SAKIINTALA is one of the most pleasing female characters of Hindu mythology. She is mentioned as a water-nymph in the I ujurreda (see VEDA); she is the subject of a beautiful episode of the Mak abharata (q.v.), and is spoken of in the Purdn'as; but her name has become especially familiar in Europe through the celebrated drama of Kfilidfisa (q.v.), which, introduced to us by sir William Jones in 1789, became the starting-point of Sanskrit philology in Europe. The principal features of the legend of Sakuntala, narrated in the Malaibluiratu, are the following: Sakuntala was the daughter of the saint Vis'wa'mitra (q.v.) and the Apsaras, or water-nymph, Menakii. Abandoned by her parents, she was adopted by the saint Kan'wa, who brought her up in his hermitage as his daughter. Once upon a time, king Dushyanta went a-hunting in the forest, and accidentally coming to the hermitage of Kan'wa, sal' Sakuntala, and fell in love with her. He persuaded her to marry him according to the rite of the Gandharva marriage, and promised her that the son she would bear him should lie the heir to his throne, and that he would take her home as his queen' to his royal city. Kan'wa, who had been absent while this event happened, returned to the hermitage, and through his divine knowledge, knew the whole secret, though it had not been confessed to him by Sakun tala. She in due time was delivered of a son, and remained at the hermitage until the boy was six years old; but as Dushyanta, unmindful of his promise, did not send any messenger for her Kan'wa directed her to proceed with her boy to the residence of Dushyanta. This she did; but when she arrived at his residence, she was repudiated by the king. Nor did her speech, however touching and eloquent, move his heart, until at last a heavenly voice assured him that Sakuntala had spoken the truth, and that lie saw before him his lawful son. Thereupon, Dushyanta recognized Sakuntala as his queen, and her son as his heir. The latter was named Bharata, and became the founder
of the glorious race of the Bharatas. In the drama, Kftlidilsa's genius bad full scope to work out the incidents of this legend, so as to display the accomplished female chara6 ter of Sakuntala. and likewise to show that the obstacle which arose to her recognition was not the fault of Dushyanta, but the consequence of a curse which Sakuntala had incurred from a wrathful saint who, when once on a visit to Kan'wa's hermitage, had considered himself neglected by her. Since, in the drama, Dushyanta recognizes Sak untala by means of a ring he had given her at the hermitage; the name of the drama is Abhijnana-Salcuntata, or "the drama in which Sakuntala (is remembered) by a token." There are two versions in which this drama now exists—au older and a more recent one The latter was first edited at Calcutta, 1761, then at Paris, 1830, by A. L. Chou, who also gave a French translation of it; later and better editions of it (Cal. 1860 and 1864) were prepared by the Pandit Prem Chunder Tarkabligish, under the superintendence of prof. Edward B. Cowell, the principal of the Sanskrit College at Calcutta. The older version has been edited by Dr. 0. Boehtlingk (Bonn, 1842), by prof. M. Will lams (Hert, ford, 1853). and by a Bombay pandit at the Indupraka's'a press (Bomb., 1861). The first English translation of it is that by sir William Jones (Cal., 1789); the second was made by prof. M. Williams (Hertford, 1856); it. deserves the highest acknowledgment, on account of the consummate taste with which it -has rendered the metrical part of the original. Among the various German, Italian, Danish, and other translations of this drama, the German translation by Ernst Meyer (Stutt., 1852) is worthy of especial notice.