Queen Kuntī, a tragic and heroic figure, emerges from an explosive era in the history of ancient India. Her teachings are simple and illuminating outpourings revealing the deepest transcendental emotions of the heart and the deepest philosophical and theological penetrations of the intellect.

At the conclusion of the devastating Kurukṣetra war, Queen Kuntī approaches Lord Kṛṣṇa as He prepares to depart the scene of the battle. Kuntī’s words are words of glorification impelled by a divine love steeped in wisdom.

Kuntī’s spontaneous glorification of Lord Kṛṣṇa and her description of the spiritual path are immortalized in the Mahābhārata and the Bhāgavata Purāṇa (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam), and they have been recited, chanted, and sung by sages and philosophers for thousands of years.

As they appear in the First Canto of the Bhāgavatam, Queen Kuntī’s celebrated prayers consist of only twenty-six couplets (verses 18-43 of the eighth chapter), yet they are considered a philosophical, theological, and literary masterpiece. Let her heartfelt words of wisdom bring solace to your soul.