Mahabharata

"Thou, O Menaka, art the first of celestial Apsaras...My heart is trembling with fear. Indeed, O slender-waisted Menaka, this is thy business...you must see that Viswamitra of soul rapt in contemplation and engaged in the austerest penances, who might hurl me down from my seat. Go and tempt him and frustrating his continued austerities accomplish my good."

"And the king [Dushyanta] having entered that forest which was like unto Indra's garden, soon forgot his hunger and thirst. And he was pleased beyond measure. And the monarch, laying aside all signs of royalty, entered that excellent asylum with but his minister and his priest, desirous of beholding that Rishi [Kashyapa] who was an indestructible mass of ascetic merit."

"After the king returns, sage w:DurvasaDurvasa comes to call on sage Kanva. The latter was away and Shakuntala was so lost in her thoughts of king Dushyanata that the sage’s words:” I, a guest has come”, fell on her deaf ears."

"May the person about whom you are thinking forget you.! Later he relents and says: When he says an object, which he has given you and recognizes it, he will remember you."

"Unfortunately Shakuntala loses the ring given by Dushyanta who just forgets her."

"My illustrious father hath gone away from the asylum to fetch fruit. Wait but a moment and thou wilt see him when he arrives...'O Dushyanta, I am the daughter of the virtuous, wise, high-souled, and illustrious ascetic Kanwa."

"Dushyanata in the course of hunting expedition arrives at Kanva’s hermitage and there in the garden he sees Shakuntala engaged in watering the plants along with her maids. Mesmerized by her beauty, he desires to marry her while she also is deeply impressed by the sight of the royal dignitary. They then marry in the 'Gandharva' style. The king returns to the capital while Shakuntala, left behind does not ask her the king's promise to make her son the prince consort to succeed him."

"The monarch, then, O thou of Bharata's race, seeing the purity of his son established by the celestial messenger, became exceedingly glad. And he took unto him that son with joy. And the king with a joyous heart then performed all those rites upon his son that a father should perform."

"Kanva sends Shakuntala, now pregnant, to the court of Dushyanta along with his disciples....Kalidasa portrays the farewell of sage Kanva to Shakuntala very touchingly. The whole ashram is plunged in sorrow. Kanva, Shakuntala’s maids, all shed tears at departure; even the trees, plants and birds bow down with grief."

"O Damayanti, there is a prince among the Nishadhans, whose name is Nala. He is as beautiful as the Asvins....You are the jewel of women; Nala is the most excellent of men. If you were to marry each other, your union would be the most distinguished in all the earth."

"And the timid and beautiful Menaka then entered the retreat and saw there Viswamitra who had burnt, by his penances, all his sins.... And beholding her beauty and accomplishments that bull amongst Rishis was possessed with lust and made a sign that he desired her companionship...And they then passed a long time there in each other's company. And sporting with each other, just as they pleased, for a long time as if it were only a single day, the Rishi begat on Menaka a daughter named Sakuntala. And Menaka went to the banks of the river Malini...And there she gave birth to that daughter. And she left the new-born infant on the bank of that river and went away."

"A fisherman is surprised to find a royal ring in the belly of a fish he has caught. He recognizes the royal seal. Upon seeing this ring Dushyanta’s memories of Shakuntala flashes into the mind. An old curse of forgetfulness laid on the king is broken and the king is repentant and becomes subdued."

"He immediately set out to find her. He reaches her father’s ashram, but she is no longer there. He goes deeper into the forest to find out Shakuntala. There he finds a young boy opening the mouth of a lion. The boy is counting its teeth. The king greets the boy. He is amazed by the boy's boldness and strength and asks his name. He feels surprised when the boy answers that he is Bharat, the son of king Dushyanta. The boy takes him to Shakuntala. Shakuntala and her son are accepted with dignity and reverence by Dushyanata."

"...first of kings wedded the handsome Shakuntala of graceful gait and knew her as a husband."

"Amazed at the whole spectacle, the king, in the words of Kalidasa in his play thus speaks: In a dusty apparel, grey appearing With a face penance, impaired; with hair unknotted; So unkind as I was, yet chaste her bearing From myself, parted so long, remains devoted."

"Frustrated at this, Shakuntala leaves for the forest all alone and decides to give birth to the child...She lives in the penance grove of Maricha and learns the lessons of suffering. In due course she gives birth to a most beautiful and intelligent son. The boy is named Bharat. Bharat blossoms into a strong youth. His only human companion is his mother. He starts playing with wild animals and rides on them as one rides horses. The mother teaches him as a prince. He opens the mouths of tigers and lions to count their teeth."

"Rishi Kanva had brought up Shakuntala as his own daughter, and hence, he decides to send her to her husband, King Dushyanta, where she should be accepted as Dushyanta's queen. On the way, they cross a river by a canoe ferry. Shakuntala feels charmed by the deep blue waters of the river and runs her fingers through the water Her ring slips of her finger, and she does not realize it."

"After Dushyanta had left the asylum having made those promises unto Shakuntala, the latter... brought forth a boy of immeasurable energy. And when the child was three years old, he became in splendour like the blazing fire."

"Shakuntala reaches the court of Dushyanta. A message is sent to the king of the arrival of a woman who claims to be his wife. Dushyanta, under the influence of the ascetic's curse, disowns Shakuntala in open court, dashing her hopes, and crushing her reputation."

"Thus, Shakuntala, the fine character in the Mahabharata and Kalidasa's Abhijnanasakuntalam has been the finest love. Although and the most striking specimen of romantic born of a heavenly nymph, she is shown essentially as human. She errs, suffers, corrects herself, and is elevated to the galaxy of great women."

"Shakuntala tells him about the ring and tries to show it to him, but she is not able to find it on her finger... [She] failed to remind Dushyanta of his promise to marry him."

"O Shakuntala, I do not know having begot upon thee this son. Women generally speak untruths. Who shall believe in thy words? Destitute of all affection, the lewdMenaka is thy mother, and she cast thee off on the surface of the Himavat as one throws away, after the worship is over, the flowery offering made to his gods. Thy father too of the Kshatriya race, the lustful Viswamitra, who was tempted to become a Brahmana, is destitute of all affection. However, Menaka is the first of Apsaras, and thy father also is the first of Rishis. Being their daughter, why dost thou speak like a lewd woman?"

"He [Dushyanta] first chooses to eavesdrop on all the young women and then introduces himself as an officer of the king. Of the three girls Shakuntala captures his fancy. Shakuntala appears to him as beautiful as the goddess of fortune, but dressed as an ascetic....he then feels that Shakuntala is his perfect bride."

"Dushyanta and Damayanti fall in love with each other...They are married according to the Gandharva rites, while still basking in the euphoria of love. As an evidence of his office, the king shows her the ring with his own name Dushyanta inscribed on it. Dushyanta gets ready to leave for his capital and promises to send a huge escort sent to her later to bring her to the capital. But before leaving he gives his precious ring to Shakuntala, cautioning her not to loose it."

"Shakuntala becomes pregnant. One day a powerful rishi, Durvasa comes to the ashram. Since Shakuntala is lost in thoughts about Dushyanata, she fails to greet him properly. Incensed by this slight, the rishi curses Shakuntala, saying that the person she is dreaming of would forget about her altogether. As Durvasa is about to depart in a rage, one of Shakuntala's friends quickly explains to him the reason for Shakuntala's distraction. The rishi, realising that his extreme wrath is not warranted, modifies his curse, saying that the person who has forgotten Shakuntala would remember everything again if she shows him a personal token that had been given to her."

"One day, King Dushyanta, while on a hunting expedition, pursues a male deer wounded by his arrow...He reaches Kanva’s ashram. Shakuntala and her two companions were watering the plants at that time with sisterly affection and Shakuntala was nursing the wounded deer."

"Shakuntala in both the epic and Kalidasa's play is shown as the daughter of the royal sage Vishwamitra and Menaka, the celestial nymph. Long ago, the powerful sage Vishwamitra is engaged in concentrated meditation, great austerities and penance that would give him almost absolute power over kingdom of earth and heaven Indra decided to put obstacles in his austerities and thereby break his sadhana..."

"After some days, Shakuntala wonders why Dushyanta has not returned to her. Her worry almost turned into panic because of the fact that she is pregnant. Soon, her condition reveals the truth. Rishi Kanva and ladies of the ashram notice the change."

"Menaka had to return to heaven. Therefore they leave the child amidst a beautiful garden near a lake. A swan in the lake sees the crying child and gives it some water. Then a sage named Kanva, who is passing by, sees the swan giving water to the child. In this way the child protected by birds (Shakunton in Sanskrit), and, therefore, she is named Shakuntala. The sage Kanva decides to take the child home and names it ‘Shakuntala’. Vishvamitra, whose tapas are broken, leaves for forest to retreat. Rishi Kanva brings up the child. Shakuntala blossoms as a most beautiful lady under the loving care of Kanva."

"The tale of Satyavan and Savitri is recited in the Mahabharata as a story of conjugal love conquering death. But this legend is, as shown by many features of the human tale, one of the many symbolic myths of the Vedic cycle. Satyavan is the soul carrying the divine truth of being within itself but descended into the grip of death and ignorance; Savitri is the Divine Word, daughter of the Sun, goddess of the supreme Truth who comes down and is born to save; Aswapati, the Lord of the Horse, her human father, is the Lord of Tapasya, the concentrated energy of spiritual endeavour that helps us to rise from the mortal to the immortal planes; Dyumatsena, Lord of the Shining Hosts, father of Satyavan, is the Divine Mind here fallen blind, losing its celestial kingdom of vision, and through that loss its kingdom of glory. Still this is not a mere allegory, the characters are not personified qualities, but incarnations or emanations of living and conscious Forces with whom we can enter into concrete touch and they take human bodies in order to help man and show him the way from his mortal state to a divine consciousness and immortal life."

"King Dushyanta, while on a gaming expedition (safari), and arrives at the hermitage of sage Kanva. The latter was away and his adopted daughter Shakuntala looks after the distinguished guest’s needs. Dushyanta, immediately on seeing her, is struck by her beauty and offers to marry her. Shakuntala lays down a condition that the king should promise to hand over the kingdom to the son born to her and Dushyanata agrees. They marry and spend some happy days, after which the king returns to his capital."

"English translation by Eastwich: Wouldst thou the young year's blossoms and the fruits of its decline, And all by which the soul is charmed, enraptured, feasted, fed? Wouldst thou the earth and heaven itself in one sole name combine? I name thee, O Shakuntala, and all at once is said."

"Among the first works of Sanskrit literature translated into European languages, its skilful plot of thwarted love and eventual redemption has long charmed audiences around the world. Shakúntala's story is a leitmotiv that recurs in many works of Indian literature and culminates in the master Kalidasa's drama."

"They [nine women in Hindu mythology] are Ahalya, Draupadi, Tara, Kunti, Mandodari, Sita, Savitri, Parvati, Damayanti, Maitreyi and Shakuntala. All of them were not held in the same degree of esteem and reverence. The first five women, known as pancakanya, may well be remembered in daily prayers but none of them is regarded as an ideal woman, at least not recommended by anyone for emulation by others."

"They [nine women in Hindu mythology] are Ahalya, Draupadi, Tara, Kunti, Mandodari, Sita, Savitri, Parvati, Damayanti, Maitreyi and Shakuntala. All of them were not held in the same degree of esteem and reverence. The first five women, known as pancakanya, may well be remembered in daily prayers but none of them is regarded as an ideal woman, at least not recommended by anyone for emulation by others."

"Goethe in German language: Willst du die Blüthe des frühen, die Früchte des späteren Jahres, Willst du, was reizt and entzückt, willst du was sättigt and nährt, Willst du den Himmel, die Erde, mit Einem Namen begreifen; Nenn’ ich, Sakuntala, Dich, and so ist Alles gesagt."

"In spite of several plus points to their credit – like the wisdom, courage, and sagacity of Draupadi, Tara and Damayanti, the keen and lively interest they evinced in their surroundings and also the part played by the former two in the management of their respective realms, the strong sense of duty, love and loyalty to their respective husbands as shown by Kunti, Mandodari and Shakuntala, the carving for knowledge as expressed by Maitreyi – none of them is a model for Hindu women."

"Ideal characters must always be presented before the view of the girls to imbue them with a devotion to lofty principles of selflessness. The noble examples of Sita, Savitri, Damayanti, Lilavati, Khana, and Mirâ should be brought home to their minds and they should be inspired to mould their own lives in the light of these."

"Shakuntala in course of time gives birth to a son who is named Sarvadamana."

"The epic Mahabharata tells the story of the noble descendants of King Bharat from whose name India, i.e., Bharat originated. Bharat was the son of Shakuntala and Dushyanta. This story is also the subject matter of Kalidasa's Abhijñānaśākuntala."

"Six years pass and still Dushyanta does not send for his spouse and son. Sage Kanva voluntarily decided to send Shakuntala to the palace. When she arrives at Dushyanta’s abode, he refuses to recognize her. Shakunatala is grief stricken Then amidst her lament a heavenly voice commands Dushyanta: “He is your son. Accept him”. The king then takes him in and the boy later comes to be reknowned as Bharata."

"As he caught hold of one, and thought, "What a fine dish of meat for my table to-day!" the swan, assuming a human voice, said: "You most not kill me, O King, for I will do you a favor. I will speak of you to Damayanti, so that she will never at any time love anybody but you." Nala at once let the swan go; and she with her companions flew up and off to the city of the Vidarbhans…"

"All these women [legendary women including Ambika, Devahuti, Draupadi, Parvati, Saraswati, Sati, Shakuntala and Sita.] belong to the early Vedic times and are still revered for their extraordinary powers and roles. They symbolize the virtues that Hinduism ordains its followers to pursue, establishing the fact that essence of the joy of life lies in pure, sacred and ever widening conjugal love."

"Damayanti was a princess who fell in love with the king Nala after hearing about his fame and virtues. She succeeded in her resolve to marry him, by correctly identifying him in the svayamvara although four gods had assumed Nala's appearance in order to marry Damayanti."

"Gandhi, father of the nation, asked Indian women to follow the examples of pure and pious Sita, Savitri and Parvati and appreciated the firmness of the character of Draupadi and Damayanti."

"Nought, mighty king, this time hast thou excepted: let my husband live; Without him I desire not happiness, nor even heaven itself; Without him I must die. "So be it! faithful wife“, replied the king of death. “Thus I release him;” and with that he loosed the cord that bound his soul."

"Prince Nala brave, handsome, and endowed with all the good qualities that a prince ought to have could manage horses with such skill, that for no one else in all the world would they go so swiftly."

"Among the neighboring tribes of the Vidarbhans, there was, likewise, a very brave and noble king, called Bhima, who had everything he desired except children. One day a 'Brahman Seer,' or wandering Hindu priest, named Damana, came to Bhima and asked for food and drink. Bhima and his queen, in true Oriental style, treated Damana with the greatest kindness and courtesy."

"He was like the Sun-god in his splendor. He was handsome, he honored the gods and ever spoke the truth. Fond of study, he knew all the songs and hymns of the Vedas. He was king of the Nishadhans."

"Draupadi, Tara, Ahalya, Mandodari, Sita, Savitri, Sati, and Damayanti are worshipped by Hindus as divine women of dharma, noted for unwavering devotion to their husbands, and for standing by them through all ups and downs in their lives. These together with w:MaitreyiMaitreyi and Gargi, should be an inspiration to the succeeding generations."