Inexplicable Nostalgia! -Kalidasa’s Shakuntalam (Story Behind Verse-4)

 Story Behind Verse-4 -Kalidasa’s Shakuntalam

Nostalgia has an incredible power to transport us back in time, evoking emotions and memories long forgotten. Nostalgia, a bittersweet longing for times gone by, holds a unique power to transport us to another time and place. It evokes emotions, triggers memories, and creates a deep sense of connection to our personal histories. Sometimes it comes to us gently; other times it hits us hard. And though we can usually identify the feeling as a bittersweet longing for a time gone by, the triggers and details are deeply personal.  – especially when it’s an object attached to someone you loved. These senses touch a part of our brain that processes intense emotions, and can produce powerfully good emotions.

This famous verse from of Kalidasa’s famous Sanskrit play, Abhijnana Shakuntalam explain the feeling About Nostalgia.

 

( I clicked this pic in western ghats In Monsoon Season)

रम्याणि वीक्ष्य मधुरांश्च निशम्य शब्दान्‌

पर्युत्सुको भवति यत्सुखितोऽपि जन्तुः |

तच्चेतसा स्मरति नूनमबोधपूर्वं

भावस्थिराणि जननान्तरसौहृदानि ||

रम्याणि वीक्ष्य मधुरांश्च निशम्य शब्दान्‌ (Ramyāṇi vīkṣya madhurāṃś ca niśamya śabdān): "Seeing beautiful things and hearing sweet sounds".

    पर्युत्सुको भवति यत्सुखितोऽपि जन्तुः (Paryutsuko bhavati yat sukhito 'pi jantuḥ): "When a living being (person), even though happy, becomes restless/melancholic".

    तच्चेतसा स्मरति नूनमबोधपूर्वं (Tac cetasā smarati nūnam abodha-pūrvaṃ): "Then surely the mind unconsciously remembers (something not known before)".

    भावस्थिराणि जननान्तरसौहृदानि (Bhāva-sthirāṇi jananāntara-sauhṛdāni): "Affections/friendships (that are) fixed in the heart (and belong to) another life/existence".

Meaning Of this Verse: "Seeing charming scenes and hearing sweet sounds, even a happy person becomes filled with a longing (or a vague, inexplicable sorrow). This is because [the mind/soul] surely remembers, on a subconscious level, the lasting friendships of previous lives."

In the play, King Dushyanta has forgotten his wife, Shakuntala, due to a curse. When he hears a song about a bee forgetting a flower, he feels a sudden pang of grief. 

 

A playful moment with the bee used as an instrument for fleeting flirtation ,as Dushyanta,who  is hiding behind the trees nearby and admiring her beauty, King Dushyanta observes a bee bothering Shakuntala as she waters the trees. Envious of the bee's intimacy with her, the King recites the following verse (Act 1, Verse 21):  exclaims that the bee was indeed very fortunate to get so close to Shakuntala.

Bee Hymn:

Sanskrit Verse

चलापाङ्गां दृष्टिं स्पृशसि बहुशो वेपथुमतीं

रहस्याख्यायीव स्वनसि मृदु कर्णान्तिकचरः ।

करौ व्याधुन्वन्त्याः पिबसि रतिसर्वस्वमधरं

वयं तत्त्वान्वेषान्मधुकर हतास्त्वं खलु कृती ॥

English Meaning:

Touch: "You touch repeatedly her eyes, which have tremulous outer corners and are darting about in fear".

Whisper: "Hovering near her ear, you hum softly as if whispering some secret".

Kiss: "While she waves her hands to ward you off, you drink from her lower lip, which is the very essence of love's delight".

Envy: "O bee! We are ruined by our search for the truth (waiting to know if she can be loved), while you have truly achieved your desire".

 

Pics Credit- Google Image 

King Dushyanta to a bee chasing Shakuntala. He says: "O bee! You touch again and again her eyes, moving with tremulous glances; softly humming, you move near her ear as if telling a secret; while she waves her hands, you kiss her lower lip, which is the essence of love's joy; we are undone trying to find the truth, while you are indeed fortunate

This verse explains his internal state: his soul remembers Shakuntala, even though his conscious mind cannot. It is spoken by King Dushyanta after he hears a haunting song that stirs deep, inexplicable emotions within him. This verse explains that when a happy person feels sudden, unexplained longing upon seeing beautiful sights or hearing sweet sounds, it is because their subconscious mind is remembering deep, emotional bonds of friendship and love from past lives.

    “When a person, even if happy, becomes wistful on seeing beautiful things and hearing sweet sounds, it is because their mind unconsciously remembers friendships from past lives, which are firmly fixed deep in the heart rooted “.

Kalidasa This verse expresses the profound philosophical idea suggests that when we experience something beautiful in this life and feel a sudden, inexplicable sadness or yearning, it is because our soul is recalling the love and bonds we shared in a previous life. These memories are not vivid "thoughts," but rather deep-seated emotions (Vasanas) that remain in the soul even after the physical body changes. Some words can never be completely understood just by reading. You only get to see what they truly mean through experience.

Shakuntala’s Glance !-Abhijnanashakuntalam-Kalidasa (Story Behind Verse-1)

 

Story Behind Verse-1Abhijnanashakuntalam

 Abhijnanashakuntalam, also known as Shakuntala. It’s a play that tells the tale of love and romance. The love story of Shakuntala and Dushyant is a part of the larger narrative of Mahabharata, the great Sanskrit epic. In the first episode, Dushyant, who is on an excursion to the forest, meets Shakuntala. Shakuntala lives here with her father who is a sage Kanva’s ashram.

 (Pic Credit-Google Image)

The verse from Kalidasa's Abhijnanashakuntalam, the story of Shakuntala, her unique journey, and the captivating elements that make Kalidasa's work a timeless classic. Dive into the depths of poetic excellence, symbolism, and cultural significance embedded in this renowned text.

(Kalidasa’s Abhijnanashakuntalam)

दर्भाङ्कुरेण चरणः क्षत इत्यकाण्डे

तन्वी स्थिता कतिचिदेव पदानि गत्वा ।

आसीद्विवृत्तवदना च विमोचयन्ती

शाखासु वल्कलमसक्तमपि द्रुमाणाम् ॥

This beautiful Sanskrit verse, from Kalidasa's play Abhijnanashakuntalam (Act 1, Verse 12), describes the shy hermit girl Shakuntala pretending her foot is hurt by a grass-blade (darbha-ankura) to stop King Dushyanta from leaving, pausing her walk and looking back while pretending to free her bark garment (Valkala) stuck on a tree branch, showing her hidden affection

 

"दर्भाङ्कुरेण चरणः क्षत इत्यकाण्डे" (Darbhāṅkureṇa caraṇaḥ kṣata ityakāṇḍe), describes Shakuntala's actions as a subtle way of expressing her attraction to King Dushyanta, while pretending to be hindered by minor things.

    दर्भाङ्कुरेण चरणः क्षत इत्यकाण्डे (Darbhānkurēṇa caraṇaḥ kṣata ityakāṇḍē): "Saying, 'My foot is pricked by a thorn of grass!'" (as if it were a sudden, unexpected injury).

    तन्वी स्थिता कतिचिदेव पदानि गत्वा (Tanvī sthitā kati cēva padāni gatvā): "The slender one (Shakuntala) stopped after taking only a few steps".

    आसीद्विवृत्तवदना च विमोचयन्ती (Āsīdvivr̥ttavadana ca vimōcayantī): "And she turned her face (looking back) while trying to free".

    शाखासु वल्कलमसक्तमपि द्रुमाणाम् (Śākhāsu valkalam asaktam api drumāṇām): "Her bark garment (Valkala) that was caught on the branches of the trees (though it wasn't really stuck)".

In essence: Shakuntala uses the excuse of a thorn prick and a snagged bark garment to pause her retreat and steal a glance at the King, revealing her longing for him through this playful, feigned distress. 

Shakuntala, despite living inan ashrama / forest, looks very beautiful and King Dushyanta at first sight is attracted to her and hides behind
trees to hear the free conversations with her friends. 

The verse describes Shakuntala's actions as she and her friends are leaving. The King observes her: King Dushyant (thinking): Isn't so that she is also charmed by me, just like I am charmed by her? She does not face me but her eyes keep gazing at me.

    "My foot is wounded by a blade of darbha grass...": This is her excuse to stop and look back at the King.

    "...she also pretended to release her bark garment, though it was not even caught in the branches...": She uses a second, feigned reason to pause and steal another glance at Dushyanta.

The underlying meaning is that Shakuntala, while modest, is equally attracted to the King and is using these trivial, "unseasonal" (meaning "abrupt" or "sudden", as implied by akāṇḍe) pretexts to linger and look at him without appearing forward. The King notices this subtle behavior and understands her romantic interest, which is a key moment in the development of their love story.

Shakuntala’s Glance - Raja Ravi Varma painting

Shakuntala" is a classic painting by the Indian master Raja Ravi Varma depicts the lovelorn Shakuntala in Kanva’s ashram

In the painting, Shakuntala pretends to remove a thorn from her foot while discreetly searching for her lover, King Dushyanta. This scene is rich with emotional depth, capturing Shakuntala's hope and anxiety as she awaits her lover's return. The narrative is further enriched by the presence of her friends Anusuya and Priyamvada, who are engaged in casual conversation nearby, and Her expression, a blend of longing and melancholy, captures the emotional depth of her character. Her eyes, partly downcast, suggest an inner world filled with thoughts of love and separation. This emotional realism is what makes Varma's portrayal of Shakuntala so compelling and timeless.