KALIDASA’S SAKUNTALA
V. Sarveswara Rao
“Among Kavyas, drama is the most chrming.
Among dramas Sakuntala is specially charming. In the play the Fourth Act
is the best. And lastly, four slokas therein are especially most beautiful.”
Thus goes a sloka about the greatness of Kalidasa’s Abhijnana Sakuntalam.
Indeed, it deserves such an appreciation. This play Abhijnana Sakuntalam
has again and again been described as Kalidasa’s greatest work, the best of his
works, the drama in which he exhibits most fully his multitudinous powers. If
we were doomed to lose all his works expect one, probably the majority of those
who know and appreciate him best would for keeping Abhijnana Sakuntalam. Let us
now briefly discuss what is that in this drama which establishes its undisputed
claim to the highest honour.
Abhijnana Sakuntalam, like his Raghuvamsa, is most popular and
widely read in almost all parts of India and has been translated into almost
all the chief languages in the world. It is a love drama and belongs to the class
of ‘Nataka,’ the best of ‘Rupakas’. Its language exhibits all the
graces of his style. It is highly elegant being dignified where necessary.
Wilson remarks, “The story, the situations and the characters are all highly
imaginative and nothing can surpass the beauty and justice of many of the
thoughts. To select one as an example were to disparage a number of other
passages, and they may be left to the critical acumen and the taste of the
reader”.
Let us now make a general study of the
important characters in the play. Among them, first comes Dushyanta, the hero
of this drama. He possesses almost all the qualities of a ‘Dhirodatta’ hero.
He is shown as youthful, handsome, majestic and of sweet address. Another point
that is notable in his personality is the extreme nobility of his mind. It was
quite natural on his part to be struck with the fascinating youth and superb
charms of Sakuntala. The poet himself, through the mouth of Dushyanta, depicts
the beauty of Sakuntala as “Her flawless beauty is a flower not yet smelt by
any one, a tender sprout not plucked with the nails, a gem unperforated, fresh
honey whose flavour is untasted, and the reward of collected merit not yet
exhausted by enjoyment.” There is no wonder in Dushyanta falling in love with
such an uncommon beauty. He is, indeed, a lover of beauty. Being a ‘Sarvabhouma,’
he was in a position to have it and enjoy it irrespective of its price. But at
the same time, he maintains the Dharma of his great Puru pedigree. Otherwise it
was impossible for an ordinary man to check his first burst of love. It is only
after ascertaining the parentage of Sakuntala, and further that she was not
married, that he allows his mind to harbor the feeling of love. Another
important feature of Dushyanta is his utmost respect for the sages. The king,
though himself commanding universal respect, has unbounded reverence for the
sages. There are many incidents in the drama which testify to his high martial
power. He was so brave that even Indra, the lord of the Gods, sought his help.
His love for Sakuntala, though carnal to a certain extent is deep-rooted and
permanent. His mental affliction, after the unconscious dismissal and rejection
of Sakuntala, is so touching as to give a full idea of what his real feelings
were. In the Sixth Act of the play, just to console his soul, he begins to
paint the picture of Sakuntala. After the completion of the picture, his remark
“what ever may not be right i.e., faulty, in the picture is corrected or rather
perfected. Yet her beauty is only partially represented by the delineation,” is
really an impartial judgement of the beauty of Sakuntala. He is at home in
almost all the fine arts. He can appreciate music and be sensitive to its
impressions. He is a unique Sovereign, and the various traits of his character
are shown in bold relief by the poet. Thus, Dushyanta’s character is exalted by
the imagination of the poet.
Next in importance is Sakuntala, the heroine
of the drama. She was the daughter of the Sage Viswamitra and the heavenly
nymph ‘Menaka’. But as she was abandoned by her parents in a forest, she was
fed by birds for sometime after which she was brought up by Kanva as his
daughter. Due to her close association with the hermitage environment and with
the men leading ascetic lives, she too had imbibed the spirit of that life. As
she was the daughter of Menaka, she had inherited heavenly beauty from her
mother. She was a youthful maiden with full development of her limbs. There was
nothing artificial in her beauty; it was essentially natural. Her heart, too,
was equally natural and beautiful. She was untouched by passion till she saw
the king. Even her modesty was so great that she felt delicate to reveal to her
friends her inextinguishable love for the king. She represents the true picture
of womanly modesty. Though troubled by the arrows of Manmadha, she
manifested a full sense of female honour. When Dushyanta, in the third Act,
tries to bring her back, she politely asks him to maintain his dignity and
decorum.
Sakuntala is a daughter of Nature. Nature
strictly speaking, is her foster mother. She has, therefore, affection for
every tree, for every creeper and for every sprout. She will not drink water
without herself watering the trees. She can forget herself but not the ‘lathas’ in the Ashram. She
dares not pluck even a tender sprout despite her fondness for ornaments. The
flowering season of Nature is a great festival to her. The deer are her own
children. She applies ‘ingudi-oil to the mouth of a young deer, which is
wounded slightly while eating ‘Darbha grass’. In her own hands, she holds out
the wild rice for the deer to eat. Just before her departure from the
hermitage, she embraces the Vanajysotna’ creeper and leaves it under the
care of her mates. She requests her father to intimate her the news of the
pregnant deer. But Sakuntala’s love of nature, is not one sided. Nature too in
her turn, has the same deep
affection for Sakuntala. The foliage of ‘Kesara’ tree invites Sakuntala.
The young deer, pulling her garment stops her from leaving the hermitage. At
her departure, the female deer drop down their half eaten morsels of ‘Darbha’ grass;
the peacocks give up their
dancing; and the creepers, with their yellow leaves falling off, seem as if
they are shedding tears. The deer Dirgapanga, drinks water only from the
hands of Sakuntala. The affection between Nature and Sakuntala is so profound
that Kanva, on the eve of Sakuntala’s departure to her husband’s palace
requests Nature to permit Sakuntala to go to her husband’s house. Then, Nature
too, on her part, indicates her acceptance through the sweet note of a cuckoo.
Thus Sakuntala’s character is harmoniously delienated as the dearest daughter
of nature.
Other important characters in this play are
Vidushaka, Anasuya and Priyamvada, the friends of Sakuntala and Kanva, the
foster father of Sakuntala. All these characters, undoubtedly win the heart of
the reader. Making an on-spot study of these characters, let us now study the
calibre and artistic economy of Kalidasa in writing this play.
Kalidasa’s pen suggests more than what it
expresses. That is why Abhijnana Sakuntalam has been categorised under ‘Uttamottama
Kavya,’ the greatest of all Kavyas. His discerning sense of artistic
economy makes the play sublime and impressive. In the First Act the King offers
his ring to Sakuntala, but the dramatist has avoided the scene of Dushyanta
approaching her, putting his ring on her finger and then expressing his
feelings. The first Act comes to an end with the disturbance caused by an
elephant. But Kalidasa, is not a mean artist to create a scene here in which
Dushyanta saves Sakuntala from the elephant and thereby comes into closer
contact with her. Even at the end of Third Act, Kalidasa has not continued the
scene of ‘Adhara Pana’ but has brought it to an end by the intervention
of Gautami. For the development of the theme, too, Kalidasa has not introduced
new situations. The whole play consists of only three distinct parts i.e.,
union, separation and re-union. These are developed by four situations viz.,
the hunting scene of Dushyanta, the curse of Durvasa, the fisher man with the
king’s ring and the invitation of Indra. Kanva’s absence also is used to show
the development of love between the hero and the heroine. The long suffering of
Sakuntala for six years and the
heart - piercing sorrow of
Priyamvada and Anasuya on hearing of the news of the repudiation of Sakuntala
are also left to the imagination of the reader. Thus Kalidasa is an expert in
bringing about the maximum effect with the minimum material.
Kalidasa wrote this drama which had its
origin in ‘Mahabhrata’. According to ‘Mahabharata’ the story goes
thus: King Dushyanta, losing his way while on a hunting expedition reaches the
ashram of Kanva and meets there Sakuntala alone. He learns from her, that her
decent and marries her the Gandharva way, accepting the condition her son
should be his successor. Then he leaves for his palace. Nine years later, when
she comes to him with their son, Sarvadamana (later known as Bharata) the king,
afraid of public criticism, discards her. Their reunion comes only after
intervention of the Heavenly Voice. The epic story appears to be rough and
prosaic in its theme. The characters are dull and lifeless and there are hardly
any dramatic situations in it. King Dushyanta appears to be an opportunist in
love and timid in his heart. Sakuntala appears to be somewhat licentious,
lacking womanly modesty. The whole story appears to be a bundle of absurdities.
In short, the epic story is no story at all, save a charmless narration of a
string of events. In such a dull story Kalidasa visualised the seeds of his
greatest play. Kalidasa has picked the main thread of the story i.e. the love
between Dushyanta and Sakuntala, and has polished it and blended them so
harmoniously that each is inseparably linked up with the others. He evolved
thus, a heart capturing dramatic theme that delights the eye, car and heart.
Besides, it ennobles the reader by leading him to a higher universal
philosophical plane. Just to ennoble his hero and the heroine, Kalidasa
concocted the story of Durvasa’s curse. Now, we cannot find any fault with
Dushyanta in his repudiation of Sakuntala in the open court. Moreover, we
appreciate his quality of utmost respect for the wives of others. Kalidasa
infused love, colour and character into the dry theme of the original story.
The poets knowledge of human mind is very
ample and abundant. On the eve of Sakuntala’s departure for her husband’s
house. Kanva with a choking voice says thus, - “At the thought of Sakuntala leaving today my heart is smitten with
grief, my throat is chocked owing to the flow of tears being suppressed; and my
eyes are heavy through anxiety. Such is my condition indeed owing to my
affection for Sakuntala. If this sorrow is felt by me the dweller in a forest,
how much, then, must house-holders be tormented by the pangs of separation from
their daughters”. In this scene the poet puts before our eyes the picture of
the father of newly wedded girl and the affection of the father for his daughter.
Kalidasa is regarded as a master of similes.
That is why the verdict. ‘Upama Kalidasasya’, has got a universal acceptance.
Though the principal sentiment in this drama is love, hardly we find any
vulgarity or want of decency in the expression of it. It is all pure and
sublime by its nature and can be read without a blush. Dryden’s description of
Milton aptly applies to Kalidasa.
“Three poets in three distant ages born,
Greece: Italy and England did adorn
The first in loftiness of thought surpassed,
The second in majesty, in both the last;
The force of nature, could no further go,
To make a third, she joined the other two.”
Here in this poem, Greece stands for Homer
and Italy for Dante. Milton had both the qualities of Homer and Dante. In the
same way, we can take Valmiki
and Vyasa in the place of Homer and Dante and Kalidasa in that of Milton.
Kalidasa possesses the loftiness of Valmiki as well as the majesty of Vyasa.