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Puranic encyclopaedia

by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222

This page describes the Story of Shakuntala included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).

Story of ŚܲԳٲ

Foster-daughter of sage ṇv.

1) Birth. ŚܲԳٲ was a daughter born to վś峾ٰ of the woman called ѱԲ. վś峾ٰ was engaged in intense tapas on the banks of river ī in the ᾱⲹ. Indra deputed ѱԲ to break the 󲹰ṣi’s tapas. She enticed him away from his tapas and got pregnant by him. But she forsook the child on the banks of ī and returned to Devaloka.

2) Childhood. Birds gathered round the forsaken orphan-child. While ŚܲԳٲ i.e. birds were petting the child ṇv came that way, saw the child and took it with him to the ś. As śakuntas had petted it, the child was named ŚܲԳٲ.

As queen.

King ٳṣyԳٲ of the lunar dynasty married ŚܲԳٲ and to the couple was born the famous Bharata. This is the original story about ŚܲԳٲ’s married life. All the Indian languages contain two different versions of ŚܲԳٲ’s life. One version is that related in ղ’s ٲ and the second is that contained in ’s ŚܲԳٲ. Many scholars opine that in the matter of the ŚܲԳٲ episode has gone a step further and for the better, and therefore both the versions of the story are to be carefully studied by us.

(i) ղ’s ŚܲԳٲ. ŚܲԳٲ, now grown up as a maiden, was alone in the ś when King ٳṣyԳٲ, out in the forest on a hunting expedition, came there. In the absence of her foster-father ṇv, ŚܲԳٲ welcomed the King. They fell in love with each other and the King married ŚܲԳٲ according to the Ի󲹰 way of marriage and lived with her for a few days. ŚܲԳٲ became pregnant. The King returned to his palace.

ṇv returned to the ś and he was pleased that what had been destined to take place had happened. In due course of time ŚܲԳٲ delivered a boy, who was named Sarvadamana. When the child was grown up, ṇv sent his mother along with him to ٳṣyԳٲ’s palace. The King did not recognise them, but a celestial voice convinced him that the child was his own son. The King heartily welcomed his wife and son and ŚܲԳٲ lived in the palace as his honoured wife.

(ii) ’s ŚܲԳٲ. ṇv brought up ŚܲԳٲ born to վś峾ٰ of ѱԲ in his ś and she had two companions called Բū and ʰⲹṃv. All the three grew up and became maidens.

King ٳṣyԳٲ, who went out hunting in the forest followed a deer to ṇv’s ś where he saw ŚܲԳٲ watering the garden with her companions. ṇv was then away at Cakraīٳ. ٳṣyԳٲ, who fell in love with ŚܲԳٲ, married her according to the Ի󲹰 rules and lived with her at the ś for a few days. Meanwhile ŚܲԳٲ became pregnant, and emissaries from the palace came and the King returned with them. He left the ś after promising ŚܲԳٲ that he would soon return to her. He gave her his signet ring.

Sad over the separation from ٳṣyԳٲ and immersed in thought about him, ŚܲԳٲ was sitting there in the ś when ٳܰ came there. She did not see the 󲹰ṣi nor welcome him respectfully. He got angry at this and cursed her that she be forgotten by him about whom she was so intensely thinking. ŚܲԳٲ did not hear the curse either, but her companions who heard it begged pardon of the muni on behalf of ŚܲԳٲ and prayed for absolution from the curse. Then he said that if ŚܲԳٲ showed the King any sign about their relationship the King would remember her. Her companions did not tell ŚܲԳٲ about the above incidents. ṇv gladly welcomed ŚܲԳٲ’s wedding with ٳṣyԳٲ.

Days and months passed by, yet ٳṣyԳٲ did not return and ṇv sent ŚܲԳٲ, in whom signs of pregnancy had become prominent, to the palace of the King in the company of Ҳܳٲī and Śṅg. Բū reminded ŚܲԳٲ to take particular care of the signet ring. On their way to the palace ŚܲԳٲ and others bathed in the Somavāraīٳ, and nobody noticed ŚܲԳٲ losing from her finger the ring in the īٳ. They reached the King’s palace. None noticed them. ٳṣyԳٲ did not remember having even seen her. The signet ring was missing. After leaving ŚܲԳٲ at the palace her companions returned to the ś. ѱԲ, whose heart melted at the pathetic wailings of ŚܲԳٲ led her to śⲹ貹’s ś, left her there and returned to Devaloka.

The signet ring lost by ŚܲԳٲ was swallowed by a fish, which was netted by a fisherman, who went about the streets to sell the ring extracted from inside the fish. Servants of the King took the fisherman captive. At the sight of the ring thoughts about the past dawned on the King and he remembered all about ŚܲԳٲ. His days became sad pondering over separation from ŚܲԳٲ.

ŚܲԳٲ delivered a boy at the ś of śⲹ貹. The child was named Sarvadamana and he grew up as a courageous boy.

On his return from the devāsura war, ٳṣyԳٲ entered śⲹ貹’s ś where he saw Sarvadamana counting the teeth of a lion he had captured. Having heard details about him from the boy the King went inside the ś and saw śⲹ貹 and ŚܲԳٲ. He returned with ŚܲԳٲ and the boy to the palace with śⲹ貹’s blessings. It was this boy Sarvadamana, who afterwards became Bharata, the famous emperor of India.

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