Shakuntala: The actual story of the mother of Bharat, according to Mahabharat.

As everyone who knows the Mahabharata would know, Shakuntala. Indian literary lovers would have heard of Kalidas’s ‘Abhijnana Shakuntala,' one of the world’s renowned ancient pieces of literature by Maha Kavi (great poet) Kalidas. His work has been translated into many languages worldwide, and Shakuntala is celebrated as a prominent female figure in Indian mythology. In his poems, Kalidas depicts Dushyant and Shakuntala’s story as a beautiful romantic tale full of desire, love, loss, longing, and finding each other again with a happy ending, with Bharat (son of Shakuntala and Dushyant) ascending the throne and ruling over the entire subcontinent of India named after him.

But the actual Mahabharata tells a different story. It was written during peacetime after the Pandavas' victory in the Kurukshetra War. The entire Kuru dynasty comprised King Bharat's descendants, making Shakuntala and Dushyant their ancestors. Understandably, no one wants to depict the true colors of their origin negatively. The Mahabharata is the record written, told, or propagated by the men in power (Dushyanta’s descendants) for an extended period. However, if we carefully read between the lines, the truth might differ from what those in power have propagated for ages. Now, we must remember that in those days, the sovereign power of the king was unlimited. Most kings during Dushyanta’s time were arrogant and demanding; there was nothing and no one to control them. That situation was the reason that caused the great Rishi ‘Parashuram’ to take up his weapon (axe) and go on a rampage to kill all Kshatriyas (royals) and cleanse the earth with their blood.

The great rishi Vyas, the author of the Mahabharata, very cleverly tried to reveal the truth as far as the men in power would let him without burning his work. From right under their noses, Vyas left hints to help us figure out the situation. If we read the Mahabharata carefully, we will see that Vyas gave us two stories, not just one. He was trying to tell us the actual truth nicely, sugar-coating it, and then turned around to show history in a positive light. Maybe if we tap that sugar donut out of its coat and see how it actually tastes, it may taste different! We may taste a little bit of sweetness, grease, salt, and flour! According to the great rishi 'Vyas,' this is what happened with Shakuntala.

The following blog is coming soon