Table of Contents
Recap
King Dushyanta of Hastinapur was out on a hunt. He happened to see the ashrama belonging to rishi Kanva. Wanting to meet the rishi, the king went inside and was greeted by a beautiful maiden. The king wanted to know who she was and the maiden started telling the king, the story of her birth.
Birth and marriage of Shakuntala
Indra sends for Menaka
The maiden continued telling the king. "You would have heard about the great rishi Vishvamitra. He was performing severe austerities. The rishi had given up food and the power of his penance was scaring the devas including Indra. Indra was wondering if the rishi was trying to take away his throne. He spoke to the other devas and saw they too were anxious. Who could help him in a situation like this? That was when he thought of the beautiful apsara Menaka. Menaka came to Indra and wanted to know why she had been called. Indra said, 'Menaka, you have all the qualities that should be there in an apsara. I need your help and I will tell you now, how you can assist me. On earth, rishi Vishvamitra is meditating and his penance is making me anxious. You are an expert in this. Distract the rishi. Break his penance. Stop him from using his powers so that I do not lose my throne. Use your beauty, your youth, your voice and do what needs to be done. Help me.'"
Menaka talks about Vishvamitra
Menaka looked at Indra and with folded hands said, "You are the king of the devas and I have heard what you have told me. Rishi Vishvamitra is not an ordinary rishi. He is known for his powers and also for his anger. Even you are aware of this. This is that same rishi who was responsible for the death of the sons of rishi Vashistha. He was born a kshatriya and became a rishi because of his determination. He is responsible for the creation of the river Kaushiki. When he was approached by a king for help, he created a second heaven for that person. This is the same rishi whose wife was fed by rishi Matanga, who had been cursed to become a hunter. You yourself are scared of the rishi and instead of facing him yourself, you are pushing me? I am not sure how successful I will be, but I may not come back alive. Do not think I am saying this because I am not going to obey you. I want you to know that I am scared, but as you are the king and have given the order, your order will be fulfilled. Whatever happens, I will go down to earth where Vishvamitra is. I need you to help me too. I will not go alone. Send Kama and Vayu with me. I will need their help. And while I am trying to break the rishi's penance, I want you to think of a way, in which I can come back to heaven."
Menaka is successful
Indra agreed and Menaka, along with Kama and Vayu went to the place where the rishi was busy meditating. The rishi had chosen a cold isolated mountain ledge for his austerities. There was something in the rishi's countenance that made Menaka tremble. Controlling herself, Menaka dressed herself in a dress made of a single cloth, and began to create multiple illusions near the rishi. Soon a gentle breeze began to blow, Menaka began dancing in the breeze and that breeze blew off her dress. She was taken aback and began to plead with the wind (Vayu) to give her dress back. This was all a part of Menaka's act. Suddenly a beautiful fragrance filled the air. The rishi opened his eyes. At that moment Kama aimed his five arrows towards the rishi. He got up and grabbed the naked Menaka and pulling towards himself, he made love to her.
Menaka leaves Vishvamitra
Menaka began living with the rishi and many days passed like this. The rishi, blinded by passion and desire never realized once that he had given up his austerities. One day the rishi suddenly realized it was time for his evening prayers. He asked Menaka to fetch water for his prayers. Menaka began to laugh hearing this. Vishvamitra asked her the reason for her laughter, and the apsara said, "I have been with you for nearly a year now. Not one day did you remember your prayers. How come today, you are thinking about them?"
As soon as he heard this, Vishvamitra realized what had happened. He looked at Menaka, his eyes full of anger. Menaka afraid immediately left the place. She went to the banks of river Malini. There Menaka gave birth to a child, fathered by rishi Vishvamitra. This was a girl child, none other than me. Then leaving the new born child on the ground, Menaka left the place and returned to Indra's court.
Shakuntala
There were many wild animals there but none of them harmed me. Birds tried to protect me from the elements by covering me with their wings. Rishi Kanva happened to be passing by and he saw this. He rushed and picked me up. He then looked around and saw there was no one. As I was an abandoned child and an orphan, the rishi felt pity for me. He took me with him, inside his ashrama. There, with the help of the other residents of the ashrama and their wives, rishi Kanva began taking care of me. He brought me up like his own daughter. That is why I said I am the daughter of rishi Kanva. The vultures (Shakunta) had been protecting me when the rishi had spotted me, thus he named me as the one found under the Shakunta birds, or Shakuntala."
Dushyanta heard this story and said, "O Maiden, someone as beautiful as you is suited to be a queen. I want you to be my queen. You are here in an ashrama wearing rough clothes, but the softest silks and ornaments studded with gems, will suit you more. Marry me and come with me."
The marriage
Shakuntala blushed. With her eyes down and a shy smile on her face, she said, "O king, I give my consent. As I told you earlier, my father is not here at the moment. Please wait for him to return, and then take his permission. As my father, he should give me away. Then I will come with you and be your queen."
Dushyanta said, "I am dying, Shakuntala. I cannot bear to be parted from you. I am not sure if I will be able to wait for the rishi. There are eight kinds of marriages prescribed in the Vedas. The Gandharva marriage is one of those and the kshatriyas are permitted to perform that kind of marriage. If you give your consent and marry me now, I am sure the rishi will not object to that."
Shakuntala then said, "If you want me to marry you before the rishi arrives, then I have a condition. I want you to give your word. If this marriage is something that is written in the Vedas, then I agree to that. Promise me that when a son is born to me, that son will be your successor. If you give your word, I agree to be your wife." Dushyanta, intoxicated by desire, gave his word. They then embraced each other and Dushyanta hugged Shakuntala and consummated the marriage. Lying next to her, Dushyanta said, "I will send for people to bring you over to the kingdom. There you will be welcomed as the queen of Hastinapur." He then got up. Getting dressed, he said, "Your father has not yet returned. I need to get back to my kingdom. I will take your leave now." Saying this, Dushyanta left the ashrama.
While walking towards his chariot, he wondered what the rishi would think when he returned. Dushyanta climbed up on his chariot and commanded the army to start for Hastinapur.
Analysis
What the text talks about
There are a few things that one can find here. The text talks about the greatness of Vishvamitra. He created a river Kaushiki and also created a second heaven for Trishanku. The same rishi was distracted by Menaka. Dushyanta too is said to be a king who follows Dharma but he too marries Shakuntala in the sly and then leaves without meeting rishi Kanva. This goes on to say that irrespective of the stature (spiritual or intellectual), there is no immunity from sensory delusion. Passion is very powerful and makes the person's discriminatory capacity vanish.
Again, this is temporary. For a period of time Vishvamitra forgot his practices. Then one day his psychological alarm clock rang. The illusion broke and Menaka vanished. Dushyanta, the moment he left the ashrama, began to wonder about the consequences of his actions.
An unintended chain of events
There is an unintended chain of actions which was set forth here.
- Vishvamitra starts his meditation.
- Indra gets insecure and sends Menaka on a mission.
- Menaka is successful but that leads to the birth of an innocent child.
- Her duty over, Menaka abandons the child and leaves.
- The child grows up and Dushyanta marries her, under the influence of passion.
- Dushyanta abandons her.
There is another thing here. The parents abandon the child but the forest takes care of her. Animals and birds protect her and rishi Kanva brings her up.
While Shakunta means a bird of prey, Shakun is the Bengali word for vulture. The origins of the word may be from Shakunta or the Pali word Shakunta which means a vulture.
Five arrows of Kama - Kama is said to shoot his victims with five flower tipped arrows. These flowers are Aravinda/ white lotus signifying excitement; Ashoka flower signifying fascination; Mango blossom signifying desire, jasmine signifying pining for someone and the last one, blue lotus which is total surrender. These are the stages of desire, which start from gentle excitement (the white lotus) to complete surrender (the blue lotus). These flowers also show how natural beauty and their fragrance works on human psychology.
Three incidents
There are three incidents that I want to mention here. These are about Vishvamitra that Menaka tells Indra. These are:
- The Birth of River Kaushiki. This tale can be found in Valmiki's Ramayana – Bala Kanda Chapter 34. I will share in brief. Rama and Lakshmana are with Vishvamitra and he tells the princes that he had a sister who took birth on earth as the river Kaushiki (as she belonged to the Kushika lineage, the same as her brother Vishvamitra).
- The incident related Vishvamitra and rishi Matanga as a chandala can be found in Shanti Parva of Mahabharata (Apaddharma sub parva). Once there was a terrible drought. Vishwamitra left his family to perform penance. The family was on the verge of starvation and a chandala took care of the rishi's family feeding them meat and saving them.
- The Incident of Trishanku and the new heaven takes us back to Valmiki's Ramayana, Bala Kanda Chapters 57-60. King Trishanku wanted to go to heaven in his physical body. After his guru refused, Trishanku approached Vishvamitra. Through the rishi's powers, Trishanku began to rise. Seeing this Indra and the devas pushed Trishanku back. When Trishanku began falling, Vishvamitra began creating a new place for Trishanku to stay. The devas relented and agreed to have Trishanku stay suspended in the sky, in his new heaven. Incidentally Krittibas in his version of the Ramayana relates this as a story of Harishchandra who falls down from heaven and remains suspended in the sky.
The eight kinds of marriage
The ancient legal systems classified eight types of marriage, as Dushyanta tells Shakuntala. These can be classified into two broad categories: Prashasta (approved) and Aprashasta (condemned). Here is a breakdown, stating which marriage is intended for whom, which form is strictly forbidden for whom and why.
| # | Form of Marriage | Description / Method | Permitted For Whom? | Forbidden / For No One? | Why? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brahma | The father of the girl invites a learned, well-behaved man and gifts his daughter to him, fully adorned with clothes and ornaments. | Brahmin | No one, it is universally praised. | It is considered the most pure and righteous form. There is zero commercial transaction, force, or lust involved; it is based purely on mutual respect and virtue. |
| 2 | Daiva | The father of the girl gifts his decorated daughter to a priest who performs a grand sacrificial ritual (Yajna) properly. | Brahmin | No one, highly approved. | It links the marriage to a sacred duty. The groom earns the bride through his religious service and flawless execution of rituals. |
| 3 | Arsha | The groom gives a token gift of a cow and a bull to the bride's father, purely for fulfilment of ritual duties, before taking the girl's hand. | Brahmin | No one, but considered slightly lower than Brahma. | While still noble, it involves a minor exchange of material goods, which slightly dilutes the absolute selflessness of giving away a daughter. |
| 4 | Prajapatya | The father gives away his daughter after blessing the couple with the words: "May both of you perform your civic and religious duties together." | Brahmin and Kshatriya | No one, generally approved. | Similar to the Brahma form. |
| 5 | Asura | The groom receives the maiden after giving as much wealth as he can afford, to the father and the bride's paternal kinsmen. | Merchants and Labourers | Brahmin and Kshatriya | It is like purchasing a bride. It is forbidden for the higher classes because treating a daughter or a woman as a commercial item, degrades human dignity. |
| 6 | Gandharva | A voluntary union of a maiden and her lover coming entirely from mutual desire and passion, without the father's consent or any rituals. | Kshatriya | Brahmin | Warriors are permitted this form because their lives are unpredictable, and romance was recognized as part of their temperament (as seen with King Dushyanta and Shakuntala). |
| 7 | Rakshasa | The abduction of a maiden from her home, often after slaying or wounding her kinsmen, while she cries out in distress. | Kshatriya (Strictly in times of war or conquest) | All others | It involves force and violence. While permitted to warriors as an extreme byproduct of conquest, it is heavily discouraged as it lacks consent and peace. |
| 8 | Paishacha | The worst and most sinful form, where a man stealthily ravishes a girl while she is asleep, intoxicated, or mentally incapacitated. | FORBIDDEN FOR NO ONE (Strictly Condemned) | FOR EVERYONE | It is not a marriage; it is a heinous crime involving absolute non-consent, deceit, and violation. |
Character Analysis
(that were not covered in the last post)
Rishi Vishvamitra is a person of fierce determination, moving from Kshatriya and going on to become a Rishi. His flaw is his volatile temperament. This tale shows that a spiritually advanced individual is also vulnerable to sensory distraction. Vishvamitra here, represents the suppressed desire that lies dormant. A momentary lapse of judgement leads to his spiritual downfall.
Menaka is intelligent, self-aware, and is duty-bound. She questions Indra's courage but fulfils her duty. Her use of nature and illusion suits her role as the test of Vishvamitra's focus. She represents temptation and the external distractions that pull us away from our goals.
Qualities of an apsara
When Indra tells Menaka, "You have all the qualities that should be there in an apsara," he is referring to a set of attributes that apsaras are expected to possess.
1. Mastery of the Fine Arts: An apsara is supposed to be skilled in artistic and aesthetic perfection. They are not just dancers. They possess command over rhythm, posture, and expressions. They are highly trained musicians and singers.
2. Superhuman Charm and Visual Aesthetics: An apsara's physical form is structured to be an irresistible trigger. They possess a glowing, blemish-free presence that completely eclipses earthly features. Their speech and singing are designed to soothe the mind and lower the intellectual defences.
3. Psychological Intelligence and Stratagem: The real quality of an apsara is her sharp intelligence and understanding of human psychology. Menaka orchestrates a delicate accident with her dress to bypass the rishi's intellectual guard. Menaka is fully aware of the political danger. She knows the rishi's history (the destruction of Vasistha's sons) and actively negotiates her safety and support system with Indra before accepting the mission.
4. The Specific Functional Role: When a rishi or a king accumulates immense power through single-minded concentration, it threatens the equilibrium of the power structures (symbolized by Indra's anxiety). The apsara is then deployed. If the subject is easily distracted by sensory pleasure, their spiritual climb is halted.
While they disrupt the path of ascetics, they do not carry personal malice.
Other sources
More on the story and where to read on this. In a subsequent post I will talk about Kalidas and his work.
The Shrimad Bhagavatam (Book 9, Chapter 20): This section covers the arrival of Dushyanta, his dialogue with Shakuntala about her parentage (Menaka and Vishvamitra), his proposal of the Gandharva marriage, her agreement, and his immediate departure back to his capital.
The Padma Purana (Svarga Khanda, Chapter 1): This chapter covers the sequence of the king hunting, entering the ashrama while the rishi is away, being greeted by Shakuntala, and the two marrying out of mutual attraction.
I want to share a co-relation here. In Mesopotamia, in the story of Gilgamesh, there is a reference of Enkidu. He lived among animals and was at one with nature. Shamhat was sent to tempt him. This is like Menaka sent to tempt Vishvamitra or Delilah sent to lure Samson or Nimue (lady of the lake) who tempts Merlin.
In the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu is a wild man living among animals in nature, completely untouched by civilisation. The priestess Shamhat is sent to tempt him and introduce him to human intimacy. After spending days with her, Enkidu finds that the wild animals now run away from him, and his raw, wild strength is diminished, but he gains human understanding.
Conclusion
This post was about the marriage of Dushyanta and Shakuntala. The next post will be about Rishi Kanva's reaction and what happens when Shakuntala and Dushyanta come face to face. That will be coming next week.
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