Abhijanasakuntalam

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Shakuntala. A painting by Raja Ravi Varma.
Shakuntala writes to Dushyanta.
Painting by Raja Ravi Varma.
Shakuntala despondent.
Painting by Raja Ravi Varma.
Abhijanashakuntala or Abhijanasakuntalam (Devanagari: ???????? ??????????), is a w
ell-known Sanskrit play by Kalidasa, dramatizing the story of Shakuntala told in
the epic Mahabharata. It is considered to be the best of Kalidasa's works. Its
date is uncertain, but Kalidasa is often placed in the period between the 1st ce
ntury BCE and 4th century CE.
The Sanskrit title means "pertaining to token-recognized-Sakuntala", so a litera
l translation could be Of Sakuntala who is recognized by a token. The title is s
ometimes translated as The Recognition of Sakuntala or The Sign of Sakuntala.
Contents [hide]
1 Synopsis
2 Adaptation
3 Translations
4 Title
5 Reception
6 Productions
7 Musical adaptions
8 Notes
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
Synopsis[edit]
Although Kalidasa makes some minor changes to the plot, the play elaborates upon
an episode mentioned in the Mahabharata. The protagonist is Shakuntala, daughte
r of the sage Vishwamitra and the apsara Menaka. Abandoned at birth by her paren
ts, Shakuntala is reared in the secluded, sylvan hermitage of the sage Kanva, an
d grows up a comely but innocent maiden.
While Kanva and the other elders of the hermitage are away on a pilgrimage, Dush
yanta, king of Hastinapura, comes hunting in the forest and chances upon the her
mitage. He is captivated by Shakuntala, courts her in royal style, and marries h
er. He then has to leave to take care of affairs in the capital. She is given a
ring by the king, to be presented to him when she appears in his court. She can
then claim her place as queen.
The anger-prone sage Durvasa arrives when Shakuntala is lost in her fantasies, s
o that when she fails to attend to him, he curses her by bewitching Dushyanta in
to forgetting her existence. The only cure is for Shakuntala to show him the sig
net ring that he gave her.
She later travels to meet him, and has to cross a river. The ring is lost when i
t slips off her hand when she dips her hand in the water playfully. On arrival t
he king refuses to acknowledge her. Shakuntala is abandoned by her companions, w
ho return to the hermitage.
Fortunately, the ring is discovered by a fisherman in the belly of a fish, and D
ushyanta realises his mistake - too late. The newly wise Dushyanta defeats an ar
my of Asuras, and is rewarded by Indra with a journey through the Hindu heaven.
Returned to Earth years later, Dushyanta finds Shakuntala and their son by chanc
e, and recognizes them.
Adaptation[edit]
In other versions, especially the original one found in the Mahabharata, Shakunt
ala is not reunited until her son Bharata is born, and found by the king playing
with lion cubs. Dushyanta enquires about his parents to young Bharata and finds
out that Bharata is indeed his son. Bharata is an ancestor of the lineages of t
he Kauravas and Pandavas, who fought the bloody war of the Mahabharata. It is af
ter this Bharata that India was given the name "Bharatadesam", the 'Land of the
Bharata'. However, Kalidasa's version is now taken to be the standard one.[citat
ion needed]
Translations[edit]
The play was the first Indian drama to be translated into a Western language, by
Sir William Jones in 1789. In the next 100 years, there were at least 46 transl
ations in twelve European languages.[1]
English translations include:
Sacontal or The Fatal Ring: an Indian drama (1789) by Sir William Jones [2]
Sakoontal or The Lost Ring: an Indian drama (1855) by Sir Monier Monier-Williams
[3]
Translations of Shakuntala and Other Works (1914) by Arthur W. Ryder [4]
Tamil translations include:
Abigna Sakuntalam (1938) by Mahavidwan R.Raghava Iyengar. Translated in sandam s
tyle.
Bengali translations include:
Shakuntala (1854) by Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar
Shakuntala (1895) by Abanindranath Tagore
Chinese translation includes:
???? (1956) by Ji Xianlin
Title[edit]
Manuscripts differ on what its exact title is. Usual variants are Abhijanasakunta
la, Abhijanasakuntala, Abhijanasakuntalam and the "grammatically indefensible" Abh
ijanasakuntalam.[2]
Reception[edit]
Thanks to translations, by the 18th century, Western intelligentsia were beginni
ng to get acquainted with the most important works of Indian literature and phil
osophy. Goethe, Germany's greatest poet, read Kalidasa's play, and is said to ha
ve been thoroughly charmed by the oevre. He expressed his admiration for the wor
k in the following verses:
Willst du die Blthe des frhen, die Frchte des spteren Jahres,
Willst du, was reizt und entzckt, willst du was sttigt und nhrt,
Willst du den Himmel, die Erde, mit Einem Namen begreifen;
Nenn ich, Sakuntala, Dich, and so ist Alles gesagt.
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 Sakuntala! and all at once is said.
translation by E.B. Eastwick
Productions[edit]
In Koodiyattam, the only surviving ancient Sanskrit theatre tradition, performan
ces of Kalidasa's plays are rare. However, legendary Kutiyattam artist and Natya
shastra scholar Natyacharya Vidushakaratnam Padma Shri Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar
has choreographed a Koodiyattam production of The Recognition of Sakuntala.[3]
A production directed by Tarek Iskander was mounted for a run at London's Union
Theatre in January and February 2009.
The play is also appearing on a Toronto stage for the first time as part of the
Harbourfront World Stage program.
An adaptation by the Magis Theatre Company [5] featuring the music of Indian-Ame
rican composer Rudresh Mahanthappa had its premiere at La MaMa E.T.C. in New Yor
k February 1128, 2010.
Musical adaptions