SHAKUNTALA by Kalidasa

SHAKUNTALA
By Kalidasa
2011 Maharaj Mukherjee
Kalidasa: Who is he?
Kalidasa is an Indian playwright who was

born in the 4th century A.D.
He died during the Gupta Empire, possibly
in Ujjain Sri Lanka.
Kalidasa is a classical sanskrit writer,
widely regarded as the best dramatist and
poet of Indian literature.
Not much is known about his early life.
Scholars have speculated that he may
have lived in Himalayas due to his vast
knowledge about the environments of
Himalayas in one of his writings,
Kumasambhava. Lakshmi Dhar Kalla,
traced Kalidasas birthplace to Kashmir,
then moved southwards, proven through
some of Kalidasas works describing
geological features, legends and flora and
fauna that belong to those of Kashmir, not
of Ujjain.
Some have theorized that all works
credited to Kalidasa are not by a single
person, but by three different writers who
share the same name.
His works
Abhijnakuntalam, the recollection of Shakuntala,
is just one of the many works of Kalidasa. Others include
the plays, Mlavikgnimitram, which tackles about an
affair between King Agnimitra, his queen, and his
passion for the servant Malavika, a true-born princess,
and, Vikramrvayam, the story of the heavenly
nymph Urvashi who was cursed to die when her lover,
the mortal king Pururavas, lays his eyes on their first
child. Other works of Kalidasa includes,Raghuvam a, a
poem about the Kings of the Raghu dynasty, and,
Kumrasambhava, the life of the goddess Parvati and
Lord Shiva, as well as minor poems like, Rtusam hra,
and, Meghasndesa, the story of a Yakshas search for
his lover through a cloud.
Shakuntala: Act I
Shakuntala is the daughter of the sage Vishwamitra and
the beautiful Apsara, Menaka who left her in an ashram
of rishis. She lives in a hermitage, where she was
adopted by the Sage Karnva.
Meanwhile, King Dushyanta, riding on a chariot,
equipped with a bow, tries to chase a beautiful deer
through the forest, but is stopped by Shakuntala, whose
beauty, as well as her love and affection for the forest
and the animals in it, touched Dushyantas heart, asking
Shakuntala for her forgiveness. She forgives him but
tells him to stay in the hermitage for a while to tend to
the deer he wounded.
Shakuntala: Act II
The
clown
Madhavya
enters,
complaining. Madhavya and the king
conspire to get close to Shakuntala.
Duhshanta sends Madhavya back to
the palace to participate in his place
at the ceremonies marking the end of
the kings mothers fast.
Shakuntala: Act III

As King Dushyanta rests in the hermitage, he spies on
Shakuntala and her friends, Anusuya and Priyamvada,
talking obliquely of romance. He discerns that
Shakuntala is in love with him. When the two friends slip
away, the king goes to Shakuntala, but hides away when
Gautami, the presiding female hermit, appears. The king
puzzles over his failure to take advantage. Soon, King
Dushyanta and Shakuntala secretly got married as per
Gandarv Vivah rules. The king realizes he has to come
back to his kingdom, but promises Shakuntala that he
will come back for her. Shakuntala is given a ring by
Dushyanta as a gift before he leaves.
Shakuntala: Act IV
While Anusuya and Priyamvada discuss Shakuntalas marriage
to Duhshanta, which has been accomplished simply by the two
lovers common consent, the rishi Durvasa, infamous for his
quick temper, came to Shakuntala's door. He repeatedly asked
for water, but Shakuntala was lost in thoughts of Dushyanta and
paid no attention. The sage was insulted and got very angry. He
was enraged by this insult and imposes a curse that his lover will
completely forget her. After Anusuya and Priyamvada begs him,
he decides to reconsider by lowering the terms of the curse,
saying that the curse can be broken once Shakuntala shows
Dushyanta a token of love he has given her. She suddenly
remembers the ring and sets off for King Dushyantas kingdom,
accompanied by Gautami, Sharngarava and Saradvata.
Shakuntala: Act V
When Shakuntala and her companions reaches
the kingdom of King Dushyanta, Sharngarava
informs the king that Shakuntala is pregnant and
he is the father, Dushyanta completely forgets
about her and rejects them. When Shakuntala
shows him the ring, she realized that the ring
disappeared from her finger, remembering that
she might have dropped it while bathing in the
nearby rivers. Shakuntala and her companions
leave the kingdom out of disappointment.
Shakuntala Act VI
Two policemen bring a fisherman to the chief of
police with the accusation that the fisherman has
stolen a royal signet ring the officers have found in
his possession. The fisherman told the king that he
had found the ring in the stomach of a fish that he
caught. As soon as the king saw the ring, the curse
was broken and the king remembered Shakuntala.
He was very upset and hurried at once to her home
in the forest to look for her, but could not find her. In
despair,
he
returned
to
his
palace.
Shakuntala Act VII

A few years later, the king went hunting in the forest
again. There he was surprised to find a young boy
playing with a lion cub. The boy fearlessly held open the
mouth of the cub and counted its teeth as a hobby. The
king approached the boy and asked him about his
parents. The little boy replied that he isd the son of king
Dushyanta and Shakuntala. Dushyanta was very happy
to have found Shakuntala and asked the boy to take him
to his mother. The family was united and Dushyanta took
Shakuntala and Bharata along with him to Hastinapur.
Bharata grew up to become a great king.

SHAKUNTALA by Kalidasa

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SHAKUNTALA

2011 Maharaj Mukherjee

Kalidasa: Who is he?

Kalidasa is an Indian playwright who was

2011 Maharaj Mukherjee

2011 Maharaj Mukherjee

2011 Maharaj Mukherjee

2011 Maharaj Mukherjee

Shakuntala: Act III

2011 Maharaj Mukherjee

2011 Maharaj Mukherjee

2011 Maharaj Mukherjee

2011 Maharaj Mukherjee

2011 Maharaj Mukherjee

2011 Maharaj Mukherjee

Shakuntala Act VII

2011 Maharaj Mukherjee

2011 Maharaj Mukherjee

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