Kalidasa's Abhijnana Shakuntala

 

Abhijnana Shakuntala is one of the most well-known plays by Kalidasa. As most of the Sanskrit dramas of his time, Kalidasa wrote in a mixture of both classical Sanskrit - spoken by the royals, courtly figures, upper caste figures and Prakrit, consisting of different types of vernaculars-spoken by the common people including women and children.

 

The title of the play Abhijnana Shakuntala can be translated as The Recognition of Shakuntala. The play  is an extension of an episode from the Mahabharata. Kalidasa’s prowess as an exemplary dramatist can be seen in way he has lent complexity to the characters - to Shakuntala and Duhsanta, adding innovative elements such as the curse and the ring to enhance the rasa of kama /love as well as, making Duhsanta’s character more appealing to the audience. Furthermore, the ultimate union of the hero and the heroine does not occur in the royal Palace of the King but in the heavenly hermitage of Marica and Aditi, years after the birth of their son. Thus, his retelling of Shakuntala is significantly different from its original source.

 

Kalidasa creates a heroic drama of a romantic nature, endearing it to the audience of his day and now readers beyond his time and place. The longing and aches of first love; the trials of love thwarted; the happiness at being reunited; are emotions and feelings that everyone can identify with. However, one cannot deny how the drama is a reflection of particular socio-political and cultural ethos of his time.

 

The very rejection of Shakuntala because of the loss of the token makes us question the position of women in his time (notwithstandingtheloss of memory). As Misrakesi asks “does a love such as this really need a token of recognition? How can that be?” (254). Duhsanta’s unhappiness at his inability to have a son is a telling portrayal of the importance of sons in carrying the name of the family forward. Even in the depiction of the fisherman who finds the lost ring, Kalidasa shows the corrupt and brutal nature of the guards/ soldiers/ lawenforcers who treat him unfairly and assume his guilt without any proof. Such details help us to imagine the world of Shakuntala and Duhsanta with a clarity and nuance not available in the epic.

Prologue

The play opens with a benediction or a prayer to Lord Shiva.

 

That first creator of the Creator

That Bearer of oblations offered with Holy Rites:

That one who utters the Holy Chants:

Those two that order Time:

That which extends, World – Pervading,

In which sound flows impinging on the ear:

That which is proclaimed the Universal Womb of Seeds:

 That which fills all forms that breathe

with the Breath of Life.

 May the supreme Lord of the Universe

who stands revealed in these eights Forms* perceptible preserve you.

 

 *The eight forms are in order: Water, Fire, The Priest, Sun and Moon, Space, Earth, Air (p. 169)

 

This invocation follows the Epic tradition and seeks blessing and inspiration from the divine, thereby sanctifying the play. The Sutradhar/ Narrator/ Director, then,  addresses theActress/wife, introducing in the progress of the dialogue theplay being performed for the audience. The Narrator/ Director deftly moves to presenting the Hero/ Nayank of the play- King Duhsanta-as the latter arrives on stage in full hunting regalia chasing a fleet of antelope.

 

 

 

Act I: The Chase

Act 1 takes place in the forest on the foothills of the Himalayas and moves to the hermitage of the great sage Kanva, by the river Malini. The King Duhsanta appears, followed by his Charioteer, in hot pursuit of a deer, specifically a Blackbuck, which is a sacred animal. Duhsanta is stopped in his hunt by an ascetic who reminds him of his duty This deer is of the Hermitage, O King! He should not be killed…no…no…do not strike him down. How fragile the life of this deer! How cruel your sharp- pointed arrows, swift-winged! Never should they fall on his tender frame like tongues of flame on a heap of flowers. Quickly withdraw your well-aimed arrow, bound to protect the distressed, not strike the pure. (p. 173)

 

Furthermore, Duhsanta has entered the sacred Hermitage, where such slaughter is sacrilegious. At the ascetic surging, Duhsanta decides to go to the Hermitage of Kanva, to pay his respect as well enjoy the hospitality offered there. As they near the Hermitage, Duhsanta takes off his royal ornaments and weapons as it seems unfit for such a spiritual space. On entering he sees three women watering plants and one of them is Shakuntala whose extraordinary beauty immediately captivates Duhsanta. He hides behind some trees to further observe the trio and finally reveals himself to them. The women welcome a disguised Duhsanta into their midst, where he learns that Shakuntala is the adopted daughter of the sage Kanva. She is infact the daughter of the Apsara/celestial nymph, Menaka and the seer Visvamitra.

 

 

 

Duhsanta’s questions lead him to figuring out her Kshatriya origin, which makes Shakuntala a suitable bride for him. Before Duhsanta can learn of Shakuntala’s feelings for him, they hear the news of how the arrival of Duhsanta’s hunting party has frightened an elephant and that the elephant is now wreaking havoc in the forest. As the party splits, Shakuntala realises that she has fallen  in love with Duhsanta, and the two depart with longing for the other in their hearts