Shaakuntalam

The celestial nymph Menaka leaves her baby at Rishi Kanva's hermitage before returning to heaven. This act sets Shakuntala's upbringing in the sage's care. The moment marks the mythic beginning of the story's earthly events.

In the forest during summer, King Dushyanta pursues an antelope but is stopped by an ascetic who warns that the creature belongs to Kanva's ashrama. He agrees not to kill it and is urged to visit the sage's hermitage. The invitation foreshadows a social and romantic encounter that follows.

Entering the ashrama, he encounters three sisters watering plants and is soon drawn to Shakuntala, one of them. He learns that her true parents are Vishvamitra and Menaka, making her a suitable Kshatriya bride. He decides not to reveal his own identity, keeping his lineage secret for the moment.

The gathering winds down as an elephant rampage arrives, yet Dushyanta's fascination with Shakuntala endures. He confesses his feelings to Vidushaka and asks for a pretext to remain in the ashrama. To avoid suspicion, he takes charge of protecting the ascetics' yajna and sends Vidushaka to the capital with a lie that his love was merely a joke.

Shakuntala confesses her love and they marry according to Gandharva rites. The king departs for the capital, promising to send a guard to escort his wife to the palace. The intimacy of their union marks a turn in the story toward separation.

In Dushyanta's absence, Shakuntala is lost in thoughts of her husband and fails to show proper hospitality to Durvasa. The sage curses that the man she is thinking of would never remember her. Anasuya mediates, offering a possible concession that memory may return upon seeing a token of recognition.

Durvasa agrees to a concession, stating that memory can return when the husband sees a token of recognition. Shakuntala's companions withhold details of the curse, trusting the token will suffice. The idea of a tangible token becomes central to the later reunion.

While traveling to receive her husband in the capital, Shakuntala loses the ring Dushyanta had given her as she looks into the river's waters and is distracted by its beauty. The ring slips away and is unavailable as a token of recognition. She reaches the palace and is not recognized by the king.

Durvasa's curse takes effect in the wake of Shakuntala's absence, and Dushyanta loses all memory of his wife. Shakuntala, now pregnant, travels with Kanva's guidance and learns the duties of wife and daughter-in-law. The separation deepens the tragedy until a token can restore memory.

A fisherman discovers the hidden ring inside a fish, which is brought before Dushyanta amid accusations of theft. When Dushyanta sees the ring, Durvasa's curse is broken and his memory of Shakuntala is restored. He immediately resolves to find his wife.

With restored memory, the king travels deeper into the forest to seek Shakuntala. He reaches her father's ashram and learns she is no longer there. He continues the search through the woods, driven by longing and the new recollection of their bond.

In a bold forest encounter, a young boy (Bharata) pries open the mouth of a lion and counts its teeth. The boy reveals himself as Bharata, the king's son, and leads the king to Shakuntala. The family is finally reunited, with father, wife, and son together at last.