Shakuntala was the daughter of the sage Vishwamitra and the celestial nymph Menaka. The story of how she was born, and what happened to her real parents, will not be told here, so you will have to find that out for yourself. This story begins with the beautiful Shakuntala growing up in the 'ashrama' (Hindu monastery) of the great sage Kanva, who treated her as if she were his own daughter, and loved her very much.
One day a great King, whose name was Dushyanta, was hunting deer near Shakuntala's home. He was chasing one particular deer, and had followed it into the very garden of Shakuntala's ashrama. He aimed his bow, let fly the arrow, and hit the deer in its flank. At this very moment, Shakuntala came running into the garden and saw what was happening.
"How dare you shoot this animal in my garden? Who do you think you are? Why must you bring your cruel sports to my home?" cried Shakuntala, and straight away went up to the deer to pull the arrow from its side.
The deer was not the only creature wounded that day, for King Dushyanta immediately fell hopelessly in love with Shakuntala. He stayed with her for several days, until the deer had recovered, and then told her who he was, and asked her to marry him. And, because she loved him too, she agreed, and the two were married.
After several weeks had passed, King Dushyanta said that he needed to return to his palace, and that he would send for her in a short while, when he had made all the necessary preparations.
"As a token of my love," he said, "I will give you the ring from my finger. This is a token of my love for you, and, if necessary, will prove to anyone that challenges you that you are indeed my true bride."
And so saying, he left for the palace, and Shakuntala began to make everything ready for her own journey. Often, in the evening, she would sit in the garden of the ashrama and dream of her dark-eyed King, and wonder how long it would be until he sent for her.
One evening, as Shakuntala was sitting thinking of her husband, a very important visitor arrived. He was the great sage Durvasa, and, unfortunately, he was known for having a very short temper. And because Shakuntala was wrapped up in thoughts of her husband, she did not notice his arrival, and she did not treat him with the proper respect.
"So, this is how you treat your visitors!" exploded Durvasa. "I see that you are thinking about someone more important that me, the great Durvasa! Very well then! Now you shall see my anger! Whoever it was you were thinking of, from this moment on has forgotten that you exist. My curse is that the object of your thoughts no longer knows that you are alive. Perhaps this will teach you a lesson in manners!"
Shakuntala was terrified, and tried to explain to the sage that she was only thinking of the man that she loved, and that she was waiting for a message to join him. Durvasa was still angry,but he felt a little bit sorry for her, and he changed his curse."
"Very well," he boomed, "this man will not know you, or recognise you, or remember anything about you, until you show him some kind of love-token that has been given to you." And, although Durvasa didn't realise it, this made Shakuntala very happy, because on her finger she wore the ring that King Dushyanta had given her as a love-token.
Days passed, and then weeks, and then months, and still there was no message from the King. What made matters worse was that Shakuntala was expecting a baby, and she so wanted her child to be born in the palace of her husband. And so, one day, she decided that she could wait no longer. She packed her belongings, said goodbye to Kanva and all her friends, and began the journey to the palace.
The journey was a long one. She travelled many days and many nights, and all the time she could feel the child growing in her womb. Towards the end of the journey, it was necessary to cross the river by ferry boat, and she was so tired and hot from the travelling that she dipped her hand into the cool waters of the river to refresh herself. If only she had been less tired, and less anxious, she would have realised that, as her hand dipped into the water, the ring slipped from her finger and dropped down to the bottom of the river bed!
When she arrived at the palace, tired and hungry, she immediately asked to see the King, and she was at once taken into the palace. When she saw Dushyanta her heart leapt with joy, and she ran towards him to throw herself into his arms. The next words that the King spoke almost killed her.
"Who do you think you are, woman, trying to lay hands on the King? Why do you foul my palace with your unwanted presence? You must leave immediately!"
Shakuntala tried to explain to the King that she was his wife, and that she was carrying his child, but the King was under the spell of the sage's curse, and he remembered nothing of her, nor his great love for her. Such is the way these things happen in the world.
"Oh!" cried Shakuntala. "The ring! I had forgotten the ring! Now I know how to make you believe me!" And she held up her hand to show the King the ring on her finger, and of course, there was no ring. It was lying somewhere at the bottom of the river. Slowly and sadly, Shakuntala turned away from the King She walked out through the palace gates without once turning round, and disappeared into the night.
Shakuntala walked into the forest, where she found an old shabby hut, and there she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, who she called Bharata. The years passed, and Bharata grew into a handsome, strong young boy, who made friends with the creatures of the forest, and rode on the backs of lions and played games with the tigers. And every day, as Shakuntala watched him, she thought of her husband, and a tear came into her eye to think that he would never know his son, and that she ould never again see her dark-eyed King..
Meanwhile, back at the palace, a great feast was being prepared, and the Royal cooks were ordered to prepare the finest foods to entertain the King's guests. There was great activity in the palace kitchens, as a hundred cooks worked to create a thousand dishes for the feast. The cook in charge of the fish courses was particularly busy, as the King loved fish more than any other dish. Imagine his surprise when he cut open a river trout and found a silver ring inside the fish! And not just any old ring, but a ring with the King's own mark on it. He immediately rushed to the King's chamber, and showed him what he had found.
And all at once, the curse was broken! King Dushyanta recognised the ring, and remembered his beautiful wife, and how he had sent her away from the palace. He cancelled the feast at once, and jumped on his horse and began to search for his beautiful bride.
Many days passed, and the days turned into weeks, and still he could not find her. He had almost given up, and was riding his horse slowly through the forest, which was a short-cut back to the palace, when he saw the most extraordinary thing. He saw a young boy riding on the back of a lion! He watched in amazement, and then saw the boy jump off the back of the lion and begin to roll around the ground with him. This boy seemed to know no fear at all, and the King was so surprised at this that he felt he must talk to him.
"Who are you?" asked the King, "and how is it that you are the friend and playmate of lions?"
"My name is Bharata," said the boy, "and I am the son of Shakuntala and the great King Dushyanta, and one day I shall myself be King of this land."
And all at once the King's heart exploded with joy, and he ran up to the boy and embraced him."
"I am your father," he said, "and truly, one day you shall be King of this land. But where is your mother?"
"I am here," came a voice, and the King turned round and beheld his beautiful lost bride, and ran to kiss her and hug her and hold her tight in his arms.
And I will leave you to imagine the joy and the happiness and the laughter and the tears that followed, and if you want to know what happened next in the story, you will have to try and find out for yourself.
