Part 2b - The Characters (2) Kanva

Kanva is to a certain extent the complementary of Dushyanta. Filial love is only partly illustrated by the latter. Dushyanta's affection for Sarvadamana may be due to the absence of male issue to perpetuate his race. Kanya's tenderness towards Sakuntala, is however, is as genuine as it is remarkable; because he is merely her fosterfather and not the true father. As a sage, Kanva had prevision of what was going to happen to Sakuntala (c. f tapahprabhavatpratyaksa sarvameva tatrabhavatah atah UJ AA alfam Fi :" etc). Possibly this depeened his emotion at the time of her departure,...He greatly moved when he says "anasuya gatavati vam sahadharmacarinau | The single word gatavati speaks volumes. His affectionate nature stands fully revealed in the words- * "samamesyati mama sokah katham nu vatse tvaya racitapurvam | utajaddari viruddha nauvarabali vilokayatah || " gaccha sivaste panthanah santu etc. * and here tax the actor's skill to the utmost and justify the words pratipatramadhiyatam yatnah etc.

Yet Kanva is not affected like an ordinary house-holder. While he feels it, he analyses the He feels it like a sage. feeling. Thus he notes are not what they were. that his heart throat and the senses This surprises him. He marks the changes and traces them to their origin. Thus- yasatyadya sakuntaleti hrdaya sa spastamutkanthaya kanthah stambhitavaspavrttikalusascintajaड़ darsanam | daar mama tavadisamaho na hadaranyaukasah paudyanta grahinah katham nu tanayaviccha daduhkha navah || This introspection while the emotion is in progress, marks the sage. The sage is a perfect master of wordly affairs (c. f. vanauka- so'pi laulikata vayama etc.). His advice to Sakuntala and message to Dushyanta are gems of wordly wisdom. Compareand susra ुsakha gurun kuru priyasakhovrtti sapatnijana bhavi prakrtapi rosanataya ma ya pratipa gamah | bhuyistha bhava daksina parijana bhogesvanuta se kini yantam prava grhinipada yuvatayo vama ; kulasyadhayah || asman sadhu vicinta samyamadhananucah kulancatmanah tvayyasyah kathamapyavandhavakrtam sahapravrttinca tam | samanyapratipattipurva kamiyam daresu drsya tvaya bhagyayattamatah param na khalu taddacca vadhuvandha ुbhih || The study of the play of human feeling too is not neglected by him (c. f. abhijanavati bhartuh sladhya sthita grhani pade vibhavagurubhih krtyam stasa pratiksanamakula | tanayamacirata pracivaka ' prasuya ca pavana ' mama virahajam natva ' vatse suca ' ganayisasi || )

He condemns the apathy of ordinary people towards a female child. A daughter is to him a trust property; as trust property has to be looked after with greater care than one's own property, so a daughter has to be treated with greater. tenderness than a son until she is united to a suitable husband. Compare- artho hi kanya parakiya eva tamadya samprasya parigrahituh | jato mamaya visadah prakama pratyapi tanyasa ivantaratma ||