Shakuntala is the wife of Dushyanta and the mother of Emperor Bharata.
17 Facts About Shakuntala
2.
Shakuntala's story is told in the Adi Parva, the first of eighteen parts of the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata, and dramatized by many writers, the most famous adaptation being Kalidasa's play Abhijnanasakuntala.
3.
Shakuntala was surrounded in the solitude of the wilderness by sakuntas, therefore, hath she been named by me Shakuntala.
4.
King Dushyanta first encountered Shakuntala while travelling through the forest with his army.
5.
Shakuntala was pursuing a male deer wounded by his weapon.
6.
Shakuntala spent much time dreaming of her new husband and was often distracted by her daydreams.
7.
One day, a powerful rishi, Durvasa, came to the ashrama but, lost in her thoughts about Dushyanta, Shakuntala failed to greet him properly.
8.
The rishi, realizing that his extreme wrath was not justified, modified his curse saying that the person who had forgotten Shakuntala would remember everything again if she showed him a personal token that had been given to her.
9.
Time passed, and Shakuntala, wondering why Dushyanta did not return for her, finally set out for the capital city with her foster father and some of her companions.
10.
Shakuntala's ring slipped off her finger without her realizing it.
11.
Shakuntala tried to remind him that she was his wife but without the ring, Dushyanta did not recognize her.
12.
Shakuntala immediately set out to find her and, arriving at her father's ashram, discovered that she was no longer there.
13.
Shakuntala continued deeper into the forest to find his wife and came upon a surprising scene in the forest: a young boy had pried open the mouth of a lion and was busy counting its teeth.
14.
Shakuntala was surprised when the boy answered that he was Bharata, the son of King Dushyanta.
15.
Shakuntala had a vision in which he saw a young boy counting the teeth of a lion.
16.
The confused Bharata took the king to his mother Shakuntala and told her that this man claimed to be his father.
17.
The 2009 Indian television show, Shakuntala, was an adaptation of the play by Kalidasa.