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= Shakuntala =
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Introduction
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Shakuntala () is a heroine in ancient Indian literature, best known
for her portrayal in the ancient Sanskrit play 'Abhijnanashakuntalam'
(The Recognition of Shakuntala), written by the classical poet
Kalidasa in the 4th or 5th century AD. Her story, however, originates
in the Hindu epic, the 'Mahabharata' (c. 400 BC - 400 AD), where she
appears in the 'Adi Parva' ("The Book of Beginnings"). In both
narratives, Shakuntala is the daughter of the sage Vishwamitra and the
celestial nymph Menaka. Abandoned at birth, she is raised by the sage
Kanva in a forest hermitage. She later falls in love with King
Dushyanta and becomes the mother of Bharata, a celebrated emperor of
India.
In the 'Mahabharata', Shakuntala and Dushyanta secretly get married
through the gandharva tradition (love marriage) and consummate their
marriage in her forest hermitage. When she later approaches him with
their son Bharata, he hesitates to acknowledge them. Shakuntala
rebukes him forcefully until a celestial voice confirms the truth,
compelling Dushyanta to accept her and their son.
'Abhijnanashakuntalam' dramatizes the story with poetic elegance. In
this version, after King Dushyanta departs from the hermitage,
Shakuntala, lost in thoughts of him, fails to greet the irascible sage
Durvasa, who curses her so that Dushyanta will forget her entirely.
The curse can only be lifted if he sees a token of their love--a
signet ring he had given her. The now-pregnant Shakuntala journeys to
the palace, but she loses the ring in a river and is rejected by
Dushyanta, who fails to recognise her. Humiliated and abandoned, she
is lifted away by celestial beings to her divine mother Menaka’s
abode. The lost ring is later found in a fish’s belly and returned to
Dushyanta, restoring his memory. Overcome with remorse, he longs for
Shakuntala, and in time, reunites with her--now with their son,
Bharata.
Shakuntala has been a significant figure, often seen as a symbol of
Indian womanhood, inspiring numerous literary, artistic, and visual
adaptations.
Legend
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There are two different stories of Shakuntala's life. The first
version is the one described in 'Mahabharata', one of the two major
Hindu epics traditionally attributed to the sage Vyasa. This story had
been adapted as the play by the 4th-5th century AD poet Kalidasa.
''Mahabharata''
=================
According to Vyasa’s 'Mahabharata', Sage Vishvamitra undertakes
intense penance to attain the status of a 'Brahmarshi'. Concerned by
the severity of his meditation, Indra (king of gods) fears a potential
challenge to his authority and seeks to disrupt his penance. To this
end, he dispatches Menaka, an apsara, to distract him. Menaka arrives
at Vishvamitra’s meditation site and engages him in conversation,
ultimately leading him away from his ascetic practice. Vishvamitra and
Menaka reside together for a period, during which a daughter is born.
In time, Vishvamitra discerns Indra’s intervention and resolves to
resume his ascetic pursuits. He departs, and Menaka, before returning
to heaven, leaves the child near the hermitage of Sage Kanva. Sage
Kanva discovers the infant surrounded by 'śakunta' birds and names her
Shakuntala, signifying "one protected by 'śakunta'".
In the Adi Parva of Mahabharata, Kanva says:
She was surrounded in the solitude of the wilderness by 'śakuntas',
therefore, hath she been named by me Shakuntala (Shakunta-protected).
Years later, Dushyanta, King of Hastinapur incounters Shakuntala in
Kanva’s hermitage while hunting in the forest. In the absence of
Kanva, the two developed mutual affection and married according to the
Gandharva tradition. After spending some time together, Dushyanta
returned to his kingdom, and Shakuntala became pregnant.
Upon Kanva’s return, he accepted the marriage as part of divine
destiny. In due course, Shakuntala gave birth to a son, named
Sarvadamana due to his ability to suppress everyone, including animals
like lions. Seeing the boy’s prowess, Kanva decides it is time for
Shakuntala to present him to Dushyanta. Shakuntala, with her son, is
escorted by Kanva's students and reaches the royal court and
introduces him to the king, urging him to fulfill his promise and
acknowledge their child as his heir.
Dushyanta, however, denies any memory of their union and dismisses
Shakuntala’s claim. Stunned, she quickly regains her composure and
rebukes him for his dishonor. She reminds him that truth is the
foundation of righteousness and warns that the gods, who witness all
actions, will judge him. Despite her impassioned plea, Dushyanta
refuses to accept the boy, mocking her lineage. At that moment, a
celestial voice resounds from the heavens, confirming Shakuntala’s
words. It declares that the son is indeed Dushyanta’s and must be
recognized. The voice further proclaims that because the king is
commanded to cherish him, the boy shall be named Bharata, meaning "the
cherished one". Realizing his error, Dushyanta joyfully accepts his
son and formally installs him as heir. Embracing Bharata, he seeks
Shakuntala’s forgiveness, explaining that he had only delayed
recognition to ensure the child’s legitimacy. Under Bharata’s rule,
the kingdom flourishes, and he becomes a legendary monarch, earning
the title of 'Chakravarti', a universal ruler. His reign is marked by
justice, prosperity, and grand sacrifices, including the horse
sacrifice. From his name, the land of India comes to be known as
'Bharatavarsha', cementing his legacy for generations to come.
''Abhijnanashakuntalam''
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Kalidasa reworked the story of Shakuntala into a dramatic form,
introducing additional elements such as a curse and a lost signet ring
to create a more complex narrative. Many scholars consider the
Kalidasa's version more literary acclaimed and influential.
In 'Abhijnanamshakuntalam', Shakuntala is the daughter of Vishvamitra
and Menaka, and is raised in Kanva’s hermitage alongside her
companions Anasuya and Priyamvada. She encounters Dushyanta during a
hunting expedition. Captivated by her beauty, grace, and modesty,
Dushyanta learns from her Anasuya and Priyamvada that she is of royal
birth despite her upbringing in the ashram. Enamored by her, Dushyanta
courts Shakuntala, and their mutual attraction blossoms into love.
Overwhelmed by his emotions, Dushyanta convinces Shakuntala to marry
him through the gandharva rite, a form of spontaneous union that does
not require formal rituals or parental approval. The two consummate
their love, and Dushyanta promises to return for her after fulfilling
his royal duties. Before departing, he gives Shakuntala a signet ring
as a token of remembrance.
While deeply engrossed in thoughts of Dushyanta, Shakuntala
inadvertently offends the irascible sage Durvasa by failing to notice
his arrival. Feeling slighted by her inattention, Durvasa curses her,
declaring that the one she loves will forget her entirely. Although
her companions plead for mercy, the sage, unable to revoke the curse,
grants a reprieve: Dushyanta’s memory will be restored only when he
sees the token of their love. Unaware of the full consequences of the
curse, Shakuntala waits for Dushyanta’s return. When Kanva learns of
her condition, he prepares for her departure to Dushyanta’s court,
entrusting her to his disciples Sharadvata and Sharngarava. Along the
way, while crossing a river, Shakuntala accidentally loses the signet
ring when it slips from her finger and falls into the water,
unnoticed.
Upon reaching Dushyanta’s palace, Shakuntala confidently presents
herself as his wife. However, because of the curse, Dushyanta does not
recognize her and denies any knowledge of their marriage. The
courtiers regard her with suspicion, and without the ring as proof of
her identity, her claims appear baseless. Humiliated and heartbroken,
Shakuntala laments her fate. In an act of divine intervention, she is
suddenly lifted away by celestial beings to her mother Menaka’s realm
in the heavens, sparing her further disgrace at court. Dushyanta,
despite his rejection, is deeply unsettled by the encounter and feels
an inexplicable sadness, though he cannot understand its cause.
Time passes, and one day a fisherman catches a fish in whose stomach
he finds the royal signet ring. Recognizing it as Dushyanta’s, he
returns it to the king. The moment Dushyanta sees the ring, his
memories flood back, and he is struck with immense guilt and sorrow.
Realizing that he has wronged Shakuntala, he is tormented by remorse
and desperately seeks a way to reunite with her, but she has vanished,
leaving him to wander in anguish. In his despair, Dushyanta embarks on
a campaign to defeat a group of demons, earning divine favor along the
way. During his journey, he arrives at the hermitage of the celestial
sage Marichi, where he unexpectedly encounters a young boy playing
with a lion cub. The child, fearless and noble, immediately captures
Dushyanta’s attention. The boy, named Bharata, is revealed to be his
own son--a fact Dushyanta had not known. The sage explains that
Bharata is indeed his son and that Shakuntala has been living in the
celestial realm all along. At last, Dushyanta and Shakuntala are
reunited, their love restored and strengthened by the trials they
endured. Now a mature and dignified woman, Shakuntala forgives
Dushyanta, and they are finally recognized as husband and wife.
| **Ancient renditions of the myth of Shakuntala (2nd century BC,
Shunga period)**
File:Shakuntala plaque from Bhita.jpg|The Bhita plaque Ai Khanoum
Indian plate reconstitution.jpg|The Indian plaque of Ai-Khanoum File:
Kulu vase drawing detail.jpg|The Kulu Vase
Raja Ravi Varma
=================
Raja Ravi Varma was widely praised for his ability to merge the
Western academic painting style with Indian themes. In the 1870s, as
he began creating narrative paintings, he drew inspiration from
India’s classical heritage--drawing upon the epics, Puranas, and
Kalidasa’s plays. His first major work featuring Shakuntala,
'Shakuntala Patralekhan' (Shakuntala Writing a Love Letter to
Dushyanta), was painted for the 1876 Madras exhibition. The painting,
which depicted Shakuntala lying on the forest floor in a yellow sari,
surrounded by her friends and animal companions, won a gold medal and
garnered widespread acclaim. It was immediately purchased by the Duke
of Buckingham, then Governor of Madras. Though the location of the
original painting remains unknown, it was widely reproduced in books
and lithographs, including the 1903 publication Ravi Varma: The Indian
Artist. Given the colonial fascination with the 'Abhijnanasakuntalam'
narrative at the time, Varma was encouraged to create multiple
renditions of Shakuntala. His later works included Shakuntala (1888,
Maharaja Fatehsingh Museum, Baroda), Shakuntala (1898, Government
Museum, Madras), and 'Shakuntala Looking for Dushyanta' (1898, Shri
Chitra Art Gallery, Trivandrum). One of his Shakuntala paintings was
even selected as the frontispiece for Monier-Williams' 1887 edition of
Kalidasa’s play. His most famous painting, 'Shakuntala Looking for
Dushyanta' captures the moment when she feigns removing a thorn from
her foot while actually glancing back to see if Dushyanta notices her.
Varma’s works were equally admired by Orientalists and Indian
nationalists. In 1895, Varma’s first lithographic print, The Birth of
Shakuntala, won the "Best Lithograph" prize at the Bombay Art
Society’s annual exhibition. The choice of this subject was highly
symbolic; by this time, Shakuntala had come to represent an idealized
vision of Indian womanhood. Within the context of colonial modernity,
her birth was seen not just as the emergence of India’s ancestral
matriarch but also as a metaphorical rebirth of the ideal Hindu
woman--an embodiment of the virtues that both Orientalists and Indian
nationalists sought to define in the image of the "modern" Indian
woman.
Sculpture
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Camille Claudel created a sculpture 'Shakuntala'.
Opera
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'Sakuntala' is an incomplete opera by Franz Schubert, which was
started in October 1820. In 1884 the first Opera of the 21-year-old
Austrian composer Felix Weingartner had its debut performance in
Weimar and was supported by Franz Liszt to bring it to stage. Italian
Franco Alfano composed an opera named 'La leggenda di Sakùntala' ('The
legend of Shakuntala') in its first version (1921) and simply
'Sakùntala' in its second version (1952).
Ballet
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* Ernest Reyer (1823-1909) composed a ballet 'Sacountala' on a work by
Théophile Gautier in 1838.
* The Soviet composer Sergey Balasanian (1902-1982) composed a ballet
named Shakuntala (premiere 28 December 1963, Riga).
Other literature
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Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar created a novel in Sadhu bhasha, Bengali. It
was among the first translations from Bengali. Abanindranath Tagore
later wrote in the Chalit Bhasa (which is a simpler literary variation
of Bengali) mainly for children and preteens.
By the 18th century, Western poets were beginning to get acquainted
with works of Indian literature and philosophy. The German poet
Goethe read Kalidasa's play and has expressed his admiration for the
work in the following verses:
In 1808 Friedrich Schlegel published a German translation of the
Shakuntala story from the 'Mahabharata'.
Film and TV
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A significant number of Indian films have been made on the story of
Shakuntala. These include: 'Shakuntala' (1920) by Suchet Singh,
'Shakuntala' (1920) by S. N. Patankar, 'Shakuntala' (1929) by Fatma
Begum, 'Shakuntala' (1931) by Mohan Dayaram Bhavnani, 'Shakuntala'
(1931) by J.J. Madan, 'Sakunthala' (1932) by Sarvottam Badami,
'Shakuntala' (1932), 'Shakuntala' (1940) by Ellis Dungan, 'Shakuntala'
(1941) by Jyotish Bannerjee, Shakuntala (1943) by V. Shantaram,
'Shakuntala' (1961) by Bhupen Hazarika, 'Shakuntala' (1965) by
Kunchacko, 'Sakunthala' (1966) by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao, 'Stree' by
V. Shantaram.
The 2009 Indian television show, 'Shakuntala', was an adaptation of
the play by Kalidasa.
Films and Television Shows depicting Shakuntala
!Year !Films and Television Shows !Portrayed by !Directed by
|1920 |'Shakuntala' |Dorothy Kingdom |Suchet Singh
|1920 |'Shakuntala' |Shree Nath Patankar
|1929 |'Shakuntala' |Fatma Begum
|1931 |'Shakuntala' |Khurshid Begum |Mohan Dayaram Bhavnani
|1931 |'Shakuntala' |J.J. Madan
|1932 |'Sakunthala' |Surabhi Kamalabai |Sarvottam Badami
|1940 |'Sakuntalai' |M. S. Subbulakshmi |Ellis R. Dungan
|1941 |'Shakuntala' |Jyotsna Gupta |Jyotish Bannerjee
|1943 |'Shakuntala' |Jayashree |V. Shantaram
|1961 |'Shakuntala' |Amala Katarki |Bhupen Hazarika
|1961 |'Stree' |Sandhya Shantaram |V. Shantaram
|1965 |'Sakunthala' |K. R. Vijaya |Kunchacko
|1966 |'Shakuntala' |K. R. Vijaya |Kamalakara Kameswara Rao
|1985 |Anantyatra |Anuradha Patel |Jayoo Patwardhan, Nachiket
Patwardhan
|1985 |'Raja Rishi' |Nalini |K. Shankar
|1988 |'Bharat Ek Khoj' |Pallavi Joshi |Shyam Benegal
|1991 |'Brahmarshi Viswamitra' |Madhumita |N. T. Rama Rao
|2000 |'Gaja Gamini' |Madhuri Dixit |M. F. Husain
|2009 |'Shakuntala' |Neha Mehta |Various
|2021 'Sakuntalam ' |Payal Shetty |Dushyanth Sridhar
|2023 |'Shaakuntalam' |Samantha |Gunasekhar
Sources
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* Dorothy Matilda Figueira.
[
https://books.google.com/books?id=aN_U4bJvrRMC 'Translating the
Orient: The Reception of Sakuntala in Nineteenth-Century Europe'.]
SUNY Press, 1991.
* Romila Thapar. 'Sakuntala: Texts, Readings, Histories'. Columbia
University Press, 2011.
* Vyasa. 'Mahabharata'.
*
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N5eTQewvteg&t=110s
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=========
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Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakuntala
