In the original story of Sakuntala, as told in the Mahabhratha, there is no ring. Sakuntala appears in Dushmanta's court with their son and requests Dushmanta to declare him the heir to his throne, as he had promised her, before their gandharva vivāham. Though Dushmanta very much remembers their encounter (and thus recognises legitimacy of the claim), he still pretends not to remember and asks her provocative, insulting questions in his court. But he is ' being cruel only to be kind '. For, this sets the dramatic stage for a fine articulation of her case by Sakuntala, which ends in the divine voice from the sky, declaring her to be true and for Dushmanta to accept her and their son. And then, Dushmanta tells his courtiers that he always knew but his word would have been insufficient proof to the court. We are of course, more aware of the storyline of KāLidāsa's play abhijñānasākuntalam, where the poet made significant departures. The elevation of the 'word/memory
Okay, now I know where's the inspiration form. :)))
ReplyDelete:-)
ReplyDeleteSomehow post-Marx brothers, gags have not got their due. People being obsessed with plots and refusing to enjoy puns as such. So much work the above set-up, dramatism and all. Phew !