Mahabharata – 144
by
Sankar Mukherjee
and
Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
 Aadivamsavataran   Parva

Comments on the Shakuntala & Dushmanta episode

The Mahabharata is the source of countless post Mahabharata
literature.Earlier we have noted Tagore’s Kacha & Devyani, a drama that harks back to Devyani’s emotions for Kacha during their parting as delineated in the Mahabharata.While the Mahabharata always speaks of love controlled by an awareness of dharma, modern poets impelled by the anxiety of influence underlines unbridled love. When  Devyani
proposed to Yayati,Yayati said no to her proposal because Devyani was
a brahmin by birth & Yayati was a kshatriya by birth. Marriage between a brahmin woman & kshatriya man was not sanctioned as per the
Mahabharata religion.But the majority of the moderns are against caste system. So they might not take Yayatis argument for not marrying Devyani as viable. When Dushmanta proposed Shakuntala there sprang a
serious discussion between Shakuntala & Dushmanta  as to whether marriage in secret between Dushmanta & Shakuntala could be legitimate or not.In the poetic drama Kacha & Devyani seem to have underlined the emotions of Devyani.Poets are swayed by the passions of love that
is blind.The stout character of Kacha in Tagore seems to pale beside the passionate Devyani. While Devyani is more human in the light of
Tagore Kacha seems to be a postcard sans any emotion.This does not
see eye to eye with Indian values.Indian values revel in portrayals
of characters who look upon joy & sorrow with equanimity.They are
seldom swayed by passion.They are postcards indeed in the light of
modern literary values. In a society where passion is more valuable than righteousness  burning of Troy or Nagasaki & Hiroshima are quite
normal.However,we seek to compare the Shakuntala episode of the
Mahabharata with Kaldasa’s drama on Shakuntala. On the surface, the
Mahabharata episode has been rather crude & gross compared to
Kalidasa’s plot  manship.Back from the ashrama it seems that Dushmanta
forgot his affairs with Shakuntala but Kalidasa did not find this
convincing.That is why he introduced the curse of Durvasa & the ring
episode. In Kalidasa  Shahkuntala lost the ring & thereby she could
not prove that she was the wife of Dushmanta at the court. Dushmanta as per Kalidasa had forgotten his affairs with Shakuntala because of the curse of rishi Durvasa.The ring could alone remind Dushmanta about
Shakuntala. But alas! the ring was lost. So humiliated Shakuntala had to leave the court of Dushmanta.That helped Kalidasa to absolve Dushmanta of any blemish & create pathos about the character of Shakuntala. The spectators might shed tears for the misfortune of forlorn Shakuntala.Since Indian esthetics does not approve of a tragedy the ring was found later.Dushmanta was repentant for turning
out Shakuntala. Dushmanta & Shakuntala were united again.No doubt
Abhijnanashakuntalam  is a sentimental comedy & we agree with Richard Rorty that the sentimental literature has greater efficiency in changing the society. But it seems that the richly wrought plot of Kalidasa pales beside the simplistic plot of the Mahabharata. The
Mahabharata states that the king Dushmanta after marrying Shakuntala
left her in the ashrama  only.He did not visit the ashrama ever after the marriage. Mahabharata does not give any excuse for the negligence of Shakuntala by Dushmanta. We are told about the virtues of Dushmanta.But beside Shakuntala he proves himself to be a fool.
A child was born to Shakuntala.Shakuntala & her foster father the
sage Kanva looked after the child.When the child came of age it was
at the instance of the sage Kanva that Shakuntala went to the court of king Dushmanta.And ironically enough Dushmanta did not recognize her
at the court even though he remembered his past affairs with
Shakuntala.It was dire lie & cowardice on the part of Dushmanta.No
body hates a Falstaff or a Bobadil.But when one who is famed to be
valiant & heroic in character is prove to be a liar &  coward it is a
case of bathos.The humiliated Shakuntala at the court however flashes forth like the veritable flames of penance & sacrificial fire.She is the true self of Indian womanhood.In Kalidasa’s  Abhijnanashakuntalam Kalidasa has been engrossed with the physical beauty of Shakuntala.
Later  on she became a forlorn mother looking after her child. But  in
the long absence of Dushmanta  Shakuntala excelsior  spiritually. She had the guts to tell the lying Dushmanta that his head would go into pieces if he did not acknowledge the truth. This she said at the royal court in front of the sages & ministers & the army generals & she was accompanied by none but her child. In our earlier sections. We have narrated in details the arguments put forward by Shkuntala at the
court.We are not going to repeat them here. While making love with
Shakuntala Dushmanta cited scriptures & it seemed as  it were he was learned.But all his learnings came to naught in front of Shakuntala at the court. Shakuntala discussed the rights of a married woman.She pointed out the significance of marriage & begetting a child.She could see into the thoughts of Dushmanta with her extra sensory perception.She gave a wonderful explanation of the consequences of
lying.There is a self below our conscious mind.It is the witness
to whatever we think or do.And it is directly linked with God the
Father who caters justice.And it will not bear false witness before God.Thus the very self of a person goes against the person who lies.
Shakuntala points out that the sensuous pleasure that one derives from
taking a child in arms is far greater than the pleasures of enjoying
the opposite sex. Thus  Shakuntala seems to be the first feminist in the whole range of literature.She is a feminist who is proud of womanhood & motherhood.Shall not a woman protest when she is wronged?
But Shakuntala’s protests were not looked upon with favor by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya the first great novelist of Bengali literature
& one of the seers or rishis of India’s patriotism.With him Miranda &
Desdemona are more loving than Shakuntala & they are the ideals of
womanhood.Thus it is a pity that the fathers of modern India are more
in sympathy with the West  & Shakespeare. Dushmanta bragged earlier that marriage in secret is ideal for kshatriyas. But later Dushmanta
posited that since no one at the court witnessed the marriage between Dushmanta & Shakuntala Dushmanta was feeling shaky to acknowledge
Shakuntala as his legitimate wife.This proves the necessity of
witness in marriage ceremony.To get registered with the government as
married is a must now a days.That Dushmanta married in secret only
shows his lack of far sight