Themes in Abhijnana Shakuntalam (Part 1)

 

The Theme of Love

 Abhijnana Shakuntalam is a heroic drama of a romantic nature. The rasa invoked here is srngara or love and according to the Sanskritic dramatic order, love poetry consists of love in union and love in separation. In the play, Kalidasa first creates a temporary union of the protagonists, King Duhsanta, the hero or nayaka and Shakuntala, the heroine or nayaki, as the play presents the story of  the flourishing (beginning to grow or increase rapidly) and completion of their love (ACTI,II, III). It is then followed by separation caused by the loss of memory and the token ring due to the curse (ACT IV, V,&VI).The play ends with there- union of not only Shakuntala and Duhsanta but also of their son Bharata (ACT VI).

We notice how these different stages of love occur in different places in the play. The initial courting and marriage takes place in the forest of the Hermitage, where the King has come to hunt. It’s a world that is an intrinsic part of Shakuntala’s character; even the plants and animals are her kin. Duhsanta has thus entered her world. The interruption of this love happens when Duhsanta leave this world to go back to the Royal Palace, where his duties as a king await. When Shakuntala goes to claim her right to be by his side at his Court, the device of the curse delays that union and both the ascetic companions and Duhsanta desert her. Their final union happens around six years later in the celestial realm on a heavenly mountain in the Hermitage of Marica and Aditi. 

In portraying the development of their love in such a way Kalidasa highlights the differences between the world of the Hermitage and the world of the Royal Court. Paradoxically, it is in the world of the Hermitage, a place for austerities and meditation that Shakuntala and Duhsanta find love and it is the Royal Court, a place ideal for the intrigues of love that their separation occurs. Shakuntala born and bred in the innocent and pure world of nature puts her faith in words rather than objects thus, consenting to a Gandharva marriage. This form of marriage does not require the consent of the parents/elders and is primarily foregrounded on the desires of the lovers. However, this love cannot disrupt the established caste hierarchy and therefore, we see how Duhsanta pursues Shakuntala once he ascertains her Kshatriya varna. Duhsanta represents the world outside the secluded and protected Hermitage, which is filled with deceit and cunning. In this world, Shakuntala’s word is not sufficient but needs tangible proof to be validated, in the form of the ring, in front of everyone in the Royal Court. The contrasting nature of their worlds necessitates that their union occurs in a different world altogether, moreover specifically after Duhsanta becomes a more considerate and compassionate man.

Kalidasa seems to bring in an element of sadness in the prologue and some might even say unnecessary delaying of their union. Kalidasa shows us the intoxicating nature of passion and love and how it might lead to a neglect of one’s duty/dharma. For Shakuntala that results in the curse which leads to her rejection. This curse can only be broken on the presentation of a token of recognition, which is the royal signet ring. Though the curse complicates our understanding of love, we nonetheless see how Shakuntala is unwavering in her love for Duhsanta, which ascribes her as the ideal heroine. The ring too complicates our understanding of love by making us question the truthfulness of love itself, if such love needs inanimate objects to prove it.  Kalidasa’s depiction of love is thus nuanced and complicated and does not shy away from making his audience ask uncomfortable questions regarding it.

The Theme of Concealment

The theme of concealment becomes clear in Act1 itself when Duhsanta takes off his royal garments and weapons on entering the Hermitage of Kanva. Even though he undertakes this action as a sign of respect for the sacred space, it allows him to take off the mask of a king and conceal his real identity. He introduces himself to Shakuntala as a court official out inspecting the penance grooves. This deception makes space for a much more relaxed interaction between Duhsanta and Shakuntala and her companions, without the strict rules of engagement mandated for royals. Literally throwing off the mantle of his kingship, Duhsanta presents himself as a man first and Shakuntala is attracted to this noble court official at first. When Duhsanta comes again to woo her, he can no longer hide his true identity as he is performing his kingly duty of protecting the Hermitage from demons. The second act of concealment occurs in Act II when Duhsanta is urgently called by his mother to the Royal Palace. He is torn between his duty towards his mother and his kingdom, and his desire to see Shakuntala again. The dilemma is solved when the ascetics’ request his help. As he sends Madhavya in his stead to the capital city, he tells Madhavya that he is staying back to do his duty towards these ascetics and not out of his desire for Shakuntala. He further tells his friend to consider all he said about Shakuntala as a joke. Duhsanta therefore, conceals his true feelings for Shakuntala as well as his reason for staying back at the Hermitage. This concealment creates a sense of foreboding in the play as it allows their marriage to be a secret from everyone outside the Hermitage and therefore, there are no witnesses who can support Shakuntala when she comes to the Royal Court. 

The next concealment takes place in Act III when the lovesick Shakuntala writes a love letter to Duhsanta. The problem, however, is its delivery since Duhsanta is busy protecting the ascetics in their ritual. It is Priyamvada who devices a plan to disguise the letter with other offerings for the ritual, thus allowing her to give it to Duhsanta. Duhsanta’s timely appearance saves them from actualising the plan. This event again points to the incongruity of love’s actualisation in the hermitage, where such actions don’t sit well with a holy space established on abstinence and austerity. In the same act we see one of the most important scenes of concealment. Shakuntala is so disheartened and distracted by the thoughts of Duhsanta that she unknowingly angers the sage Durvasa Rishi, who then curses her. She also fails to register the curse and is oblivious of it. It is her companions who hear the curse and on receiving the reprieve from the sage decide not to inform Shakuntala about the curse. Thus, it is their concealment of the truth of the curse that leads her to arrive at Duhsanta’s court unaware of the reason why he no longer remembers her. Had she been warned, perhaps Kanva would have gone with his daughter to the court to help her or Shakuntala herself would have been more careful with the ring and not lost it in the river. With the ring as a token that would break the curse, Duhsanta and Shakuntala’s union would have occurred much earlier and without so much pain on both sides. The final concealment occurs in ActVI, where Misrakesi hides herself to observe the repenting king. She observes how deeply Duhsanta regrets not juts his rejection of Shakuntala but also the loss of the son who could have continued the Puru clan. Even as Misrakesi feels sad for both the suffering lovers, she does not intervene because the gods have a plan for Duhsanta and have devised their reunion in accordance to Indra’s wishes. Here we see how the events of the story are not completely in the hands of the two protagonists.The reunion only occurs according to the plans of the gods. Even the curse and the subsequent loss of memory cannot be controlled by either of the two, as both are unaware of it. This makes the audience aware of the ambiguous and complex nature of Fate.