7 h 28 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A king enters a sacred grove, and love draws him between the quiet forest and the demands of court.
In Kālidāsa’s Shakuntala, King Dushyanta follows a deer into a forest where hermits stop his hunt. There he meets Shakuntala, the gentle young woman raised by Kanva. Their love grows, but the king must return to his capital and its duties. A short-tempered sage’s curse puts their bond to the test.
Translations of Shakuntala and Other Works also brings you the play Urvashi Won by Valor, with King Pururavas and the heavenly nymph Urvashi, and the poem Meghaduta, the Cloud Messenger. Across these plays and poems, old myths meet tender feeling and humor. Rivers, flowers, and changing seasons give longing a vivid setting.
What you’ll discover
- Love between two worlds Follow Shakuntala and Dushyanta as forest life meets the claims of a royal court.
- Friends beside the heroine Meet loyal Anasuya and playful Priyamvada, whose friendship brings warmth to Shakuntala’s story.
- A message through clouds Share a lonely spirit’s longing as he asks a passing cloud to carry word home.
- Myth with tender feeling Enter the tale of Pururavas and Urvashi, where a king loves a heavenly nymph.
- The Sanskrit stage Discover wise hermits, gentle jesters, and prologues that welcome readers into the world of a play.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who love myth, romance and poetry, and anyone curious about how the Indian stage worked long ago. If you want fast action or plain realism, the slow, ornate style may feel distant.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A court poet of classical India
- A king, a hermitage and a chance meeting
- A ring, a curse and a hard test
- Gods, nymphs and kings in other plays
- Poems of seasons, clouds and legends
- How Sanskrit drama and verse are meant to be read
Who’s who
- ShakuntalaA young woman raised in a forest hermitage, gentle and shy, who falls in love with a visiting king.
- DushyantaA king who comes hunting, is moved by the hermitage, and loves Shakuntala, yet must face the claims of his court.
- KanvaThe wise hermit who has raised Shakuntala as his own daughter and watches over the grove.
- AnasuyaOne of Shakuntala's two close friends at the hermitage, practical and loyal, who helps her through her love.
- PriyamvadaShakuntala's other friend, playful and quick-witted, who teases her and stands by her in trouble.
- DurvasaA short-tempered sage whose curse sets the central trial of the play in motion.
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- Audiobook
- 7 h 28 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Translations of Shakuntala and Other Works
by Kālidāsa
Plays and poems follow love, separation, and longing in India.
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Language: English
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A court poet of classical India
Kalidasa wrote in Sanskrit, the learned language of ancient Indian courts, temples and schools. His name means servant of Kali, and tradition holds that he was a devotee of the goddess. Beyond that, the facts are thin. Many scholars place him around the fourth or fifth century, in the era of the Gupta rulers, but the matter is still debated.
Stories about him grew up long after his death. One popular legend says he began as a simple man and became a poet through divine favor. Historians treat such tales as folklore. What survives of his own work is better evidence than any legend, and it shows a writer of great learning who also had a light touch.
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The author
Kālidāsa
Classical Sanskrit poet and playwright
Kálidása is widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist of classical Sanskrit literature, an ancient Indian master whose lyric power set the standard for a millennium. The Birth of the War-God recounts the divine courtship of Shiva and Parvati and the coming of Kumara.
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What is Shakuntala about?
It is a Sanskrit play about King Dushyanta and Shakuntala, a young woman raised in a forest hermitage. They fall in love, but a curse and a lost pledge put their bond to a hard test.
Who was Kalidasa and when did he live?
Kalidasa was a Sanskrit poet and playwright of classical India. Many scholars place him around the fourth or fifth century, in the Gupta era, but the dates are debated and little is known of his life.
What other works did Kalidasa write?
Besides Shakuntala, he is credited with the plays Urvashi Won by Valor and Malavika and Agnimitra, and with the poems Raghuvamsha, Kumarasambhava, Ritusamhara and the Cloud Messenger.
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