5. Shakuntala: Vyasa's Choice of Characters

Shakuntla then came to her fatigued father and washed his feet. She took down the heavy load on his shoulder and placed the fruits in proper order. Then she said, “You should give your grace to my husband, King Dushyanta, the best of men.”

Note: Vyasa conveys these dialogues through Shakuntala, a female character. Shakuntala wishes well for the man who disregarded her advice to wait for her father to return to the ashram and ask him for her hand. She wishes well for the man who disrespected her boundaries and left her no choice but to concede to his advances. She wishes well for the man who left her with no evidence of their union, forcing her to deal with the aftermath without support or consideration. Because, according to Vyasa, that is how a woman should be. Only then will she be considered an ideal, pious, graceful, and exceptional woman. In Vyasa’s world, a woman is expected to behave like a ‘Good Girl’, trust the man blindly, and follow his orders without questioning. She must also accept the consequences, if there are any, and silently endure the pain.

Kanva: O beautiful child, I am prepared to bless you for your sake. O blessed girl, receive from me the boon you desire to have. Sakuntala asked for the boon that the Kuru kings should be ever virtuous and never be deprived of their thrones. 

Note: One thing I don’t understand is how a woman who grew up in a forest ashram her entire life, never stepping out to glimpse the real world, could be this ambitious. First, she asks Dushyant to make her son heir to the throne. Next, she asks her father that her descendants should hold on to the throne forever. Wouldn’t she instead be asking, “I wish all the creatures in this forest lived happily ever after”? If not ‘World Peace’? How could she be gullible, naive, vulnerable, innocent... You name it, when it comes to dealing with a man? And yet shrewd, straightforward, knowing what she wants with an absolute conviction, asking for it without hesitation, and demonstrating such foresight regarding power and politics? How could an ascetic woman who leads a simple, austere, and spiritual life without stepping out of the forest aspire to rule the land? It doesn't make sense. It doesn't add up. Something is missing here!! Of course, I forgot. It was Vyas who wrote the story.