Introduction to Abhijnana Shakuntalam or Abhigyan Shakuntalam ( Indian Classical Literature) (notes and summary).

ABHIJNANA SHAKUNTALUM:

                        OR

  ABHIGYAN SHAKUNTALAM:

     ( INDIAN CLASSICAL LITERATURE )

     --KALIDASA

INTRODUCTION TO ABHIJNANA SHAKUNTALAM:

Abhijnana Sakuntalum is a play written by Kalidasa, based on the story of Dushyanta and Shakuntala in Mahabharata. It was originally written in Sanskrit language. This play is a depiction of a tragic love story between King Dushyanta, king of Hastinapur and Shakuntala, foster child of sage patriarch Kanva.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF ABHIJNANA SHAKUNTALAM:

Kalidasa was one of the greatest Sanskrit Indian poet and dramatist. He was considered the Shakespeare of India. It is estimated that he survived around the middle of the 4^th and 5^th century during the period of the reign of Chandragupta Vikramaditya. He was the one of the gems of the court of Chandragupta. There is not much information about his personal life. He was worshiper of Goddess Kali and she blessed him with wit and intellect.

SOME OF THE FAMOUS WORKS OF KALIDASA:

1.      Vikramorvasiya

2.      Raghuvansam

3.      Malavikagnimitram

4.      Meghadutam

5.      Ritusambharam

6.      Kumarsambhavam 

MAIN CHARACTERS IN ABHIJNANA SHAKUNTALAM:

1.      King Dushyanta: king of Hastinapur

2.      Shakuntala: foster daughter of sage Kanva

3.      Kanva: adoptive father of Shakuntala

4.      Gautami: matron of the hermitage

5.      Durvasa: a travelling sage with bad temper

SUNMMARY OF THE PLAY ABHIJNANA SHAKUNTALUM:

Abhijnana Shakuntalam is a tragic love story presented in play. In this story we witness immortal love between King Dushyanta, king of Hastinapur and Shakuntala, foster child of sage patriarch Kanva. Kanva had his hermitage in the forest in the foothills of the Himalayas on the banks of river Malini. The actual parents of Shakuntala were Maharshi Vishwamitra and nymph Menka. They had the child before marriage this was the reason that they can’t keep her. So they left her in the forest near the hermitage of sage Kanva. When Kanva saw the baby crying he brought her to his hermitage and he fostered her. With passage of time Shakuntala turned into a beautiful young girl.

Once king Dushyanta was out on hunting in the forest and during chasing a deer he came near the neighbourhood of the hermitage. The members of the ashram extended a warm welcome towards King Duahyanta. There he happens to see Shakuntala and he fall in love with her. King Dushyanata was deeply in love with Shakuntala and decided to declare his emotion to her so that he could marry her soon. As Shakuntala was also in love with him but finds it difficult to supress her love towards King Dushyanta. Shakuntala was in so much of confusion so one of her friend Anusuya says,  “Listen dear Shakuntala, we cannot enter your mind and your thoughts, but feel that the state you are in is like that of persons experiencing the pangs of love”. Shakuntala confirms her love to him by sending a love letter. King Dushyanta proposed to marry her by Gandarava mode because this was only the method to make a quick wedding. Then a quick wedding took place in ‘Gandharava Vivah’ mode. Gavtami was matron of the hermitage she saw everything that happened but kept quite. King Duashyanta happens to return to his kingdom due to some kind of unrest but promised her that he will be back to take her with him and gave her a ring of him.

One day Shakuntala was quit engrossed in the thoughts of King Dushyanata. At that very time Rishi Durvasa arrived and gave a call but Shakuntala failed to notice the arrival of Rishi Durvasa. Such response enraged  Rishi Durvasa and he showered curses on Shakuntala and he says- “ you shall be lost in his thoughts, though you goad his memory hard, he shall fail to remember you”. The curse made everyone scared, Shakuntala friends requested him for mercy. At this rishi Durvasa says if the king sees any souvenir that he gave her, he will remember everything. After all this incident Rishi Durvasa departed from the ashram. Now after this everyone was relaxed.

Shakuntala did not received any message from the king. After moths of waiting, sage Kanva arranged for the vist of Shakuntala to the royal court of Hastinapur. She left for the royal court being scouted by a few member of ashram. On her way she stops by a lack for drinking  water. Unfortunately the ring slips out her finger in the lack and a fish swallows the ring. She reaches the royal court and shows him his son and reminded him about their marriage but king fail to remember her due to Durvasa curse. She searches for the ring but could not find it and had to return back to the ashram.

After some day an angler finds the ring in the stomach of the fish. He tries to sell the ring but was caught by the soldiers of Hastinapur. He was brought to the royal court and the ring was handed to the king. On seeing the ring he remembered everything and realised his mistake. He immediately rushed to the forest to meet Shakuntala. There they reunited and he took them to Hastinapur with him. He then made Shakuntala the chief Queen and Bharata, son of king as crown prince and thus he fulfilled the promise made by him.