Abhijñānaśākuntalam

Abhijñānashākuntala or "Abhijñānaśākuntalam") (Hindi: अभिज्ञान शाकुन्तलम्), (English: The Recognition of Śakuntalā) is a well-known Sanskrit play by Kālidāsa. It is written in a mix of Sanskrit and the Maharashtri Prakrit, a Middle Indian dialect. Its date is uncertain, but Kalidasa is often placed in the period between the 1st century BC and 4th century AD.

The Sanskrit name means "pertaining to "abhi-jñâna-śakuntalā", which means "token-recognized-Śakuntalā" ("Śakuntalā recognized by a token").

ynopsis

Although Kalidasa makes some minor changes to the plot, the play elaborates upon an episode mentioned in the "Mahabharata". The protagonist is Shakuntala, daughter of the sage Vishwamitra and the apsaras Menaka. Abandoned at birth by her parents, Shakuntala is reared in the secluded, sylvan hermitage of the sage Kanva, and grows up a comely but innocent maiden.

While Kanva and the other elders of the heritage are away on a pilgrimage, Dushyanta, king of Hastinapura, comes hunting in the forest and chances upon the hermitage. He is captivated by Shakuntala, courts her in royal style, and marries her. He then has to leave to take care of affairs in the capital. She is given a ring by the king, to be presented to him when she appears in his court. She can then claim her place as queen.

The anger-prone sage Durvasa arrives when Shakuntala is lost in her fantasies, so that when she fails to attend to him, he curses her by bewitching Dushyanta into forgetting her existence. The only cure is for Shakuntala to show him the signet ring that he gave her.

She later travels to meet him, and has to cross a river. The ring is lost when it slips off her hand when she dips her hand in the water playfully. On arrival the king refuses to acknowledge her. Shakuntala is abandoned by her companions, who return to the hermitage.

Fortunately, the ring is discovered by a fisherman in the belly of a fish, and Dushyanta realises his mistake - too late. The newly wise Dushyanta defeats an army of Titans, and is rewarded by Indra with a journey through the Hindu heaven. Returned to Earth years later, Dushyanta finds Shakuntala and their son by chance, and recognizes them.

Adaptation

In other versions, especially the original one found in the "Mahabharata", Shakuntala is not reunited until her son Bharata is born, and found by the king playing with lions. Bharata is an ancestor of the lineages of the Kauravas and Pandavas, who fought the bloody war of the Mahabharata. However, Kalidasa's version is now taken to be the standard one.Fact|date=September 2007

Translations

The play was the first Indian drama to be translated into a Western language, by Sir William Jones in 1789.

English translations include:
* "Sacontalá or The Fatal Ring: an Indian drama" (1789) by Sir William Jones [http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00litlinks/shakuntala_jones/]
* "Śakoontalá or The Lost Ring: an Indian drama" (1855) by Sir Monier Monier-Williams [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/12169]
* "Translations of Shakuntala and Other Works" (1914) by Arthur W. Ryder [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/16659]

There are about 25 translations into Malayalam including,
*"Abhijnanasakuntalam" by Kerala Varma Valiyakoyithampuran - the first translation
* "Malayaalasaakunthalam" (1912) by A.R. Rajarajavarma
*"Abhijnanasakuntalam" (1970) by K. S, Neelakantan Unni

Productions

In Koodiyattam, the only surviving ancient Sanskrit theatre tradition, performances of Kalidasa's plays are rare. However, legendary Kutiyattam artist and "Natyashastra" scholar "Nātyāchārya Vidūshakaratnam Padma Shri Guru" Māni Mādhava Chākyār has choreographed a Koodiyattam production of "The Recognition of Sakuntala". [Das Bhargavinilayam, Mani Madhaveeyam [http://www.kerala.gov.in/dept_culture/books.htm] (biography of Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar), Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala, 1999, ISBN 81-86365-78-8]

Musical adaptions

* Italian Franco Alfano composed an opera, named "La leggenda di Sakùntala" ("The legend of Shakuntala") in its first version (1921) and simply "Sakùntala" in its second version (1952).
*The Norwegian musician, Amethystium wrote a song called "Garden of Sakuntala" and it can be found in the CD Aphelion.

According to Philip Lutgendorf, the narrative of the movie Ram Teri Ganga Maili recapitulates the story of Shakuntala.Fact|date=September 2007

References

reflist

ee also

* Sanskrit literature
* Sanskrit drama

External links

* [http://www.sub.uni-goettingen.de/ebene_1/fiindolo/gretil/1_sanskr/5_poetry/3_drama/ksakunxu.htm Abhijnana Sakuntalam - Transliterated text at GRETIL]