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Dushyant or Dushyanta (????????) was a great king in classical India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
n literature and mythology. He is the husband of Shakuntala
Shakuntala

In Hindu mythology Sakuntala is the mother of Emperor Bharata and the wife of Dushyanta who was the founder of the Paurav Dynasty. Her story is told in the Mahabarata and dramatized by Kalidasa in his play The Recognition of Sakuntala....
 and the father of the Emperor Bharat
Bharata (emperor)

'Bharata' is a legendary king in Hindu mythology. He was the first to conquer all of Greater India, uniting it into a single entity which was named after him as ....
. He appears in the Mahabarata and in Kalidasa
Kalidasa

Kalidasa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language. His floruit cannot be dated with precision, but most likely falls within the Gupta Empire, probably in the 4th century BC or 5th century or 6th century....
's play The Recognition of Sakuntala (c.
Circa

Circa means "in approximately", generally referring to a year. It is widely used in genealogy and historical writing, when the dates of events are approximately known....
 300 CE).

rding to the Mahabharata
Mahabharata

The is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetrys of History of India, the other being the '. The epic is part of the Hindu itihasa , and forms an important part of Hindu mythology....
, Dushyant is said to have ruled, either directly or through his governors, from Gandhara
Gandhara

Gandhara is the name of an ancient kingdom , located in northern Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir and eastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was located mainly in the vale of Peshawar, the Potohar plateau and on the Kabul River....
 (present day Kandahar
Kandahar

Kandahar, also spelled Qandahar, is the third largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of 324,800 . It is the capital of Kandahar province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level....
 in Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
) to the Vindhyas and beyond, and from Sindhu, (present day Pakistan
Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
) to Vanga
Bengal

Bengal , is a historical and geographical region in the northeast of South Asia. Today it is mainly divided between the independent sovereign nation of the Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal in India, although some regions of the previous kingdoms of Bengal are now part of the neighboring Indian states of Bihar, Assam, Tripura and Oris...
, (present day Bangladesh
Bangladesh

, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south....
).

story of Dushyant's encounter, marriage, separation and reunion with his queen, Shakuntala
Shakuntala

In Hindu mythology Sakuntala is the mother of Emperor Bharata and the wife of Dushyanta who was the founder of the Paurav Dynasty. Her story is told in the Mahabarata and dramatized by Kalidasa in his play The Recognition of Sakuntala....
, has been immortalized in the Mahabharata
Mahabharata

The is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetrys of History of India, the other being the '. The epic is part of the Hindu itihasa , and forms an important part of Hindu mythology....
 and in The Recognition of Sakuntala by the great Sanskrit
Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India....
 poet Kalidasa
Kalidasa

Kalidasa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language. His floruit cannot be dated with precision, but most likely falls within the Gupta Empire, probably in the 4th century BC or 5th century or 6th century....
.

Dushyant meets Shakuntala, who is a daughter of Vishvamitra and Menaka
Menaka

In Hindu mythology, Menaka is considered one of the most beautiful of the heavenly Apsaras.She was sent by Indra, the king of the Deva , to break the severe penance undertaken by Vishwamitra....
, while on an excursion from his kingdom.






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Dushyant or Dushyanta (????????) was a great king in classical India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
n literature and mythology. He is the husband of Shakuntala
Shakuntala

In Hindu mythology Sakuntala is the mother of Emperor Bharata and the wife of Dushyanta who was the founder of the Paurav Dynasty. Her story is told in the Mahabarata and dramatized by Kalidasa in his play The Recognition of Sakuntala....
 and the father of the Emperor Bharat
Bharata (emperor)

'Bharata' is a legendary king in Hindu mythology. He was the first to conquer all of Greater India, uniting it into a single entity which was named after him as ....
. He appears in the Mahabarata and in Kalidasa
Kalidasa

Kalidasa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language. His floruit cannot be dated with precision, but most likely falls within the Gupta Empire, probably in the 4th century BC or 5th century or 6th century....
's play The Recognition of Sakuntala (c.
Circa

Circa means "in approximately", generally referring to a year. It is widely used in genealogy and historical writing, when the dates of events are approximately known....
 300 CE).

Historical king

According to the Mahabharata
Mahabharata

The is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetrys of History of India, the other being the '. The epic is part of the Hindu itihasa , and forms an important part of Hindu mythology....
, Dushyant is said to have ruled, either directly or through his governors, from Gandhara
Gandhara

Gandhara is the name of an ancient kingdom , located in northern Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir and eastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was located mainly in the vale of Peshawar, the Potohar plateau and on the Kabul River....
 (present day Kandahar
Kandahar

Kandahar, also spelled Qandahar, is the third largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of 324,800 . It is the capital of Kandahar province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level....
 in Afghanistan
Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia....
) to the Vindhyas and beyond, and from Sindhu, (present day Pakistan
Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
) to Vanga
Bengal

Bengal , is a historical and geographical region in the northeast of South Asia. Today it is mainly divided between the independent sovereign nation of the Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal in India, although some regions of the previous kingdoms of Bengal are now part of the neighboring Indian states of Bihar, Assam, Tripura and Oris...
, (present day Bangladesh
Bangladesh

, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south....
).

Love for Shakuntala

The story of Dushyant's encounter, marriage, separation and reunion with his queen, Shakuntala
Shakuntala

In Hindu mythology Sakuntala is the mother of Emperor Bharata and the wife of Dushyanta who was the founder of the Paurav Dynasty. Her story is told in the Mahabarata and dramatized by Kalidasa in his play The Recognition of Sakuntala....
, has been immortalized in the Mahabharata
Mahabharata

The is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetrys of History of India, the other being the '. The epic is part of the Hindu itihasa , and forms an important part of Hindu mythology....
 and in The Recognition of Sakuntala by the great Sanskrit
Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India....
 poet Kalidasa
Kalidasa

Kalidasa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language. His floruit cannot be dated with precision, but most likely falls within the Gupta Empire, probably in the 4th century BC or 5th century or 6th century....
.

Dushyant meets Shakuntala, who is a daughter of Vishvamitra and Menaka
Menaka

In Hindu mythology, Menaka is considered one of the most beautiful of the heavenly Apsaras.She was sent by Indra, the king of the Deva , to break the severe penance undertaken by Vishwamitra....
, while on an excursion from his kingdom. Depending on the source, Dushyant is either the crown prince, or he is waiting to win back his kingdom from an enemy. Either way, he sees Shakuntala
Shakuntala

In Hindu mythology Sakuntala is the mother of Emperor Bharata and the wife of Dushyanta who was the founder of the Paurav Dynasty. Her story is told in the Mahabarata and dramatized by Kalidasa in his play The Recognition of Sakuntala....
 in an ashram
Ashram

An "ashram" in ancient India was a Hindu hermitage where sages lived in peace and tranquility amidst nature. Today, the term "ashram" is sometimes used to refer to an intentional community formed primarily for spiritual upliftment of its members, often headed by a religious leader or mysticism....
 (hermitage) of Rishi
Rishi

A rishi denotes a poet-sage through whom the Vedic hymns flowed, credited also as divine scribes. According to post-Vedic tradition the rishi is a "seer" or "shaman" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness....
 Kanva and falls in love. He and Shakuntala have a gandharva
Gandharva

In Hinduism In Hinduism, the Gandharvas are male nature spirits, husbands of the Apsaras. Some are part animal, usually a bird or horse. They have superb musical skills....
 marriage there. Having to leave after some time, Dushyant gives Shakuntala a royal ring as a sign of their love, promising her that he will come to her.

But when Dushyant becomes king, he becomes too absorbed for many years in affairs of state. Shakuntala waits and despairs.

One day,sage Durvasa visits the hermitage, but Shakuntala, who is too absorbed in her love for Dushyant, forgets to serve him food. In a fit of anger, sage Durvasa curses her, saying that the person she is thinking about will forget her. A shocked Shakuntala begs for forgiveness and the sage, after recollecting his calm, assures her that the person will remember her again when she shows some proof of their acquaintance.

So, Shakuntala sets off to the capital, Hastinapur, to remind Dushyant of their past love. An accident occurs by which a fish consumes the royal ring, leaving Shakuntala with no formidable proof.

Dushyant does not recollect Shakuntala, but his memory and love are rekindled when a sage (not the same who cursed Shakuntala) recovers the ring and brings it to the court. Dushyant weds Shakuntala, who becomes his queen and mother of his son, Bharata.

A different version of the story involves Shakuntala's father, the great and legendary sage Vishwamithra, who is said to have bowed his head to none. Dushyant's forgetting of Shakuntala was a device invented by the other sages, including Vashishtar, to make Vishwamithra bow. For the sake of his daughter the great sage is said to have bowed before the great king Dushyant to persuade him to accept his daughter. The sages, delighted, immediately brought the memory of Shakuntala into the mind of Dushyant.

Bharata

According to most mythological sources, Dushyant was the father of Emperor Bharata, who is generally credited with uniting India under his rule (see origin of India's name). According to the Mahabharata
Mahabharata

The is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetrys of History of India, the other being the '. The epic is part of the Hindu itihasa , and forms an important part of Hindu mythology....
 Adiparva, Bharata
Bharata

Bharata ??? may refer to:*a name of Agni*a name of Rudra*a name of Manu , according to the Vishnu Purana*Bharata , a celebrated hero and monarch of India, first of twelve Cakravartins ...
 was born while Shakuntala awaited Dushyant at her hermitage. a fisher man catches the same fish who had consumed the ring.His wife wants to make curry out of it.while cutting the fish the wife of the fisherman finds the ring and takes it to the king.then the king remembers all his accuaintance with shakuntala and goes to search for her.

See also

  • Emperor Bharata
    Bharata (emperor)

    'Bharata' is a legendary king in Hindu mythology. He was the first to conquer all of Greater India, uniting it into a single entity which was named after him as ....
  • Mahabharata
    Mahabharata

    The is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetrys of History of India, the other being the '. The epic is part of the Hindu itihasa , and forms an important part of Hindu mythology....