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
நல்ல தகவல்.
ReplyDeleteஇல்லாட்டி கல்லை எடுத்து கீழே போட்டு கீழே இருப்பவனுக்கு தலைவலியை கொடுத்திருப்பார்கள் நம்மவர்கள்.!
தமிழை முழுவதுமாக கற்றுக்கொள்ளவே காலம் போதாது
ReplyDeleteWhere did you read this? Versatile Thamizh! So much to learn. Really kartradhu kaiyalavu only.
ReplyDeleteamas32
Meens அதைத் தான் தமிழ்த்தாத்தா அசந்தர்ப்பம் என்று மென்மையான சொற்தேர்வால் உணர்த்துகிறார்.
ReplyDeleteamas32 - currently reading the book mentioned in the post. It is a compilation of a series of lectures U.VE.SA gave in Madras University.
A sparkle of poker faced humour in the middle of a scholarly discourse.
நல்லதொரு பகிர்வு
ReplyDeleteDon't know how I missed this one. Lovely humour.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I have also read his essay wherein he tells how a tribe sings, "பீமசேன மவராசன் மரதேபூ மரதேபூ டிங்கினானே டிங்கினானே" for "மரத்த புடுங்கினானே"