City and Forest in Abhjnanasakuntalam

Since the origination of Sanskrit literature, Kalidasa has been highly praised and appreciated
for his work. He is best known for his contributions like the poem Meghadutam and plays
like Abhijnanasakuntalam. Abhijnanasakuntalam is a play of seven acts that revolves around
the love story of the brave king, Dushyanta, and the kind-hearted Shakuntala, his rejection of
her, and their later reunion in heaven. The initial acts of the play take place in the hermitage
of Sage Kanva, who is the father of Shakuntala. The hermitage is in the foothills of the
Himalayas, near the river Malini. The setting of the play develops a connection between
external appearances and deeper inner truths. Nature is not presented as a hostile element in
the play, but as a companion that needs preservation, with love and affection. Shakuntala
becomes an integral part of the natural world as she is portrayed as "the flower-child of the
wood" by King Dushyanta in Act I, which is entitled "The Chase." In this play, humans and
nature share an ardent and intimate relationship that reflects their innermost desires and
makes separation of one poignant to another.
The first Act commences in the hermitage of Sage Kanva, where we see King Dushyanta,
along with his charioteer and army, hunting in the wild. The King is in hot pursuit of a deer
when an ascetic, along with his disciple, requests him to spare the "fragile life of the deer."
They forbid Dushyanta from exploiting nature and its organic order. Here, the King
represents the structure of the court that is entirely different from the peace and tranquility of
the hermitage. Hunting was considered to be the leisure time activity of the royals, however,
it disturbed the organic balance of the natural world. On the other hand, Shakuntala's bond
with nature establishes a basic correspondence in the play between the natural world and
human emotional/spiritual states.
Before entering the hermitage of Sage Kanva, Dushyanta insists his charioteer to purify
themselves. In the words of the king, "Sūta, urge the horses on and let us purify ourselves
with a sight of the holy Hermitage." This gesture stands as testimony to the fact that the
hermitage represented sanctity and sacrality. Humans and nature co-existed in the hermitage
in harmony and peace. Dushyanta also describes the fearless behavior of the deer as, "...deer
browse in their tranquil haunts, unafraid of the chariot’s approach." Dushyanta alights from
the chariot and removes his royal attire as "hermit-groves should be visited modestly attired."
It is evident that the king respected the hermitage and its sense of simplicity.
Dushyanta also sees Shakuntala and her maidens watering plants and delighted in their
budding. He compares the girls in the palace to those in the hermitage. Shakuntala, who
grew up in the lap of nature, is seen to have an innate attachment to it. Being a kid hermit
girl, she is attired in a bark garment. For her, trees are her sisters, and she finds delight in
their service. In the play, we could see Shakuntala’s intuition that the mango tree is trying to
tell her something which shows her ability to perceive the emotions of nature. As
Priyamvada tells that the budding of spring-creeper indicates Shakuntala’s imminent
marriage, for Father Kanva tells it is a symbol of her happiness, it becomes clear that nature
is so integral to their life that they associate changes in nature with changes in their life. In
the words of Priyamvada, "... just as Vana-jyotsnī has married the tree that is a worthy
partner for her, so, may I also find a consort worthy of me..." Here, the presence of humans
adds to the landscape but never overpowers or controls it.
The elements of nature, like the bees, trees and deer also represented erotic attraction. For
instance, in Act I, we see Shakuntala being chased by a bee, and Dushyanta being envious of
the "honey-maker." He says, "...blessed indeed are you, while I wait seeking to know the
truth—undone..."
Kalidasa uses nature to describe the beauty of Shakuntala. She is endowed with both nature’s
beauty and purity. Dushyanta has enticed by the beauty of both nature and Shakuntala. He
has not fallen in love with the pretty Shakuntala, alone; actually, he is enticed by the whole
idea of a benign natural beauty in the forest. J. Tilakasiri, in his article, "Kalidasa’s Poetic
Art and Erotic Traits," writes, "Kalidasa links womanly beauty with natural beauty not
simply in an idealistic fashion, but realistically as well. He is successful in instituting
complete identification between nature and womanhood, and in so doing conveying a more
mature character to the nature images.
Nature is instrumental in the story. Man and nature live with amity, in the serene atmosphere
of the hermitage. However, the city space is entirely divergent from the hermit. In Act I,
where Dushyanta is seen as the protector of the kingdom, he, along with his army, causes
disturbance in the hermit. In Dushyanta's words, "O what a disaster! How gravely have I
wronged the ascetics here; I had better go."
In one of the intriguing moments of Act II, we see Madhavya despising the forest place as he
is used to the pleasures and luxuries of the palace. This too shows the aristocratic behaviour
of the royals. The sense of freedom that was being experienced by Dushyanta in the forest,
was eliminated in the kingdom as he was constantly being reminded of his kingly duties. The
kingdom represented orderliness, power and responsibilities.
Towards the end of the play, two policemen enter, leading a fisherman. He’s been accused of
stealing a ring with the King’s name engraved on it. The fisherman, frightened, insists that
he discovered the ring in the belly of a fish he was cutting up. This act shows the strict
policies of the palace where the lower-class is not being given any freedom to express itself.
We see the dominance of the royals. In contrast, the forest represented freedom. Human
emotions were not suppressed, rather they were given wings by nature itself.
It can be rightly said that the kingdom and forest represent two opposing forces. One
represents chaos, while the other represents tranquility. In the play, nature is perceived as
having emotions like humans, and it stresses the need to handle them with care and affection.