Mahabharata Vol. 1 (Penguin Translated Texts) (24 page)

Vaishampayana said, ‘The king did not see the rishi there. But having been thus addressed by the maiden, he saw that she was dazzling, with a charming smile and beautiful hips. She was dazzling in her beauty, austerities and humility and endowed with beauty and youth. The ruler of the earth told her, “O one with the beautiful hips! Who are you? Who do you belong to? Why have you come to this forest? O beautiful one! You are blessed with beauty and qualities. From where have you come? O beautiful one! You have robbed me of my heart from the first glance. O beautiful one! I wish to learn all about you. Please tell me.” Having been thus addressed by the king in the hermitage, the maiden smiled and told him in sweet words, “O Duhshanta! I am regarded as the daughter of the illustrious, righteous, great-souled ascetic Kanva, wise in the path of dharma.” Duhshanta said, “That illustrious and extremely fortunate one is worshipped by all the worlds and is known to have never spilled his seed. The god of dharma may stray from the right path, but not this ascetic of rigid vows. O beautiful and charming one! How can you be his daughter? Dispel this great doubt from my mind.”

‘Shakuntala said, “O king! Then listen to how I have learnt what occurred in earlier times and how I came to be the sage’s daughter. Once upon a time, a rishi came here and asked questions about my birth. O king! Hear what the illustrious one
⁹⁶
told him about me. Kanva said, ‘In ancient times, Vishvamitra alarmed and oppressed Shakra,
⁹⁷
the king of the gods, with his great austerities. He feared that with the blazing energy of his austerities, he would dislodge him from his seat. Purandara
⁹⁸
therefore told Menaka, “O, Menaka!

You are the best of the celestial apsaras in your qualities. O amiable one! Please listen to what I have to say and do that which will bring about my welfare. The great ascetic Vishvamitra possesses the sun’s radiance. He has been engaged in such austerities that my mind is trembling. O Menaka! O you with the slender waist! Vishamitra is your burden now. His soul is fixed on meditation and he is engaged in the performance of awesome austerities. He is unassailable and may dislodge me from my seat. Go to him and seduce him. Bring obstructions to his austerities. Do that which is good for me. O one with the beautiful hips! Turn him away from his austerities with your beauty, youth, sweetness, efforts, smiles and words.”

‘“Menaka said, “O, illustrious one! That illustrious one has great energy and the power of great austerities. You yourself know that he is prone to anger. The energy, asceticism and wrath of that great-souled one have made even you afraid of him. Why should I not be scared? He made even the illustrious Vashishtha suffer grief through the premature death of his sons. He was born a Kshatriya, but became a Brahmana through his powers. For the sake of performing ablutions, he created a river with such a lot of water that it is difficult to cross. That sacred river is still known in the worlds by the name of Koushiki.
⁹⁹
In ancient times, the great-souled one’s wife was maintained there by the righteous rajarshi Matanga, who had become a hunter. O lord! After the famine was over, the powerful sage returned to his hermitage and gave the river the name of Para. O king of the gods! Extremely pleased with Matanga, he himself was the officiating priest at his sacrifice and out of fear, you yourself went there to drink the soma. In his anger, he who was descended from the stars
¹⁰⁰
created a wealth of other stars, beginning with Shravana
¹⁰¹
and beyond the existing stars. I am afraid to go to a person whose deeds are like this. O lord! Tell me how I can escape being burnt from his anger. He can burn down the worlds with his energy. He can make the earth quake with a kick. He can uproot the great Meru and whirl it around. How can a woman like me touch someone with such austerities, such energy that is like a
blazing fire and who is in complete control of his senses? His mouth is radiant as the blazing fire. The pupils of his eyes are like the sun and the moon. His tongue is like Yama. O best of the gods! How can someone like me touch him? Yama, Soma, the maharshis, the saddhyas, the vishvadevas and the valakhilyas are all alarmed of him. Why should someone like me not be afraid? O lord of the gods! Nevertheless, commanded by you, I must go to that sage. O king of the gods! Find a means so that I can accomplish your wishes under your protection. O god! When I sport before him, let Marut
¹⁰²
strip me of my garments. On your instructions, let Manmatha
¹⁰³
be there to help me in my work. Let the breeze carry soft fragrances from the wood when I tempt the rishi.”’ Having said this and once her wishes had been catered to, she went to Koushika’s hermitage.”’

‘Shakuntala said,
¹⁰⁴
“Having been thus addressed, Shakra
¹⁰⁵
commanded the wind, who was always mobile, to be present with Menaka. The beautiful-hipped Menaka then timidly entered the hermitage and saw Vishvamitra, who had burnt all his sins through austerities, but was still engaged in austerities. Having paid her homage to the rishi, she began to play around before him. At that instant, the wind robbed her of her garments, which were as white as the moon. Bashful at Marut’s conduct, the beautiful one dropped to the ground, in an attempt to catch the garment. The supreme among sages saw Menaka grasp at her garment. He saw her nude and that she was beautiful, with no marks of age on her body. On seeing her beauty and qualities, the bull among Brahmanas was struck with desire and wished to unite with her. He invited her and the unblemished one accepted his invitation.

‘“The two of them then passed a long time in the wood, making love as they wished. It seemed to be but a single day. Through the sage, Shakuntala was born to Menaka. Menaka went to the banks of the Malini, which passed through a lovely plain in the Himalayas. Having given birth, Menaka left the child on the banks of the Malini and left. Her objective accomplished, she quickly returned to Shakra’s assembly.

‘“The daughter lay in a deserted forest frequented by carnivorous lions and tigers. On seeing this, vultures
¹⁰⁶
surrounded her from all sides, so as to protect her. The birds protected Menaka’s child. Having gone there to perform ablutions, I
¹⁰⁷
saw her in the deep and lonely wood, surrounded by birds. I took her home and brought her up as my own daughter. According to the sacred texts, there are three kinds of fathers. In proper order, they are the one who gives a body, the one who protects and the one who provides food. Because she was found in the solitude of the forest, surrounded by birds, I have given her the name of Shakuntala. O amiable one! Know that it is thus that Shakuntala became my daughter. The unblemished Shakuntala also thinks of me as her father.”’

‘“When asked, this is how the maharshi described the account of my birth. O ruler of men! I do not know my own. But this is how I think of Kanva as my father. O king! I have told you exactly as I heard it.”’

‘Duhshanta said, “O princess! O fortunate one! You have spoken well. O one with the beautiful hips! Be my wife. Tell me what I can do for you. O beautiful one! Today, I will present you with golden necklaces, garments, golden earrings, sparkling gems
and jewels from many countries, golden coins and skins. Let my entire kingdom be yours today. O beautiful one! Be my wife. O lovely one! O timid one! O one with the beautiful thighs! Marry me according to
gandharva
¹⁰⁸
rites, because it is said that a gandharva marriage is the best.”

‘Shakuntala replied, “O king! My father has left the hermitage to collect fruits for food. Please wait for a while. He will return and give me to you.”

‘Duhshanta said, “O unblemished one! O one with the beautiful hips! I wish that you accept me yourself. Know that I am standing here because of you. Know that my heart is completely in you. One is one’s own best friend. One can certainly resort to one’s own self. Therefore, in accordance with what is dharma, you can give your own self to others. Eight kinds of marriage are known to have the sanction of dharma—
brahma
,
daiva
,
arsha
,
prajapatya
,
asura
,
gandharva
,
rakshasa
and
paishacha
. Manu, descended from the one who is self-created,
¹⁰⁹
has respectively described which of these is in accordance with dharma. O unblemished one! Know that according to dharma, the first four are sanctioned for Brahmanas and the first six for Kshatriyas. For kings, even the rakshasa form is permissible. The asura form is sanctioned for Vaishyas and Shudras. Of the five,
¹¹⁰
three are in accordance with dharma and two are not sanctioned. The paishacha and asura forms should never be used. These are the principles laid down by dharma and one should follow them. The gandharva and rakshasa forms are sanctioned for Kshatriyas. Therefore, you need not be scared. There is no doubt that either one, or a mix of the two, is appropriate for us. O beautiful one! I am full of desire for you and so are you. You should become my wife according to the gandharva form of marriage.”

‘Shakuntala said, “O best of the Puru race! O lord! If this is the path indicated by dharma and I am really my own mistress, know my terms before I give myself. Give me your word to this secret agreement between us. O king! O Duhshanta! Give me your truthful promise that the son who is born to me will succeed you. If that is accepted, you may unite with me.”’

Vaishampayana said, ‘Without any hesitation, the king said, “O one with a sweet smile! It shall be that way. I will even take you to my capital. O one with the beautiful hips! It is what you deserve and I promise you truthfully.” Saying this, the rajarshi accepted the hand of she whose gait was without blemish according to the proper rites and she accepted him. He returned to his capital after reiterating his promise and repeatedly assuring her, “I will send a fourfold army
¹¹¹
to escort you. O one with a sweet smile! I will take you to my palace with that.” O Janamejaya! Having thus promised her, the king went away. As he went away, the king began to worry about Kashyapa’s son.
¹¹²
“What will the illustrious one, with all his ascetic powers, do when he hears?” Thinking in this way, he entered his capital.

‘A little after the king had left, Kanva returned to his hermitage. But Shakuntala was too ashamed to go and meet her father. However, the great ascetic Kanva had divine sight and knew everything. Having seen everything with his divine sight, the illustrious one was pleased and said, “O fortunate one! What you have done secretly today, this act of union with a man without my sanction, is not against dharma. A secret gandharva marriage between a desiring man and a desiring woman, without mantras, is said to be the best for Kshatriyas. O Shakuntala! Duhshanta, the one you have accepted as a husband, is the best among men, great-souled and devoted to dharma. You will give birth to a son who will be known in this world as great-souled and immensely mighty. He will extend his sway over this entire earth that is bounded by the oceans. When that great-souled king of kings marches out against his enemies, he will always be irresistible.”

‘Shakuntala then came to the tired sage and washed his feet. She took down his heavy load and properly laid out the fruits. She said, “I have chosen King Duhshanta, best among men, as my husband. Please give me and his advisers your blessings.” Kanva replied, “O beautiful one! I am prepared to bless him for your sake. O fortunate one! Ask for a boon that you wish.” Wishing to bring welfare to Duhshanta, Shakuntala then asked for the boon that kings of the Puru lineage should always be virtuous and would never be dislodged from their kingdoms.’

Vaishampayana said, ‘When Duhshanta left, after making his promise to Shakuntala, the one with the beautiful thighs gave birth to a son who had immense energy. She bore him for three years. He had the splendour of a blazing fire. O Janamejaya! Duhshanta’s son had great beauty, generosity and all the qualities. Kanva, supreme among holy ones, performed all the stipulated rites, including those of birth, and the wise one began to grow. The boy had sharp and white teeth and the young one was strong enough to kill lions. He was handsome and immensely strong, with a broad head. On his palm, he had the sign of a chakra.
¹¹³
He quickly grew up, like a son of the gods. When he was only six years old, he was so strong that he tied up lions, tigers, boars, buffaloes and elephants to trees near Kanva’s hermitage. He rode them, tamed them, played with them and chased them. The inhabitants of Kanva’s hermitage gave him a name. “Since he has subjugated everything, let him be called Sarvadamana”.
¹¹⁴
Thus the boy came to be known as Sarvadamana. He had great strength, valour and energy.

‘On seeing the boy’s superhuman exploits, the sage told Shakuntala that the time had come for him to be instated as the heir apparent.
¹¹⁵
On seeing his great strength, Kanva told his disciples, “Quickly take Shakuntala and her son away from this hermitage and to her husband. She is blessed with all the auspicious marks. It is not fit that women should live forever with their relatives.
¹¹⁶
Such acts destroy fame, character and virtue. Take her away without delay.” The greatly energetic disciples all agreed and left for Gajasahrya
¹¹⁷
with Shakuntala and her son. Taking her lotus-eyed son, who was like a divine child, the one with the beautiful brows left the forest where she had first got to know Duhshanta.

‘She went to the king, with her son with the brilliance of the morning sun, and entered. Having paid homage, Shakuntala said, “O king! This is your son. Let him be instated as the heir apparent. O king! This god-like son was begotten by you on me. O best of men! Now fulfil the promise you made to me. O immensely fortunate one! Remember the promise you made to me in Kanva’s hermitage, when we united long ago.” Having heard her words, the king remembered everything. But he said, “O evil ascetic! I remember nothing. Who do you belong to? I do not remember having had any relation with you for dharma, artha or kama. Go or stay, as you wish. Do what you want.” Being thus addressed, the ascetic with the beautiful hips was ashamed. In her grief, she lost her senses and stood immobile like a pillar.