Kuntidevi, the mother of the Pandavas was a great devotee of the Lord. At the same time, she understood Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and was in a familial relationship with Him, being His aunt.

After observing the wonderful way Krsna protected the Pandavas from the brahmastras, and pained by the idea that Krsna was leaving for Dvaraka she offered a set of beautiful prayers to the Lord, which was immortalized in the pages of the Srimad Bhagavatam. There is also the book Teachings of Queen Kuntī, which is based on a series of lectures Prabhupada gave on the same verses. The book and the purports of the Srimad Bhagavatam describe the same verses, but the explanation of the verses emphasizes different aspects, so both complement each other.

Having observed the way Krsna simultaneously protected the Pandavas and Pariksit, Kuntidevi starts his prayers by mentioning that Krsna is both within and without. He is simultaneously present before her in His transcendental form as her nephew, and at the same time, He is present inside of everything. We can say that the sky is present everywhere, but this is because the sky doesn’t have a form. A human being has a form, but no human being is present everywhere, because a material form implies limitation. Krsna’s form, however, is entirely transcendental, therefore Krsna can reconcile both: He is at the same time all-pervading, and localized!

If Krsna is so big, why does he take the trouble of coming to this material world? He comes to give Bhakti to advanced transcendentalists and jnanis, who are pure and can discriminate between spirit and matter. These great souls have the opportunity to take birth on this planet when Krsna descends and learn the science of devotional service by associating with Krsna’s personal associates.

Kuntidevi herself is one of these great personalities, but she puts herself in a humble position by asking: “How then can we women know You perfectly?”

Traditionally, women don’t have the opportunity to perform heavy austerities or be engaged in advanced study of the scriptures like great sages. That’s the same situation for practically all of us in the current age. However, this is not the main point. As Srila Prabhupada explains:

“The Lord is so kind that He does not show special favor only to one who is a great philosopher. He knows the sincerity of purpose. For this reason only, women generally assemble in great number in any sort of religious function. In every country and in every sect of religion it appears that the women are more interested than the men. This simplicity of acceptance of the Lord’s authority is more effective than showy insincere religious fervor.” (SB 1.8.20)

When Krsna was still a child, he killed Kamsa and saved His parents, Vasudeva and Devaki. He also protected the Pandavas on many occasions when the Kauravas tried to kill them, as well as uncountable dangers during their exile. Above all, Krsna had just protected them from the brahmastras of Aśvatthāmā. Kuntidevi remembered all these pastimes, as well as Krsna’s pastimes in Vrindavana, as Govinda, the enlivener of the cows and the senses. That’s another example for us: Krsna becomes pleased when He is glorified in connection with His devotees. Krsna’s most intimate names as names connected with His intimate devotees, such as Yashodanandana and Nandanandana. Krsna is never alone.

Kuntidevi comes then to the most iconic verses of her prayers:

“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 Lord, Your 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.”

During the time of their exile in the forest, when there were so many problems, Krsna was always present with them, but now that Yudisthira had become the king, Krsna was leaving. Therefore, Kuntidevi prays that problems may appear again and again, so they can continue seeing Krsna again and again. We may not want to pray like that, but this prayer shows that problems are not necessarily a bad thing if they help us to remember Krsna, since remembering Krsna is the real solution for all problems, starting from birth, death, disease, and old age.

Our lives in this material world are always a sequence of calamities and dangers, and our material efforts in trying to avoid such calamities bring upon us the greatest calamity of all, which is the continuation of the sequence of births and deaths in this world. A devotee doesn’t intentionally search for material difficulties, but at the same time he understands difficulties are an inevitable consequence of living in this material world, therefore when difficulties appear, he just uses the opportunity to remember Krsna and take shelter of Him, understanding that in any case, Krsna is the only one who can give us protection.

Next, Kuntidevi makes the point that Krsna reconciles many apparently contradictory characteristics. He performs activities, although He is transcendental (and thus doesn’t perform any material activities), He takes birth from Devaki, although He is eternal and unborn. He accepts being bound by a rope by mother Yashoda, although He is unlimited, and so on.

The simple fact Krsna appears on this planet to show His pastimes is bewildering, because He is the proprietor of everything, and the Supreme Controller, and there is thus nothing that He can desire here.

Some say that Krsna comes to glorify pious kings, such as Maharaja Yudhu by appearing in their dynasties. Some say He came as an answer to the prayers of Vasudeva and Devakī, others say that He comes to protect the devotees and kill the demons, while others say that He comes to broadcast devotional service and thus save the souls who are lost in the material world, bringing them back with Him to the spiritual world.

Who is right? The answer is that all of them are right. Krsna’s appearance and activities simultaneously fulfill many purposes. Krsna is supremely intelligent, and thus all His actions happen for many reasons and simultaneously fulfill many purposes.

All Krsna’s activities are wonderful, and by remembering these activities we become connected with Him and can thus surpass the ocean of birth and death and return home, back to Godhead. This is yet another reason Krsna comes to perform His pastimes: to show us His wonderful activities and thus attract us back to the spiritual world, where we can join Him in these pastimes. As Queen Kunti prays:

“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.” (SB 1.7.36)

The greatest fear of Kuntidevi however is that the Lord may leave. With Him preparing to leave for Dvaraka, this seems imminent. How would she and the Pandavas be able to survive without the company of Krsna, especially after having so much of His association? For us, living without Krsna may not appear to be such a big problem, we are so long in this material world that life here appears to be normal. However, for pure devotees, the idea of living without Krsna, even if for just a moment is unbearable.

Kuntidevi however feels divided. The Pandavas are her sons, and the Vrsnis in Dvaraka are members of her paternal family. If Krsna stays with the Pandavas, she and her sons will be happy, but the members of her paternal family, who are awaiting Krsna in Dvaraka will suffer. She them asks Krsna to cut the ties of affection for both families, so her love could flow to Krsna without impediments.

“O Lord of the universe, 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.” (1.8.40-41).

She then concludes:

“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. You 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. You are the almighty God, and I offer You my respectful obeisances.” (SB 1.8.43)

Krsna accepted Kuntidevi’s glorification by smiling. No amount of glorification is sufficient to properly describe Krsna’s glories, but He becomes satisfied with any sincere attempt. As Srila Prabhupada mentions:

“No amount of chosen words is sufficient to enumerate the Lord’s glory, and yet He is satisfied by such prayers as the father is satisfied even by the broken linguistic attempts of the growing child. The word māyā is used both in the sense of delusion and mercy. Herein the word māyā is used in the sense of the Lord’s mercy upon Kuntīdevī.”