Sexual Life in Ancient India: A Study in the Comparative History of Indian Culture v1.c5.302

v1.c5.302

Her son Bharata shows himself even in childhood’s years to be a mighty demon-slayer, like unto his father in Kālidāsa. Then Çakuntalā’s sorrow when she leaves the hermitage is drawn in very broad and really beautiful lines, but not, it is to be noted, in the tone of the epic poet, but lyrically like Kālidāsa, or even a little stronger, although with less flowerlike-delicacy than in the drama; she wants and does not want to go forth, while the boy urges her and Kaṇva gives her wise instructions despite his tears. The penitents who are going with her as escort do not wish to go into the nagaram durjanair vṛtam, particularly since many of the townsmen jeer at them, and go back home from the gates, as Kaṇva has bidden them. Çakuntalā amid the ecstatic and Indian-like descriptive admiration, called forth in the townsmen by her beauty and Bharata’s sturdy strength, proceeds alone through the city to the palace. Her discussion with the king is also a good deal longer, and not only are a lot of very good sayings added, but also lyric and effective touches. Thus in describing her origin and how she was exposed Çakuntalā draws a picture of how the birds covered the Beside such romantic love and marriage adventures of the Kshattriyas the marriage by purchase, established from olden times among the mass of the people, could not naturally but seem vulgar and low. So we already saw it described, in agreement with the Smṛiti, and it is often brought up as a dreadful sin. So vii, 43.37; 73.42; xiii, 93.133; 94.31. But it was not at all confined to the *misera plebs*, nor is it still in India to-day.¹ In one case, however, we are expressly