Kalampedia

We may not have enough information about Kalidasa, the great Sanskrit poet and dramatist from ancient India, but his works speak for themselves. Two of his works, Meghadutam and Abhijnanashakuntalam, especially deserve our attention in this regard. At the same time many poets and writers, who lived after him, have often reminded us of his genius.

Rajashekhara, a tenth-century poet known for his figures of speech, noted that Kalidasa remained unbeatable. Seventh-century writer Banabhatta praised the delights of Kalidasa’s poetry in his poem-chronicle Harshacharita. One Sanskrit scholar said:

Only three persons have perceived the gist of Kalidasa’s words so far: Brahma (the creator), Saraswati (goddess of knowledge), and Kalidasa himself.

In this post, we’ll briefly talk about Abhijnanashakuntalam, also known as Shakuntala. It’s a play that tells the tale of love and romance. The love story of Shakuntala and Dushyant is a part of the larger narrative of Mahabharata, the great Sanskrit epic. In the first episode, Dushyant, who is on an excursion to the forest, meets Shakuntala. Shakuntala lives here with her father who is a sage.

Let’s get to that scene when the two first meet. Dushyant, with the help of his charioteer, is chasing a deer. Soon, they realise that the deer belongs to the hermitage and should not be killed.

(Shakuntala is watering the plants)

King Dushyant (thinking): Is she the daughter of Maharshi Kanva? It seems that the great soul, Kanva, is very heartless. He has engaged a delicate maiden like her to do such lowly deeds of the ashram. Let it be, I would be watching her from this shelter as long as she waters plants. 
...
(The king enters through the door. He observes some good omens)

King Dushyant (thinking): Why is my eye fluttering? What can a king like me possibly get here at this ashram? It has been said that what has to happen can happen anywhere. 
...
King Dushyant (thinking again while looking at Shakuntala): Her red lips appear as shoots of vine. The two arms seem like delicate branches. And the youth that has bloomed in every part of her body fascinates me like a beautiful flower. 

So, far the king has not spoken to her. He has secretly looked at her from a distance. She has been talking to her friends. A blackbee is troubling these ladies, so eventually the king decides to come out.

King Dushyant: Who is it that dares to harass these delicate hermit girls as long as the punisher of evil, the descendant of the Puru dynasty, is ruling this earth. 

(The three ladies are startled upon seeing the king. But they don't recognise him. After the initial reaction, they all sit down. The king has not revealed his identity yet.)

Shakuntala (thinking): Don't know, why a strange kind of upheaval is occurring in my mind upon seeing this person. Sacred grove's dwellers should not nurture such feelings. 

(Dushyant speaks with two friends of Shakuntala who find him very charming.)

Shakuntala (thinking): Oh heart! Do not become so impatient. 

King Dushyant (thinking): Isn't so that she is also charmed by me, just like I am charmed by her? She does not face me but her eyes keep gazing at me. 

The conversation goes on, more indirectly than directly. It is time to say goodbye, for the time being though. Shakuntala, pretending to be pinched by the sacrificial grass and tangled into a branch, halts for a moment to behold the king and then goes off.

What happens next?

For that, you will have to read Abhijnanashakuntalam.

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