Myth in Laxmi Prasad Devkota’s Shakuntala

Abstract

Myth is the central issue in Laxmi Prasad Devkota’s Shakuntala. Shakuntala, the main character of the epic, represents the Hindu women, faces a lot of difficulties and hardships in her life due to the curse of sage Durbasha. The whole epic moves within the circle of Shakuntala, her husband Dushyanta and son Bharat who are the central characters of the epic. The whole myth is about ancient Hindu society culture and religion that is related with historical subject matter. Shakuntala is the daughter of sage Vishwamitra and nymph Menaka who is born in the jungle and left alone due to the separation of her parents from each other. Kanva Rishi finds her sleeping in the jungle and takes her to his hut. The childless couple of Kanva Rishi keep her as their daughter with great affection. After gandharba marriage with king Dushyanta, Shakuntala is left alone by her husband in the promise of returning back after the fight against enemies. But the time is against her favor and the king Dushyanta forgets her due to the curse that happens in her life. Later, Shakuntala and her mother Gautami go to the palace of the king but Dushyanta rejects her and she is driven to the sage Kashyap’s hermitage by her mother Menaka from heaven. Shakuntala gives birth to a male child named Bharat. Besides, the king Dushyanta is summoned by Lord Indra to fight against the demon, Kalanemis on behalf of the gods. After returning back from heaven, he goes to the forest in search of his wife Shakuntala and finds his son Bharat and wife Shakuntala there. The epic ends in the happy reunion of the family.