Author: -

Abstract: »According to the Digambara Jain version of the Kuru narrative, Karṇa’s birth is the result of premarital relations between Pāṇḍu—rather than the god Sūrya—and Kuntī. However, the nature of their sexual encounter remains highly contested. In this article I argue that in Guṇabhadra’s Uttarapurāṇa (897 ce; vv. 70.104–15ab), the earliest telling of the story, Pāṇḍu is depicted as raping Kuntī, with the aid of a magic ring. In my close reading of this episode I also consider how subsequent retellings, such as Puṣpadanta’s Mahāpurāṇu (965 ce), sought to remove all traces of the rape from the story. However, the version of events found in Guṇabhadra’s work is not without precedent. By examining how the Sanskrit Mahābhārata depicts Karṇa’s conception, I demonstrate that this episode has longstanding ties with sexual violence, a violence that persists in the Uttarapurāṇa, albeit with a human face.« (Source: Journal of the American Society for Premodern Asia)

Contents:

	Introduction (p. 223
	I. Pāṇḍu and Kuntī in Guṇabhadra’s Up (p. 226)
		I.1. Pāṇḍu’s Magic Ring: Invisibility and Rape in Guṇabhadra’s UP (p. 226)
		I.2. Pāṇḍu and Kuntī’s Post-Rape Marriage in the UP (p. 231)
	II. A Lineage of Sexual Violence: Looking Back at the MBh (p. 233)
	Conclusion: Another Ring, Another Outcome (p. 235)
	Referenced Primary Sources (p. 238)
		Abbreviations (p. 238)
		Primary Sources (p. 238)

Wikipedia: History of Asia: History of India / Ancient India | Literature: Indian literature / Mahapurana (Jainism), Uttarapurana | Myth: Hindu mythology / Kunti, Pandu | Sex and the law: Rape / History of rape