Shakuntala

Once there lived a great and wise sage or rishi by the

name of Kanva. His ashram or hermitage was in the
heart of a forest on the banks of the river Malini.

One hot summer day Rishi Kanva went to take a

dip in the river. The crystal-clear water of the river
Malini winked and sparkled in the sunlight. The water
looked cool and tempting and the sage was about to get
into the river when a strange sight met his eyes. A tiny
little baby girl was lying all alone and helpless on the
river bank and a flock of vultures were sitting around
the child with their wings spread out trying to protect
the baby from the glaring sunlight. A few of the birds
were fanning her with their wings. The sage bent down
to see the little girl. She was so beautiful that her face
and body seemed to radiate light. Kanva gently picked
up the baby and took her to the ashram. There at the
ashram, the sage handed the baby over to his sister
Gautami and told her, “ I found the child in the forest.
She was looked after by Shakunt birds, so let us call the
girl Shakuntala. All the ashramites crowded round
the sage to have a look at Shakuntala. But Gautami was
curious. She wanted to know more about the child.
She told her brother, “You are a great seer and
nothing is hidden from you. Tell me whose child she is
and why she was abandoned in the forest.”

It was true that Kanva like all great sages could

find out about the past or future of anyone by simply
shutting his eyes and meditating for a while.
He soon knew everything about the little girl and
her parents.
“ Its an interesting story,” said Kanva. “It all began
a long time a g o ............. There was a mighty king by
the name of Vishvamitra. He was a great warrior and
his foes trembled at the mention of his name. Once it
so happened that Vishvamitra went out hunting and
lost his way in the jungle. After wandering about for
many hours the king found himself at the ashram of
the great sage Vasishta. The sage welcomed the king
and gave him shelter for the night.
Vasishta also showed the king his favourite possess­
ion— an immortal cow called Nandini. Nandini had
been a gift from the devtas or gods and the sage was
very proud of the heavenly cow. Vishvamitra had already
heard a good deal about the miraculous power of Nan­
dini and he told the sage to present him with the cow.
But Vasishta refused to part with the cow. The king,
who was very proud of his own strength and valour,
decided to take Nandini away by force. He felt sorely
insulted by the hermit’s refusal and attacked the hermi­
tage. But the king found himself quite helpless. The
sage destroyed the king’s entire army without raising
a finger.

The king was filled with awe at the great spiritual

power of the sage. From that day he gave up his
crown and his kingdom and went into the forest, deter­
mined to acquire even greater spiritual powers than
Vasishta by meditation. Pleased with the king’s medita­
tion, Lord Brahma granted him a boon that Vishvamitra
11
would be the greatest of all sages. Though Vishvamitra
got what he wanted, he did not give up his medita­
tion. The devtas became worried by Vishvamitra’s
excessive meditation. “ He already possesses greater
12
spiritual powers than all other sages; what does he want
now?” the devtas asked each other. At last they went
to Indra, the king of heaven and spoke to him about
their fears.
Indra then ordered M enaka, the most beautiful

13
dancer ol his court,to go down to earth and charm, the
sage away from his meditation.

So, the heavenly nymph came down to earth and

began singing and dancing by the side of the tank
where Vishyamitra sat in deep meditation. Disturbed
by the sound of her anklets, the sage opened his eyes
and saw Menaka. He was bewitched by her beauty and
realised that he would know no peace till he married
her. So the sage married the heavenly court dancer and
lived happily for many years.

Some years later, a beautiful little girl was born to

them but Menaka realised that it was time for her to
return to heaven as her duty on earth was over.
Vishvamitra, too, was becoming more and more restless
everyday. He wanted to resume the meditation which
had been interrupted by Menaka. One day he left
everything and went back to the forest to resume his
meditation.

Menaka could not take the human child with her to

heaven, so she left the baby lying in the forest by the side
of the river Malini and flew back to her heavenly
home.”

Sage Kanva completed his story and told Gautami,

“Now you know everything about little Shakuntala.”
14
 Thus, Vishvamitra’s daughter was adopted by
Kanva. Like the moon Shakuntala grew more beautiful
everyday. A ll the ashramites adored the sprightly
little child and the ashram was filled with the sound
of her laughter and chatter. One day Shakuntla found
a little baby deer in the forest and she brought it to
the ashram and looked after it. From that day the
fawn became her special pet and. followed Shakuntala
about like a shadow. A nasuya and Priyam vada were
Shakuntala’s best friends and the three girls played,
worked and studied together. She helped Gautami in
her daily work and it was her special task to water the
plants of the ashram; for the ashramites had some special
duty to perform everyday,

Years passed and once Kanva decided to go on a

pilgrimage. He called Shakuntala and her companions
and told them he would be aw ay from the ashram for
a fairly long spell. “ I am leaving you in charge of the
ashram and it will be your duty to look after the
guests of the ashram.” He told Shakuntala to take
good care of any visitor who might come to the ashram
in his absence.

A few days after the departure of Rishi Kanva, one

morning, Shakuntala and her friends were tending the
plants and gathering fruits in the forest as usual. The
animals of the forest moved about freely without fear.
The sun shone brightly in the sky and the birds
twittered on the branches. The three girls were en­
grossed in their work, occasionally laughing and chatting
with each other. The serenity of the atmosphere was
suddenly disturbed by a muffled sound at a distance as
Shakuntala’s deer came running at full speed and fell at
her feet trembling violently. “Oh, what has happened ?”
cried Shakuntala in concern as she picked up her pet
and held the trembling creature, speaking to it sooth­
ingly.

Just then a young hermit came up to them and

informed them that king Dushyanta was out hunting.
“He almost shot the little deer with his arrow. I inter­
vened just in time and told him that the deer is your
pet,” said the hermit.

The three girls crowded round the frightened

animal and stroked it gently.

“ I would have killed the king if he had hurt you,”

Shakuntala told her pet.

Her friends laughed when they heard this. “You

can’t hurt a fly and you talk of killing kings,” they
teased.
Suddenly Shakuntala became aware of someone
16
watching her. She looked up and saw a strikingly
handsome man with flashing black eyes looking at her
intently.
Shakuntala did not have any beautiful clothes or
precious jewellery on. Her clothes were made of a coarse
material and her only adornments were flower garlands
round her arms, neck and hair Yet she looked so exquisi­
tely beautiful that the stranger seemed quite unable to
remove his gaze from her face. Shakuntala turned
pink with embarrassment. Her friends, too, looked up
and saw the young man.

Seeing the curious gaze of the girls, the stranger

came forward and asked them if they could direct him
towards K anva’s ashram as he desired to pay his respects
to the great sage.
17
 Hearing this,Priyamvada introduced Shakuntala to
him and told him that she was K anva’s adopted
daughter and was in charge of the ashram in his
absence. They invited him to the ashram and wanted
to know who he was but the young man seemed reluc­
tant to reveal his identity. The girls did not press
him further and together they walked back to the
ashram. Shakuntala feeling shy of the stranger walked
on ahead. But every now and then she turned back to
look at the young man. She was enamoured by the
dignity of his bearing and the nobility of his features.
He looked like a strong and powerful man.

Soon the four of them reached the ashram. All

the inmates of the ashram came out to greet the visitor.
Only then did the three girls realise that the visitor was
no other than the great king Dushyanta himself. The
inhabitants of the ashram were thrilled to have the king
as their guest and requested him to stay on at the
ashram for a few days.

In the meantime, Dushyanta’s admiration for

Shakuntala had turned into love. He was utterly enchan­
ted by Shakuntala's innocent charm and perfect beauty.
Her neck was as white and soft as a swan’s and
her waist was as slim as a lotus-stem. Her dark eyes
were like bees sitting on lotus petals and her lips were
as red as wild berries. The sound of her laughter was
like the gurgling river that ran by the ashram.
Dushyanta wanted to marry Shakuntala and make her
his queen. Though Shakuntala herself had given her
heart to the noble king, she was reluctant to get
married without the blessings of her adopted father. But
Dushyanta could not prolong his stay any longer for he
had to attend to many important matters of the State.
He had already been away from his kingdom too long ;
besides no one knew when Kanva was due to return.
So to the great joy of the ashramites Dushyanta
and Shakuntala got married. The king returned to his
kingdom after a few days. Before leaving, he gave
Shakuntala his precious signet ring and assured her
that he would be back soon to take her with him
to Hastinapur in true royal style.
After Dushyanta left, a change came over
Shakuntala. Before she was as sprightly as a wild doe
and as cheerful as the twittering birds but now she
became quiet and thoughtful. Though she still laughed
and chattered with her friends they felt that her mind
was far away. Often she would seek solitude and stay
lost in thoughts for hours. Her friends realised that
she was pining for her husband. At first they teased
her but later left her alone in peace.
A few days passed. K anva had not yet returned to
the ashram. Priyamvada and Anusuya were busy water­
ing the plants and Shakuntala as usual was lost in
20
thoughts, wondering when Dushyanta would come to
take her. Suddenly sage Durvasa paid a visit to the
ashram. Now Durvasa was one of the most hot­
headed sages and was well known for his terrible
temper. Shakuntala did not see the sage make his
appearance as she was engrossed in her own thoughts.
The sage walked up to the door of the hut and
was surprised and annoyed when no one came out to

greet him. He was even more in­

furiated when he saw Shakuntala
sitting m a corner with a far­
away look in her eyes and a
smile on her lips. He cleared his
throat and made some sound but
21
it was of no avail, for the girl was lost in her day-dreams
and did not notice the sounds. Durvasa was not used to
be ignored like this, and although it was not deliberate,
the sage was filled with rage. “I cannot tolerate such
humiliation,” he said angrily. “Because of the king,she
has forgotten even her sacred duty towards a guest.”
So he raised his hand trembling with anger and said
in ominous tones, “The man who has made you forget
your duty will himself forget you and will not remember
you even when he sees you.”

After cursing her the sage stamped out of the

ashram. But Shakuntala was so engrossed in her thoughts
that she did not hear anything and remained blissfully
unaware of the curse.

But Priyamvada and Anusuya were returning from

their work and stopped aghast when they heard the
sage utter the terrible curse. They could not believe
their ears.

They went running upto the sage and tried to pacify

him. “ Oh father, do not give the poor girl such a terri­
ble punishment. It will break her heart,” said one. “You
are a great seer and you know that she has not deli­
berately insulted you, please forgive her,” said the other.
They fell at Durvasa’s feet and begged him to forgive
Shakuntala’s folly. Durvasa relented at last and said,
“ I cannot take back my curse but this much I can
grant that Dushyanta will remember Shakuntala as soon
as he sees the ring he had presented to her.”

Hearing this Priyamvada and Anusuya were highly

relieved and decided that it was quite unnecessary to
tell Shakuntala about the curse and cause her un­
necessary worry, as Shakuntala would never part with
Dushyanta’s ring.
Days passed but Dushyanta did not come, nor did
he send any messenger. Shortly afterwards Kanva returned
to the ashram and was very happy to hear of Shakun-
tala’s marriage to the king. “ She was born to be a
queen,” he said happily and decided to send Shakun­
tala to the palace.

Though Shakuntala was overjoyed at the thought

of her reunion with her husband, her heart felt heavy;
for Shakuntla had always been the darling of the ashram,
pampered and adored by everyone. Shakuntala in turn
was deeply attached to her foster father and friends.
She had a soft spot for each plant and animal and
particularly her pet which was now a full grown deer.

Finally the day of her departure arrived. Shakun­

tala bid a tearful farewell to all her childhood compa­
nions. She stole away to the forest to bid farewell to the
animals and trees of the jungle. She was sure they
23
understood her. <£I am going away forever,” she_ told
them, and I shall miss you terribly* but my lord
awaits me and I must leave.”

Then began the long journey to Hastinapur.

Shakuntala was accompanied by Gautami and a few
ashramites.

It was a long journey to Hastinapur since they had

to go on foot. They often stopped to rest and eat. At
24
night they usually took shelter at some ashram or with
some friendly village people. Thus it took them many
days to reach their destination.
On the last day of their journey Shakuntala woke up
early in the morning and went to the river to have her
bath. Her heart was filled with joy for soon she
would be reunited with her beloved. But while she
was bathing in the river thinking of her husband a
terrible thing happened. The signet ring which Dushya-
yanta had given her slipped from her finger and fell
into the river. A passing fish saw the ring fall and
swallowed it up.
Shakuntala was quite unaware of what had happen­
ed. She came out of the water with a happy smile on her
face and a cheerful tune on her lips. “You are looking
quite radiant my child,” said Gautami affectionately.
“The king is a lucky man to have got you as his wife,”
she added.
So they began the last part of their journey in a
cheerful spirit.
By evening they had reached the gates of the
palace. The magnificence of the palace and the exotic
plants in the garden took Shakuntala’s breath away. She
looked with interest at the fine clothes and precious
ornaments of the people. Even the guards with their
25
shining spears looked quite awe-inspiring. The
soldiers stopped them at the gate and asked who they
were and what business they had with the king.
v
When the king heard that some people from the
ashram desired to meet him he at once called them in
and welcomed them warmly.

“ I have the greatest regard for sage K anva,” he told

them. “ If there is anything I can do for him please tell
me, for I shall consider it a privilege to serve him.”
•

The hermits assured him that Kanva did not re­

quire any service from the king. “ He sends you his
blessings and returns to you what is yours,” they said.
The king looked mystified by this statement and
the hermits explained that the sage Kanva had sent
back the king’s wife to him. They pointed towards where
Shakuntala stood with her head bowed and said that
they had undertaken the long journey to Hastinapur
only to escort his wedded wife— Shakuntala.

The king looked utterly amazed when he heard the

statement. “Wife ?” he exclaimed. “ I tell you I have
never seen this woman before !”

The ashramites looked equally stunned when they

heard the king ; for had they not themselves witnessed
the marriage of the king with Shakuntala ?
26
 Shakuntala herself was quite speechless. She could
not believe her own ears. Dushyanta was the noblest
of all kings and was well known for his kingly virtues.
How then could he tell such a monstrous lie ?
The king was equally perplexed. The girl had an
innocent and lovely face ; why was she saying such an
obvious falsehood ?

At last Shakuntala spoke. Her voice trembled

with grief as she beseeched him to remember the day
27
when he had gone hunting and had begun to chase a
deer. It was the deer that had led him to her. ' She
spoke of the happy days he had spent in the forest
when he had fallen in love with her. Shakuntala recalled
how on Dushyanta’s insistence she had married him
even though her foster father had not been present at
the ashram. “ How could you forget everything ?” she
asked with a sigh.
But there was not a flicker of recognition in
Dushyanta’s eyes. He looked blankly at Shakuntala
and it was clear that he did not believe a word she said.

Tears of humiliation filled her eyes and slowly

trickled down her cheeks, but the king remained
adamant. “ I don’t know why you are talking such
nonsense,” he exclaimed irritably. “ Surely I could not
forget such a beautiful woman if I had married her ?”

“Next you will deny that you have given me this

ring,” said Shakuntala raising her hand to show
Dushyanta the ring. Her heart missed a beat and her
face grew pale when she saw that there was no ring on
her finger. She looked hopelessly at Gautami and said,
“All is lost, I have lost the ring.”

Dushyanta remained upset for days. The whole

incident puzzled him a good deal. Some vital clue to

28
the riddle seemed to be missing. The girl was obvio­
usly not lying yet the fact remained that he could not
remember even seeing her before.

Then one day the king heard a hue and cry as one
of the royal guards came into the court dragging a
poor fisherman behind him.
“Your highness,” said the guard, “ this man is a
thief. He was trying to sell your signet ring in the

29
market. I caught him red-handed. Here is your
ring my lord.” The guard feeling very proud of himself
pulled out the ring with a flourish and presented it to
the king.

Dushyanta was dumb struck when he saw the ring.

The very sight of the ring cleared up his mind and all
at once he could remember everything vividly. It was
as if the piece of the puzzle had been suddenly put
together.

He remembered how he had been following a

deer in the forest and how the deer had led him to
Shakuntala. He could recall clearly now the happy
days he had spent at K anva’s ashram when he had
fallen in love with Shakuntala and married her

Now the king was terribly ashamed when he

remembered how badly he had treated his gentle wife,
and how unceremoniously he had turned her out.

He sent messengers everywhere but no one could

tell him where she was. Shakuntala seemed to have
vanished into the air. Some people said that Menaka
seeing her daughter in such a helpless situation had carried
her away. K anva too refused to tell Dushyanta any­
thing, except about Durvasa’s curse and also that he
had forgotten his wife as a result of the curse.
People were sent high and low, to the plains and
mountains ; to the remotest corners of the country but
it was of no avail. Shakuntala could not be traced.
The king’s heart filled with grief and repentance.
Even though he knfew now that he was not to blame
for his behaviour he could not forgive himself.
Then one day the king was wandering in the
mountains when suddenly he came upon a little boy
strikingly handsome and obviously brave. For the
little boy was playing with lion cubs just as any other
child would play with kittens. He kept worrying the
cubs and insisted on counting their teeth. His
companion, an older girl, kept rebuking him but the
boy refused to oblige. Then the girl tried to frighten
him by saying that the mother of the cubs was sure to
attack him. The boy just laughed and said that a mere
lioness would not frighten him away. “ If you give me
something else to play with, I promise to leave the cubs,”
said the little boy at last. The girl went away in
search of a new toy. Dushyanta, who was standing
behind a bush observing all this, was terribly impressed
by the boy’s bravado. He asked the boy his name and
was told that he was called Sarvadaman. The name was
quite appropriate, thought the king, for the little boy
seemed capable of controlling everything.
31
 The king was quite overwhelmed by Sarvadaman’s
extraordinary courage and felt strange tenderness for
him.

“ I never thought a hermit’s son could be so

courageous,” said Dushyanta.

“ I am not a hermit’s son, sir,” said the boy

scornfully. “ My father is a king. His name is Dushyanta.”

Dushyanta now realised that Sarvadaman was his

own son and he was filled with joy and
gratitude. He picked up the child and held him to his
heart choked with emotion. He wanted to ask the boy
about his mother. Just then he saw Shakuntala
approaching them.

Shakuntala stopped in her track when she saw her

husband. She stood undecided for a few moments
then turned back. Dushyanta fell at her feet and
begged to be forgiven.

“ I know my behaviour is quite unforgivable but if

you hear everything perhaps you will have mercy/’ said
Dushyanta.

He then told Shakuntala that he had intended to

send for her soon after he had returned to his
kingdom but Durvasa’s curse had made him forget her.
32
 Shakuntala was quite amazed when she heard this,
for she herself -had been kept in the dark.
Dushyanta further told her how he had remembered
everything the moment he saw the ring. “Ever since
I have been searching for you and have not
known a moment of peace,” said Dushyanta.
After hearing the king’s repentance, Shakuntala’s
tender heart was filled with pity. She readily forgave
him.
Just then they heard a terrible rumbling noise and
a voice from heaven spoke to Dushyanta.

“Take your faithful wife and son back with you.

Your son is destined to be the greatest ruler of all
times ; call him Bharat.”

The people of the ashram were overjoyed at the

reunion of Shakuntala and Dushyanta. Amidst much
rejoicing the king returned to his kingdom with his wife
and son.

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