercy and have no one else to protect us, now when all kings are at enmity with us?"

The Source of Opulence

She acknowledges that the prosperity of the kingdom is not due to good governance or nature, but solely due to Kṛṣṇa's glance. Without Him, everything is dead.

  • "All these cities and villages are flourishing in all respects because the herbs and grains are in abundance, the trees are full of fruits, the rivers are flowing, the hills are full of minerals and the oceans full of wealth. And this is all due to Your glance."
  • "O Gadādhara (Kṛṣṇa), our kingdom is now being marked by the impressions of Your feet, and therefore it appears beautiful. But when You leave, it will no longer be so."
  • "As the name and fame of a particular body is finished with the disappearance of the living spirit, similarly if You (Kṛṣṇa) do not look upon us, all our fame and activities, along with the Pāṇḍavas and Yadus, will end at once."

The Reasons for Incarnation

Kuntī speculates on why the Unborn Lord takes birth. She lists various opinions given by sages, concluding that He appears to reclaim the suffering souls.

  • "Some say that the Unborn is born for the glorification of pious kings, and others say that He is born to please King Yadu, one of Your dearest devotees. You appear in his family as sandalwood appears in the Malaya Hills."
  • "Others say that since both Vasudeva and Devakī prayed for You (Kṛṣṇa), You have taken Your birth as their son. Undoubtedly You are unborn, yet You take Your birth for their welfare and to kill those who are envious of the demigods."
  • "Others say that the world, being overburdened like a boat at sea, is much aggrieved, and that Brahmā, who is Your son, prayed for You (Kṛṣṇa), and so You have appeared to diminish the trouble."
  • "Others say that You (Kṛṣṇa) appeared to rejuvenate the devotional service of hearing, remembering, worshiping and so on in order that the conditioned souls suffering from material pangs might take advantage and gain liberation."
  • "O Kṛṣṇa, those who continuously hear, chant and repeat Your transcendental activities, or take pleasure in others' doing so, certainly see Your lotus feet, which alone can stop the repetition of birth and death."
  • "Let me (Kuntī) therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devakī, the boy of Nanda and the other cowherd men of Vṛndāvana, and the enlivener of the cows and the senses."
  • "You (Kṛṣṇa) are the almighty God, and I (Kuntī) offer You my respectful obeisances."

Interactions in the Tenth Canto

In the Tenth Canto, we see a more personal, vulnerable side of Kuntī. During the years of the Pāṇḍavas' exile and hidden life, she feels neglected and asks if Kṛṣṇa remembers them.

Feeling of Separation and Neglect

When Akrūra visits Hastināpura, Kuntī expresses her sorrow, comparing her situation to a deer amidst wolves. She questions whether Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma remember their aunt's children.

  • "Now that I am suffering in the midst of my enemies like a doe in the midst of wolves, will Kṛṣṇa come to console me and my fatherless sons with His words?"
  • "Queen Kuntī said: O gentle one, do my parents, brothers, sisters, nephews, family women and girlhood friends still remember us?"
  • "Does my nephew Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality and the compassionate shelter of His devotees, still remember His aunt's sons? And does lotus-eyed Rāma remember them also?"
  • "Queen Kuntī said: My dear, respectable brother, I feel that my desires have been frustrated, because although all of you are most saintly, you forgot me during my calamities."
  • "Friends and family members—even children, brothers and parents—forget a dear one whom Providence no longer favors."

Taking Shelter

Despite her feelings of abandonment, she ultimately concludes that Kṛṣṇa is the only shelter.

  • "Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa! O great yogī! O Supreme Soul and protector of the universe! O Govinda! Please protect me, who have surrendered to You. I and my sons are being overwhelmed by trouble."
  • "For persons fearful of death and rebirth, I see no shelter other than Your liberating lotus feet, for You are the Supreme Lord."
  • "I offer my obeisances unto You, Kṛṣṇa, the supreme pure, the Absolute Truth and the Supersoul, the Lord of pure devotional service and the source of all knowledge. I have come to You for shelter."
  • "Queen Kuntī said: My dear Kṛṣṇa, our welfare was assured only when You remembered us, Your relatives, and gave us Your protection by sending my brother to visit us."
  • "For You, the well-wishing friend and Supreme Soul of the universe, there is never any illusion of 'us' and 'them.' Yet even so, residing within the hearts of all, You eradicate the sufferings of those who remember You constantly."

The Sun-God Incident

The Tenth Canto also briefly mentions her girlhood incident where she tested the mantra given by Durvāsā Muni.

  • "She told the sun-god, 'I was simply examining the effectiveness of this mystic power. I am sorry I have called you unnecessarily. Please return and excuse me'."

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

This article is a thematic compilation of the teachings presented in the Vaniquotes category Bhagavatam Verses Spoken by Queen Kunti. We invite you to visit the link to read the complete collection of verses presented in alphabetical order.


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