MODULE 1: INDIA AND SHAKUNTALA
immortal".
PHILOSOPHY
- INDIAN PHILOSOPHY, the systems of thought and
reflection that were developed by the civilizations of the Indian
subcontinent. They include both Orthodox (astika) Systems,
namely, the Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva-
Mimamsa (or Mimamsa), and Vedanta schools of philosophy,
and Unorthodox (nastika) Systems, such as Buddhism and
Jainism. Indian thought has been concerned with various
philosophical problems, significant among which are the nature
of the world (cosmology), the nature of reality (metaphysics),
logic, the nature of knowledge (epistemology), ethics, and the
philosophy of religion.
- Three basic concepts form the cornerstone of Indian
philosophical thought:
(1) The Self or Soul (Atman),
(2) Works (Karma), and
(3) Liberation (Moksha).
INDIAN CASTE SYSTEM (Varnas)
1.) BHRAMIN / BRAHMAN
- Priests, astronomer
- The highest-ranked of the four varnas, or traditional
social classes of India. Includes Hindu priests, advisers,
and intellectual leaders.
2.) KSHATRYIA / KSHATRIYA
- Warriors, chief
- The second-highest of the varnas. Includes rulers,
military leaders, and large landowners.
3.) VIASYA / VAISHYA
- Merchants, Landowners, Accountant
- The third-highest of the four varnas. Includes merchants,
traders, and farmers.
4.) SUDRA / SHUDRA
- Commoners, Peasants, Servants, Potter
- The lowest-ranked varna. Traditionally includes artisans,
laborers, and servants.
5.) PARIAH / DALIT
- “Outcast-Out of Caste”, formerly called “Untouchable”
- Has no varna designation. Includes various low-status
persons and those outside the caste system, ex. Beggar.
SHAKUNTALA
- The picture above shows how Dushyanta and Shakuntala
love each other that started in the forest.
- The story of Dushyanta's encounter, marriage, separation,
and reunion with his queen, Shakuntala, has been
immortalized in the Mahabharata and in Recognition of
Shakuntala by the Great Sanskrit poet Kalidas.
- Dushyanta meets Shakuntala, who is the daughter of sage
Vishvamitra and Apsara Menaka, while on an excursion from
his kingdom.
- The story of drama Shakuntala is about the love affair of
Shakuntala and Dushyanta. The plot is based upon love affair,
secret marriage, separation of imprecation, and reunion of the
immortal love of Dushyanta and Shakuntala. The theme of the
drama is based on the Indian philosophy, "true love is
o Shakuntala is one of the tales written by Kalidasa in
Sanskrit, an ancient language retained in India in a
classical form as a language of literature and
Hinduism. While Shakuntala has a Cinderella plot
narrative structure as it tells the love story of
Shakuntala and Dushyanta.
o The story of Shakuntala originates in the
Mahabharata, a large collection of legendary,
philosophical, and religious material that dates at least
as early as 400 B.C.E.
 CHARACTERS
o Shakuntala
- She is the heroine of the play. A beautiful young
woman, she is the daughter of a royal sage or King
Vishvamitra and the nymph Menaka, and the foster
daughter of Kanva (Agusthya)
o King Dushyanta
- A member of the Puru lineage, reigns in northern
India, with his capital at Hastinapura. He is the hero of
the play.
- He is attentive to his royal duties, especially those of
caring for the oppressed and protecting religious
practitioners.
o Menaka
- Is a nymph and is Shakuntala’s mother. She
conceived Shakuntala when she was sent to test the
self-restraint of a royal sage, who proved unable to
resist her beauty.
o King Vishvamitra
- Is a king and is Shakuntala’s father. He was
attracted by Menaka’s beauty through her dance and
music.
o Bharata / Bharat
- Brave child of Shakuntala and King Dushyanta.
- India was called after Bharata.
o Anasuya & Priyamvada
- Friends of Shakuntala, and they are fellow ascetic at
Kanva’s hermitage. They are the faithful companion,
protective of Shakuntala, and encourages her
romance and marriage to King Dusyanta.
o Lord Indra
- One who asked Menaka to attract Vishvamitra
through music and dance.
o Fisherman
- He discovers Shakuntala’s lost ring in the belly of a
fish, then gets arrested on suspicion of having stolen
the ring from King Dusyanta. His story is quickly
corroborated by the King, and he’s let go with an
ample reward.
o Sarngarava
- One of the ascetics at Kanva’s hermitage, who
accompanies Shakuntala to the capital.
KALIDASA (Biography)
- Little is known about Kalidasa, a renowned classical writer
widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the
Sanskrit language sometime during 4th century A.D. His
plays and poetry are primarily based on Hindi Puranas and
philosophy.
- As legend has it, Kalidasa had grown-up without much
education but he was known for his beauty which brought him
to the attention of Princess Vidyattama and she married him.
However, the princess was ashamed of his ignorance and
coarseness. A devoted worshiper of Kali, Kalidasa is said to
have called upon his goddess for help when he was going to
commit suicide in a well after he was humiliated by his wife,
and was rewarded with a sudden and extraordinary gift of wit.
- He is then said to have become the most brilliant of the
“nine gems” at the court of King Vikramaditya of Ujjain.
Legend also has it that he was murdered by a courtesan in Sri
Lanka during the reign of Kumaradasa.

Shakuntala was a beautiful maiden who was the adopted

daughter of Sage Karnva. She lived with him and her pet deer,
in his hermitage in the forest. One day, Dushyanta, the king of
Hastinapur, came hunting in the forest. He saw the beautiful
deer and shot an arrow at it. Shakuntala found her deer
whimpering in pain and tried to comfort it. Shakuntala loved the
animals of the forest and her affection for the animal touched
Dushyanta's heart and he asked her to forgive him for his
cruelty. She forgives him but asked him to stay in the forest for
a few days to tend the wounded deer. They fell in love and
King Dushyanta married Shakuntala and gave her a wedding
ring his name on it. The king then left for his kingdom after
promising to return soon and take Shakuntala back with him.

One day, Sage Durwasa came to Shakuntala's door. He

repeatedly asked for water, but Shakuntala was lost in
thoughts of Dushyanta and paid no attention. The sage was
insulted and got very angry. Known for his temper, he cursed
Shakuntala saying that the person whom she was thinking
about would forget her. When Shakuntala heard the cause, she
was frightened and begged the sage to forgive her. The sage
said that he could not the back the curse but he could change,
if she showed Dushyanta something he had given her then he
will remember again about her.

Due to the curse Dushyanta forgot Shakuntala. After days of

waiting for him to return, Shakuntala decided to go to the
capital to meet him. On the way, as Shakuntala was crossing a
river, her wedding ring fell into the water. A fish swallowed the
ring. When Shakuntala arrived at the palace, the king did not
recognize her. He asked her to prove her identity but
Shakuntala didn't have the ring to show him, as it was lost. She
wept and told the king about the time he had spent with her in
the forest but he couldn't remember anything. Feeling sad she
left the palace.

Ashamed to return to her father's home, she started living

alone in another part of the forest where she gave birth to a
son. She called him Bharata. Bharata was a brave boy. He
grew up among the animals of the forest and would play with
wild animals.

One day at the king's palace, a fisherman brought him a ring.

He told the king that he had found the ring in the stomach of a
fish that he had brought it straight to him. As soon as the king
saw the ring, the curse was broken and the king remembered
Shakuntala. He was very upset and hurried at once to her
home in the forest to look for her, but could not find her. In
despair, he returned to his palace.

Few years passed. The king again went hunting in the forest.
There he was surprised to find a boy playing with a lion cub.
The boy fearlessly held open the mouth of the cub and said, "
O king of the jungle! Open your mouth wide, so I can count
your teeth." The king went up to the boy and asked him about
his parents. The little boy replied that he was the son of king
Dushyanta and Shakuntala. Dushyanta was very happy to
have found Shakuntala and asked the boy to take him to his
mother. The family was united and Dushyanta took Shakuntala
and Bharata along with him to Hastinapur. Bharata grew up to
become a great king.