Overview on Avigyan Sakuntalam

Abhigyan Shakuntalam is an excellent drama by Mahakavi Kalidas. It has garnered praise from people all over the world. The well-known love story of King Dushyant and the maiden Shakuntala is told throughout the play’s seven acts, which make up the play. This tale of two people in love has been told in an artistic manner. It is a visual representation of the emotions that people experience. Every single word of it is the music that was produced by the veena.

Title

This fantastic play was given its title after the main character in the story. Within this context, Shakuntala has been an extremely important contributor. The protagonist of this play is her lover, the King of Dushyant. If Shakuntala is a stunning example of a woman’s potential, then Dushyant is the epitome of a noble hero. A young woman between the ages of fifteen and eighteen plays the role of the play’s protagonist. It would appear that the play’s hero is somewhere between the ages of thirty and thirty-five. Shakuntala possessed a stunningly divine appearance. It was something that she had received as a gift from her mother, Menaka. In addition to being young, handsome, and majestic, Dushyant had a charming manner of address. Shakuntala’s stunning good looks won King Dushyant’s affection, and he became besotted with her.

Shakuntala and Dushyant

Within, Shakuntala possesses a great deal of beauty. Her natural beauty is undeniable and unaltered by any means. It can be explained by natural processes. It is completely unencumbered by flirtatious entanglement. She possessed the purity of mind and modesty befitting a woman. On the other hand, Dushyanta possesses an exceptional amount of nobility. In his capacity as a gentleman, he is curious to learn whether Shakuntala is already married or even engaged. He treats the wise people with the utmost reverence and admiration. Shakuntala, just like Dushyanta, demonstrates a complete understanding of what it means to be a woman of honour. Her words demonstrate her strong sense of feminine dignity as well as her respect for those with more experience.

Plot

This play has a very interesting storyline throughout its entirety. It is a wonderful illustration of how a plot should be constructed. King Dushyant develops feelings for Shakuntala while they are out hunting together. It is eventually revealed to him that Shakuntala is Kanva’s biological daughter. She like so many others, is captivated by the grace and charisma of the king. This romantic involvement eventually leads to marriage. Shakuntala and Dushyant wed according to the Gandharva custom of marriage. Dushyanta makes a commitment to come back in a short amount of time before they leave for the capital.

Curse

Once the sage with the fiery temper, Durvasa, has arrived at the hermitage of Shakuntala. At that very moment, Shakuntala is ruminating on her husband, who is not present. As a result, she does not extend the kind of hospitality that is due to him. When Durvasa realised that she was angry, he cast a curse upon her, saying, “He of whom thou are thinking, neglecting to receive me properly as a guest, he won’t remember you even when reminded (of you).”

King’s Refusal

Following his return, Dushyant quickly became involved in the running of the state’s operations.

He has no recollection whatsoever of his bride-to-be from the woods. Shakuntala is pregnant now. As a consequence, she is dispatched to the royal palace. When she gets there, Dushyant acts like he doesn’t know who she is and refuses to acknowledge her. She is eager to show him his wedding ring, but it was not currently on her finger at the time.

King’s Acceptance

A fisherman delivers King Dushyanta’s wedding ring to him at the end of the story. Dushyanta has a complete recollection of the events that transpired during his own wedding to Shakuntala. He begins to live a life filled with sorrow. While this is going on, Indra gives him the advice that he should kill any troublesome demons. The mission undertaken by the king is fruitful. On the way back, he has the opportunity to visit the hermitage of Kashyap, where he is able to see his own son as well as Shakuntala. Following the exchange of mutually explanatory statements, the couple is brought back together. The play comes to a close when the king, Shakuntala, and Bharat all return to the royal city.

Conclusion

The natural world is very important to the plot of this play. The entirety of the story takes place in the midst of natural settings. The author Kalidas, who had a deep reverence for the natural world, did a wonderful job of capturing its allure. In point of fact, the specialty of the art of Kalidas is the compounding of internal and external aspects of nature. In a nutshell, Abhigyan Shakuntalam is an outstanding presentation of both human love and the love that exists between animals.