Group 5 – Sakuntala
Sakuntala is a Sanskrit drama written by Indian playwright Kalidasa, about a King and a hermitage girl’s love and desire for each other. It is said to be an erotic and heroic romance drama set around several cultural significances. This Indian play has said to have evoked the classical schemes known as the “four human goals” or “pursuits”. Dharma, Artha and Kama are the three worldly pursuits that the four human goals have been divided into. Dharma is the duty a person has to himself, family or community based on his birth and stage of life. Artha is the pursuit of wealth and material advantage and Kama on the other hand, refers to the desires of the mind and the physical body. It is a human’s passion and emotions; it is also the name of the Hindu’s God of love and the main reason for the Hindu’s guide known as the Kamasutra.
Kama and Dharma were most dominantly displayed in the story of Sakuntala, but how were these pursuits evoked by the characters and how did they affect their roles in society?
As a king you have a great responsibility of ensuring that everything is ideal for your kingdom and its pursuits. King Dusyanta was in pursuit of a deer when he was asked to stop his chase by a few ascetics and was invited to their hermitage to indulge in the hospitality that is due to a guest. Upon entering the hermitage, Dusyanta had hopes of finding a woman worthy of his charm when he made sight of Sakuntala and her friends Priyamvada and Anasuya. He indulged in conversations with them but was captivated by Sakuntala’s striking beauty and selflessness. “Her lower lip’s as red as a fresh young bud, her arms are tender shoots supple yet trim, and like a longed-for blossom gathering strength, youth pushes up through all her limbs.” – King (act 1-19). The King spoke this way about Sakuntala for the most of the play until a curse was placed on her to where he could not recognize her. His desires (Kama) for her were displayed more than his duties of being the ruler of his kingdom.
The King’s feelings were reciprocated by Sakuntala from the moment he left the hermitage for his kingdom. The evocation of Kama by both were very strong and was felt by the audience and readers throughout the entire the play, certainly by me. Dusyanta went back to his kingdom raving to his friend Vidusaka about Sakuntala, “a blossom yet unsmelt, a tender shoot unpinched, a gem uncut, untasted fresh-fermented honey wine, the fruit of proper actions still intact, a beauty without fault or flaw” – King (act 2-10), while Sakuntala was pining for him and fell so sick from longing to be with him. The love, desire, passion, and energy that felt for each other pulled and/or distracted them from the duties they had to their communities and themselves. Instead of protecting his kingdom from demon spirits and evil, Dusyanta was lost in maze of thoughts about Sakuntala and instead of attending to the ashram trees and taking care of the natural life in her hermitage; she was in a trance and ailment state because of her feelings for Dusyanta.
This is not to say duties were never performed or carried out but the display of dharma was limited in comparison to that of Kama. Towards the end of act 2, the king was called upon by ascetics from the hermitage where Sakuntala dwells to protect the inhabitants of the ashram from evil spirits for a few nights. At the same time, the Queen Mother from the city requested his presence at the ritual fast to safeguard her son’s succession. Dusyanta was in a dilemma and after weighing the options he decided to depart to the hermitage on the mission to protect the ashram inhabitants, while sending Vidusaka to his mother’s ritual to take his place. Now one might think and say well the ascetics did ask first and so he made a fair choice, but I believe that choice was made because his decision was clouded by the opportunity to see Sakuntala again.
Kama was an overshadowing characteristic of dharma, so much so that after the realization that he unknowingly betrayed his wife, Sakuntala, by denying her, he became depressed and love sick and remorseful. He was suffering from guilt and was so much in pain that he never cared to talk to anyone or perform any duties. It got to a point where Matali had to devise a plan, of having an evil spirit threaten the life of Vidusaka, to get a kingly reaction from Dusyanta in order to pull him out of the depressive state he was in.
I loved how you stated your thesis in the form of a question, it really engages your audience and creates thought provoking stipulations. I was very intrigued to see how you supported your thesis after the question. You had very good supporting evidence, including the quote. I also really like how you explain the quote in your own words. The conclusion is strong, but try adding a sentence or two that summarizes all your main points. Good luck!