Mahabharata – 179
by
Sankar Mukherjee
&
Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
    Aadivamsavatarana Parva

Marriage of Kunti

Gradually the large-eyed daughter of Kuntibhoja, Pritha by name, attained the age of marriage.She  was of great beauty.She had  every accomplishment. Of rigid vows, she was devoted to virtue and possessed of every good quality. But though endowed with beauty and youth and every womanly attribute. Many kings asked-for her hand.Her father Kuntibhoja seeing this, invited, the princes and kings of other countries and wished that his daughter should select her husband from among the guests. The intelligent Kunti, entered the place where the illustrious princes gathered for her hand. She saw there Pandu ablaze -- the foremost of the Bharatas--that tiger among kings--in that assembly of kings. Proud as the lion, broad-chested, bull-eyed, endowed with great strength and outshining all other monarchs in splendour, he looked like the Indra the king of heaven. The amiable Kunti, seeing Pandu in that assembly, became very much excited. And advancing with modesty, all the while she trembled with emotion. She placed the wedding garland on Pandu's neck. The other monarchs, seeing Kunti choose Pandu for her lord, returned to their respective kingdoms on elephants, horses and chariots, as they had come. Then, after  the wedding garland ceremony the bride's father the king, performed the wedding rites duly. The Kuru prince blessed with great and good fortune and the daughter of Kuntibhoja resembled a couple like Indra and Sachi (the king and queen of the celestials).King Kuntibhoja, after the wedding ceremony presented much wealth to his son-in-law with and sent him back to his capital. Then the Kuru prince Pandu, accompanied by a large force bearing various kinds of banners and flags, and Brahmanas chanting hymns and great rishis pronouncing  blessings reached the capital Hastinapur. And after arriving at his own palace, he established his queen there in.