Abhijnana sakuntalam

Synopsis
Long ago, the powerful sage Viswamitra, who lived a life of strong austerities,
was drawn in a deep meditation. Fearing that he might gain more power than
the gods, Lord Indra sent one of his most gorgeous heavenly damsels, Menaka
to earth to disturb his devotions. She succeeded in seducing him and together
they begot a beautiful daughter. Infuriated at the loss of his chastity, Viswamitra
turned down Menaka and her daughter. Knowing that she can't take the child
with her to the heaven, Menaka left the newborn infant in the forest. As fate
would have it, Sage Kanava happened to pass by that forest where he spotted
the newborn child, surrounded by Shakunta birds. Taken by kindness, he
decides to take the child home and names her 'Sakuntala', which means one fed
by Shakunta birds. Sakuntala grows up to be a beautiful young lady just like her
mother Menaka. One day, King Dushyant, while returning from a deer hunt,
happens to stop by the hermit's cottage.
There he sees Sakuntala engaged in a friendly banter with her friends and
immediately falls for her. In the absence of the sage, they secretly marry in the
ceremony of "Gandharva Vivaha" with Mother Nature as the witness. After
some days, the King gets news of unrest in his city and is summoned to return.
He leaves half-heartedly, but promises to return soon and take his beloved with
him. As a token of love, he gives her a signet ring and promises to send an
envoy to escort her to the palace. One day, sage Durvasa, infamous for his
mercurial anger, stops by the hut for hospitality. Lost in her love thoughts,
Sakuntala fails to acknowledge his presence. This infuriates the temperamental
sage and he censures Sakuntala, cursing that the one whom she is thinking about
will forget her. Sakuntala begs for mercy and explains her situation. On the plea
of Sakuntala and her friends, the sage relents and says that if the king sees any
significant souvenir that he gave her, he will remember everything. After
months of waiting, when she fails to hear anything from the king, Sage Kanava
arranges for the visit of Sakuntala to the royal court of King Dushyant. On her
way, she stops by a lake to drink water and unfortunately the ring slips out of
her finger and a fish swallows it. She reaches the royal palace, but Dushyant
fails to recognize her because of the curse. She then remembers the ring but
realizes that she has lost it somewhere. Dejected, she returns back to the forest.
After sometime, an angler finds the ring in the stomach of a fish. He
immediately takes it to the king, who on seeing the ring recalls everything and
rushes to the hermitage to meet Sakuntala. There they reunite and later
Sakuntala gives birth to a son, Bharath, after whom India begets her name.
 Introduction

Abhijnanasakuntalam is a beautiful tale of love and romance, the name literally

meaning 'Of Sakuntala who is recognized by a token'. Written by one of the
greatest poets of India, Sakuntalam is synonymous with its author, Kalidasa.
Abhijnanasakuntalam is the first Indian play ever to be translated into western
languages. It is for the very first time translated in English language by Sir
William Jones in the year 1789. Later to this, there were at least 46 translations
of this play by Kalidasa in 12 different European languages. To know more
about this beautiful play called Abhijnanasakuntalam

Connection With Mahabharata

The version of Abhijinanasakuntalam in the famous epic of Mahabharata is

slightly different to the original version. In the Mahabharata version, Sakuntala
had to stay apart from her husband, king Dushyanta, for a very long time. It is
only when their son Bharata was born that Dushyanta found him playing in the
forest with a couple of lion cubs, opening their muth with his bare hands, trying
to count their teeth. Seeing a little boy playing with such courage amongst lions,
Dushyanta becomes curious about the boy and asks him about his parents. The
little boy then takes him to Kanva rishis ashram here Dushyant meets Sakuntala
and remembers everything. This fills up Dushyants heart with warmth and joy;
he gets reunited with his long lost family and takes his wife and his son back
home in Hastinapur. Bharata is known to be the ancestor of Kauravas and
Pandavas, who partook in the epic war of Mahabharata. It is said that it is after
the name of Bharata that India took its name. India was known as
Bharatadesham which precisely means the land of Bharata. Although, this
version is more popular mythology wise but Kalidasa’s original version is still
considered to be the standard one
 Sanskrit Literature

India is a land of rich classical heritage. The land of many great thinkers and
writers, our collection of literature in Sanskrit is priceless. Known as the mother
of many languages, Sanskrit is abundant in the treasure of literature. Many
people think of Sanskrit in terms of chants, hymns and verses. Not many know
the vast collection of poetry, drama, stories and even epics in Sanskrit literature.
Sanskrit language literature is a very broad category that requires elaborate
understanding of this varied language. In our related sections, you shall find
information about various Sanskrit epics, plays and major Sanskrit pioneers of
India. With time, the definition of classical Sanskrit literature has also changed.
It used to be primarily a source of gaining knowledge and was used a lot during
religious rituals. Now, Sanskrit has become a language that is solely seen upon
as an entity for entertainment. People follow Sanskrit to amuse themselves
rather than gain knowledge. People may go to see plays or listen to legendary
folklores in Sanskrit with the sole aim of entertaining themselves. Priests who
perform religious rituals use pure Sanskrit in India. Though attempts are being
made to revive this ancient language in India, it will be a long time before
people realize the value of this ancient language in the contemporary world. As
we progress by leaps and bounds in the 21st Century, we fail to value some of
the most important things of life. More often than not, they form the backbone
of our progress and give us our own identity in this era of globalization. This
ancient classical language is a plethora of knowledge that is useful even in this
century. We only need to use it judiciously in the right way and it is never too
late to learn. 

Classical Sanskrit Literature 

Sanskrit literature came into being with the making of Vedas and left a rich
legacy of literary knowledge for the times to come. However, the language of
the Vedas differs from the language used in poetry and drama. classical Sanskrit
literature is found to be in vogue when it comes to writing poetry and dance
dramas. 

Sanskrit Drama 

The combination of different genres of drama and Sanskrit resulted in a unique

amalgamation that gave us the literary treasure of Sanskrit dramas and Sanskrit
plays. The famous dramatists of Sanskrit literature were Kalidasa, Bhasa,
Shudraka and Asvaghosa who gave us many famous Sanskrit plays. 
Sanskrit Poetry 

Sanskrit poetry is a vast treasure of knowledge that gives us immense

information about ancient thoughts and principles. Some of the best works in
ancient Sanskrit literature are in the form of Sanskrit poems. Some of the most
famous and respected poets have given us the treasure of poetry in Sanskrit. 

Indian Epics 

India is the land of famous mythologies and folklores. Some of the greatest
works of ancient classical literature are found here. The two famous works that
are synonymous to epic literature of India are Ramayana and Mahabharata.
These two classical epics of India are written in ancient Sanskrit and present the
most common ideals of human civilization that seem to have gone down the
drain in the modern times. 

Sanskrit Poets 

Sanskrit has its roots deeply embedded in our culture. It is further glorified by
the famous Sanskrit writers who wrote masterpieces in classical Sanskrit thus
giving the language a very prestigious place in the cultural heritage of India.
Sanskrit poets of India are an integral and inseparable part of the historical and
cultural legacy of this country. 

Vedas 

These four Vedas contain a priceless treasure of knowledge. This Vedic

literature is aimed at not just sacred rituals, but also at attaining higher levels of
understanding about survival, life and death. The word Veda is derived from the
word "Vid" which literally means, "Root".

Atharva Veda
Often called the fourth and the last Veda, the Atharva Veda is different from all
the other three Vedas. Though the classical Atharva Veda is related to religious
and socio-cultural aspects of the society, it dwells on an entirely different level
of knowledge. The hymns that are contained in Atharva Veda are more diverse
in nature and character than the ones in Rig Veda. It is also of a much simpler
language than the Rig Veda. Most scholars in fact do not even consider Atharva
Veda to be a part of the Vedas. The Atharva Veda is associated with the area
and cult of mystic science and the dark side of science. It is said to deal with
death, spirits and afterlife. It is said that if pregnant women attend the rituals
where Atharva Veda is chanted, the effects can be so powerful that they may
suffer an abortion. An example of the power of Atharva Veda is sited in epic of
Mahabharata. When the Pandavas were exiled for a period of thirteen years,
they consulted Atharva Veda and shrank time so that it compressed to thirteen
days. To know more about Atharva Veda, continue to read this insightful article
on it.

History Of Atharva Veda 

The name Atharva comes from the cult of people who were into fire
worshipping. It literally means fire-people. In ancient India the fire worshippers
were considered as important a part of the society as the regular priests. These
fire worshippers were priests as well as they were wizards, meaning to say that
they had innate knowledge of the occult. They knew all the spells and magic
formulas and used to apply their knowledge of it for the benefit of people. 

Rig Veda

Of all Vedic scriptures, Rigveda is the oldest existing script. Classical Rigveda
is the basis of all other Vedas and it contains of a vast variety of hymns, some of
which date back to almost 2000 B.C. The Rig Veda is the oldest book in
Sanskrit or any other Indo-European languages. Different spiritual leaders have
contributed their thoughts and sayings in the form of hymns. These hymns make
up the vast collection that has assimilated together in the Rig Veda. The hymns
are composed in Vedic Sanskrit. Many great scholars and Yogis who possessed
a high level of understanding about the deeper aspects of life have composed
these hymns.

History of Rig Veda 

Most of these hymns have been composed in the praise of God. Each hymn has
around 10 lines on an average, written in Sanskrit. These sacred hymns are the
oldest form of Sanskrit mantras and have been in use since ancient times. Each
letter is pronounced in a way that the full meaning and power of the letter is
clear. These hymns have been composed on the science of sound so that the
pronunciation of each letter hits hard and sounds powerful. The Rig Veda is a
plethora of knowledge that is relevant in day-to-day life. The fine aspects of
leading a satisfying life with the help of yoga, meditation, etc. have been
mentioned in much detail in Rigveda. People are slowly realizing the
importance of meditation and yoga as the stress of their day-to-day life gets the
better of them. Rig Veda also mentions the ancient form of medication of
Ayurveda and highlights its significance in our lives. This natural form of
curing illness and fatigue is slowly regaining its importance in the era of laser
surgery and other medical advancements. It is believed that many different
versions of revised and critically analyzed forms of Rig Veda have existed. But,
only one form of Rig Veda is found to exist in the contemporary world. This
version has been restructured in different ways so that through time, it is
preserved and its authenticity is not questioned. Ralph T. H. Griffith translated
the Rig Veda in English in the year 1896. The entire Rig Veda is divided into a
series of 10 books. Of these, book number 2 and 7 are considered to be the
oldest while the others are much more recent. 

Sama Veda

Sama Veda consists of a collection of hymns and sacred texts that are supposed
to be sung instead of just being recited. In classical Sama Veda, the hymns are
sung in praise of God and are basically religious and philosophical in nature.
The hymns of Samaveda are derived from the Rig Veda and thus impart the
lessons of the Rig Veda. It may be called an abridged version of the Rig Veda,
in a melodious form. The melodious notes are called "Samans", hence the name
Sama Veda. The Sama Veda contains around 1900 verses, 95% of which have
been derived from the Rig Veda. The chanting notations are much more
elaborate than Rig Veda and each syllable is sung in accordance to the seven
swaras or musical notes. The scale is ascending, descending or a varied
combination. Though the Vedas are considered to be the source of classical
music, the concept of Raga, talas, etc. were developed much later.

Contents of Sama Veda 

The musical annotation of the Sama Veda is what lends it a unique character.
The Sama Veda is a representation of the rapture of devotion and spirituality.
The essence of Sama Veda and Rig Veda has been summed up perfectly by the
great Vedic scholar David Frawley. He says if Rig Veda is the word, Sama
Veda is the song; if Rig Veda is the knowledge, Sama Veda is the realization; if
Rig Veda is the wife, Sama Veda is the husband.

Yajur Veda

If one has to know about Yajur Veda in simple terms, it basically talks about the
various steps by which religious rituals should be performed. It is a step-by-step
guide about the right way of performing religious ceremonies and sacred rituals.
The word Yajur Veda is a combination of two words, "Yajus" meaning sacrifice
and "Veda" meaning knowledge. But when one dwells deeper into the meaning
of classical Yajur Veda, one finds that it has much deeper significance than just
being a book of rituals. A part of the four Vedas, Yajurveda was the main Vedic
script used by the priests in ancient India. Yajur Veda seeks to create a deeper
level of consciousness among people. It sets forth a yogic practice that purifies
not just the body, but also the mind. This helps in awakening the inner
consciousness, which opens up new avenues of learning and understanding of
life and existence.

History of Yajur Veda 

The Vedic scriptures are full of mantras that help in religious rituals. The Yajur
Veda bears resemblance to the Book of the Dead of Egypt. Contrary to popular
belief, it does not help raise the dead, but instead helps the soul of the deceased
to lead a comfortable afterlife. The Yajur Veda also emphasizes on the same
deities as the Rig Veda but in a different way. The main aim of reciting the
sacred hymns is to awake the inner consciousness and bring together the cosmic
energies within oneself. This opens up avenues for recreating a universal energy
within the human psyche. This cosmic level of consciousness is very necessary
in order to lead a life that is both meaningful and satisfying. Once ego and other
vices are surrendered to the Divine force, a person can attain higher forms of
happiness. But the biggest sacrifice is Self-sacrifice, which helps in the
attainment of Moksha, Nirvana or immortality.

Mahabharata
The longest Sanskrit epic ever written, Mahabharata has a collection of more
than 74,000 verses, divided into 18 books. The Mahabharata story is much
revered in India and basically among the Hindus. The Mahabharata contains the
Bhagawad Gita, the famous gospel of duty that was taught to the great warrior,
Arjuna by Lord Krishna. The Mahabharata dwells on the aspect of the important
goals of a human being in his mortal life. The epic aims at making people
realize the relation between the individual and the society and how they both are
inter dependent on each other. Read on further a summary of Mahabharata, the
greatest epic ever. 
Synopsis
The epic revolves around the struggle for the throne of the kingdom of
Hastinapura. The struggle is between two branches of the same family, the
Kauravas and Pandavas. The Kauravas were collectively the hundred sons of
the blind king Dhritarashtra and the Pandavas were the five sons of Pandu, who
died of a curse.

The five brothers named Yudhisthira (eldest son), Arjuna, Bheema, Nakula and
Sahdeva were always obedient and dutiful, which made them the most loved in
the kingdom. Each of the Pandavas had a special virtue in them that made them
stand apart from the rest of the world. This made the Kauravas hate them and
they planned many devious ways to get rid of them. As time went by, the
Pandavas got married and shared a common wife named Draupadi. The
Kauravas got even more enraged and challenged the Pandavas to a game of
gamble. The Pandavas lost and were banished from the kingdom for an exile of
12 years. There was a condition that if they were recognized by the end of 12
years, they would have to begin from scratch. One of the most important and
dramatic character in this epic is Lord Krishna. He was the sole advisor, guide
and true friend of the Pandavas and helped them in each and every difficulty in
their exile. He is said to be the incarnation of God, who came to earth in human
form to relieve the world of evil people and restore faith in his devotees. During
the great battle of Kurukshetra fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas,
Lord Krishna took upon himself the duty of driving Arjuna's chariot. He
imparted the valuable and practical lessons of the Bhagawad Gita, a text of the
conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, where Lord Krishna shows
Arjuna a glimpse of his majestic divine form. The Pandavas won the battle and
ruled over Hastinapura for a number of years. It is said that Dhritarashtra and
his wife retired into the forest to lead a stress-free life of an ascetic and Krishna
left after around thirty six years after the battle took place. When the Pandavas
realized that it was time to leave this earth, they all set out on a journey towards
the North on foot. It is said that the gates of heaven opened on the northern
horizon. One by one they dropped dead, until Yudhisthira finally reached the
gates of heaven to be united once again with his brothers and wife.

Ramayana

Ramayana is one of the most read and famous epics of all times. Maharshi
Valmiki wrote the Ramayana epic. Every boy and girl in India knows the
Ramayana story by heart. Every Hindu has the highest respect for this great
epic, which is also given the status of a holy book. The flawless values and
idealistic principles highlighted in the epic are something that is taught to every
kid in a household. There are many local versions of Ramayana existing all
across India. Many authors, all over India, have contributed in the process of
coming up with various versions of this epic mythological story. Some of these
versions are very different from each other. Synopsis Long time back, in the
kingdom of Ayodhya, there lived a noble king known as Dashratha. He had
three wives, but no children. After performing an elaborate Yagna to please
Gods, he was granted with four sons. The eldest one was called Rama and was
known for his idealist values and outlook. He is considered to be the seventh
incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The king decided to crown Rama, as he was the
rightful heir to the throne. But the king's second wife, Kaikeyi grew jealous and
she wanted her son to be the king. She reminded the king of a promise he gave
her long back and made him announce that her son would be the king. Rama
was exiled for a period of 14 years. Being the obedient son and an idealist,
Rama obeyed his father and bid farewell to the kingdom and richesand donned
the robes of an ascetic. Thus set out Rama with Sita and Lakshmana on his 14
year long exile in the forests of India. Then one day, a Demoness saw Rama and
was mesmerized by his charming personality. She tried to seduce him but he
ignored her completely. She then tries to seduce Lakshmana, but enraged, he
cuts off her nose. Thoroughly insulted, she goes back to her brother Ravana, the
Demon king of Lanka and complains about what happened. Ravana seeks
revenge by abducting Sita and captivating her in his palace. Determined and
confident, Rama sets out to find her. He is helped by a group of monkeys who
put in their best efforts to get Sita back from Lanka. Ravana is spoken of as a
powerful demon, who was blessed by many Gods. His only flaw was vanity. A
battle ensued between the monkey army of Rama and the demon army of
Ravana. In the end, Rama emerged victorious and was united with Sita. By this
time, their exile had ended and they returned back to their kingdom victorious.
Rama was crowned the king and he proved himself to be a devoted ruler. The
moral of this epic is good always triumphs over evil. No matter what happens,
one must never accept anything wrong and never deter from his path of duties
of life.
 Sangam Literature

Christian era, although it was finally compiled by 600 AD. Poets who in
these assemblies were patronized by kings and chieftains produced the
Sangama literature over a period of three to four centuries. Poets, bards and
writers, authors came from various parts of South India to Madurai. Such
assemblies were called “Sangamas”, and the literature produced in these
assemblies was called “Sangama literature”. The contributions of Tamil
saints like Thiruvalluvar who wrote ‘Kural’ which has been translated
into many langauges are noteworthy. The Sangama literature is a collection
of long and short poems composed by various poets in praise of numerous
heroes and heroines. They are secular in nature and of a very high quality.
Three such sangams were held. The poems collected in the first sangam
have been lost. In the second Sangam about 2000 poems have been
collected.
Sangam flourished in three different periods and in different places under
the patronage of the Pandyan kings. It is believed that the first Sangam was
attended by gods and legendary sages, and its seat was Ten Madurai. All the
works of the first Sangam have perished.

Manimekalaiwas written by poet Sattanar. It is the story of Manimekalai,

the daughter of Kovalan, and Madhavi of the earlier epic. The main aim of
this epic seems to be to expound the excellence of the Buddhist religion
through the medium of the travails of Manimekalai consequent on the loss
of the city of Puhar when the sea eroded into the coast. This epic is the only
important ancient work which gives glimpse of the development of the fine
arts in the Sangam age.

The seat of the second Sangam was Kapatpuram, another capital of the
Pandyas. It was attended by several poets and produced a large mass of
literature, but only Tolkappiyam (the early Tamil grammar) has survived.

The seat of the third Sangam was the present Madurai. It has also produced
vast litera¬ture, but only a fraction of it has survived. It is this fraction
which constitutes the extant body of Sangam literature. The Age of the
Sangam is the age to which the Sangam literature belonged. The Sangam
literature constitutes a mine of information on conditions of life around the
beginning of the Christian era.
Some Key Points related to Sangam period
 Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created
between the years 2nd century BC to 2nd century AD. 
 Sangam literature deals with emotional and material topics such as
love, war, governance, trade, and bereavement. 
 Sangam Literature deals with secular matter relating to public and
social activity like government, war charity, trade, worship, agriculture
etc.
 Sangam literature consists of the earliest Tamil works (such as the
Tolkappiyam), the ten poems (Pattupattu), the eight anthologies
(Ettutogai) and the eighteen minor works (Padinenkilkanakku), and the
three epics. 
 The chief merits of the sangam works is their absolute devotion to
standards and adherence to literary conventions.
 Tolkappiyam is the oldest extant Tamil grammar written by
Tokkappiyar 
 Silappadikaram was written by Mango Adigal (grandson of
Karikala, the great Chola King) in the second century A.D. It is a tragic
story of a merchant, Kovalan of Puhar who falls in love with a dancer
Madhavi, neglecting his own wife, Kannagi, who in the end revenges
the death of her husband at the hands of the Pandyan King and becomes
a goddess.