Anasuya and Priyamvada

“AGE cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety,” Shakespeare wrote extolling the charms of the Egyptian Queen in his Antony and Cleopatra. The Rt. Hon’ble V. S. Srinivasa Sastriar once paid a tribute to Kalidasa’s Sakuntala by quoting the same words. Indeed, can anything be truer and more correct of the immortal play of Kalidasa than those lines of Shakespeare? Ages have passed: men and things have changed, yet the reader finds the play remains as fresh and beautiful as ever! And each time he takes a dive in it, he discovers new thoughts, gems of rare hue and brilliance! It is an old tale taken from the Mahabharata which the genius of Kalidasa has transformed into a thing so wonderful that it threw Goethe, the great German poet, in raptures over it.

Sakuntala, the heroine of the play, has exercised for ages, a profound charm on the mind of the reader, for her beauty, her simplicity and innocence as well as her infinite patience and dignity in distress, She has hardly her equal, It is a proof of the poet’s skill how vividly and admirably he has portrayed every character in the play. We may take, for instance, the characters of Anasuya and Priyamvada, the inseparable companions of Sakuntala. They are of the same age; they speak and act in the same manner. Nevertheless, the lively mind would like to fancy a difference in the two. They are alike, yet not so alike as they appear! As we look closely the picture grows clearer and the subtle shades and differences lying in the nature and disposition of each comes more into view. The two companions play a most vital part in the love of Sakuntala. For, but for their active help and support, their dear Sakuntala would certainly have been left in despair, with hardly any hope of being united with Dushyanta. Again, when she falls a victim to the curse of the sage Durvasa, is it not due to these two friends that the curse is partly averted and Sakuntala is saved from getting completely lost? They feel so great a devotion for her that it looks as though they have hardly any existence apart from her. Till the end of the Fourth Act, we find Sakuntala is never present unless in the company of her two friends. When they suddenly drop from the scene in the Fifth Act, we feel indeed all the liveliness and mirth of the play gone and the tragedy of Sakuntala begins. The presence of Anasuya and Priyamvada fills our vision to such an extent that we find we cannot easily ignore them. Indeed, do we not rather wish to know how they mourned the absence of their dear Sakuntala and how the rejection of her by the King affected them, though the poet has kept silent about it? They take care not to forget the curse of Durvasa and give a timely hint to Sakuntala that she should present the King’s ring in case he did not seem to recognise her. But poor Sakuntala, as we know is destined to suffer and her love has to be purified in the fire of her sorrow. How we wish she had her friends with her when she had her bath in the river! For we feel her ring which has been the cause of all her misery would have been safe with her then.

It is interesting to note that we are not left in doubt by the poet even about the appearance of Anasuya and Priyamvada. Evidently they are pretty. For when the King beholds the three maidens for the first time coming to water the trees we hear him exclaim, “Oh! how pretty they look!” (Aho madhuramasam darsanam.) Later, when the memory of his marriage with Sakuntala comes to him on seeing the ring, the King is filled with unutterable anguish and remorse for his conduct, and as a diversion he paints the picture of his beloved as he first beheld her. He shows the unfinished picture to his friend, the Vidushaka, who is at a loss to place Sakuntala at first. For he says “all the three are good looking–Sarvahha darsaniya–which one among them is Sakuntala?”–though after a second glance he is able to distinguish and guess correctly.

Now, in pursuing further our study of the characters of Anasuya and Priyamvada, it may be said that though they have much in common between them, there is yet something in the natures of both, which is hardly similar. They are not so simple and innocent as Sakuntala. For they have learnt many things besides tending the young deer of the forest and the tender creepers and plants of the Ashrama. Even their extreme devotion to Sakuntala can scarcely prevent them from being quite free and playful with her.

From their speeches we can suppose that Priyamvada shows a disposition, youthful and vivacious, while Anasuya is rather serious and more sedate on the whole. The ardent mind of Priyamvada is already full of romance about her dear Sakuntala. For she cannot see her standing by the side of the young Kesara tree without begging her to stay there a minute and crying with, delight: “By the side of the Kesara tree how you look like a lovely creeper, which the tree has clasped tenderly with its branches!” A playful yet picturesque fancy of Priyamvada! Nevertheless the King as he hears her cannot help musing, “Ha! Priyamvada speaks but the truth. She is, indeed, like creeper with her lips red as the tender leaves, her arms slender as the long stalks of the creeper and with the bloom of her youth nestling all over her lovely limbs!” The picture raises such sweet visions in the mind of Sakuntala too, that she says fondly, “So you are named’ Priyamvada”-one who speaks ever agreeably.

Again, her sprightly mind cannot refrain from making its own happy conjecture when she sees Sakuntala gazing at her favourite creeper Vanajyotsna while watering it. “Look Anasuya,” she cries, “Do you know why Sakuntala is gazing so ardently at Vanajyotsna?” and when Anasuya pleads ignorance, “It is because” she says archly, “she wishes in her heart that she may be even so lucky as Vanajyotsna who has secured for her a suitable partner in the mango tree.” “No doubt it is your own desire,” replies Sakuntala pretending to be angry. Indeed who can help loving Priyamvada for saying such sweet things? Well, Anasuya on the other hand is less romantic and more quick to remember the proprieties of the Ashrama. She reminds Sakuntala of the hospitality due to guests and bids her go to the hermitage and bring fruits and water for entertaining the guest. We find the hitherto lively Priyamvada now holding her tongue and leaving the more discreet Anasuya to do all the talking with the King. The King asks Anasuya about Sakuntala and she relates the story of her birth and how she has been brought up by the sage Kanva as his own daughter. But when the King further wishes to know whether she is to remain observing the austerities of the forest till she is given in marriage to someone, it is Priyamvada, who taking the hint, hastens to tell him that though her friend cannot do as she pleases, yet it is the wish of her father to marry her to one who is in every way worthy of her. Even Sakuntala thinks this is too much and rebukes her for talking so irrelevantly. “I shall go and tell aunt Gautami,” she says, “what nonsense you have been talking!” And when she actually prepares to go as if displeased with Priyamvada, Anasuya tries to stop her saying, “It is not fair to leave the guest forgetting what is due to him,” while Priyamvada who has seen enough to interest her in the behaviour of Sakuntala even attempts to turn her by force. “What about our challenge?” she says, “There are still two more trees you have to water,” Here the King intervenes, seeing Sakuntala too tired and offers his ring which he says will discharge her from her debt. This reveals the identity of the King.

Both the girls are quick enough to find that Sakuntala has fallen deeply in love and that the object of her love is no less than the head of the illustrious line of the Purus. Consequently they are overjoyed at the event. Sakuntala is languishing in love. The two friends are distressed to see her getting thinner and paler every day. But how are they to give her relief? The intelligent Priyamvada however thinks hard for a means. She has reason to believe the King also to be in love and makes the suggestion, why not Sakuntala write and tell him of her love? In her eagerness Priyamvada feels she can wait no longer without contriving something which would bring about the union of her friend with the King. Anasuya approves of the plan and is ready to help her in it. But how is Sakuntala to write the letter? Priyamvada’s mind sets thinking again. She selects the lotus leaf on which Sakuntala is to write with her own delicate finger nails. The love letter is written at last and read aloud by Sakuntala. Can the King contain himself any longer without announcing himself before them? It is significant that it is Anasuya again who is left to talk with the King! She tells him of Sakuntala’s consuming: love for him and requests him to accept her but not before making this tactful remark, “We have heard that kings have a great many sweethearts. Hence it is our wish that she may be so treated as not to cause unhappiness to her people.” In her youthful ardour, Priyamvada is all concern for the love of Sakuntala. But it is Anasuya who takes care to remember things more important and give a gentle warning to the King.

It is not idle to suppose that the poet by means of these delicate hints helps the reader to see the subtle differences in the characters of Anasuya and Priyamvada. We see through Priyamvada, eager and ready to be swayed by thoughts of love and romance when she speaks, while Anasuya seems less inclined to be so and more restrained. This distinction perhaps may tempt an imaginative mind to go so far as to create even a love episode for Priyamvada. It is evident that the sage Kanva considered Anasuya more sensible–at any rate less sentimental–than Priyamvada. For when the girls shed tears at the thought of separation from dear Sakuntala, it is Anasuya whom the sage chides gently saying, “Enough of this crying, Anasuya! How is it you week when you both should be consoling. Sakuntala?” Indeed, we can imagine Anasuya, unlike Priyamvada, will rather put up with her own feelings in order to cheer up Sakuntala. The King returns to his city. It is already time he sent for Sakuntala as he promised. Now her affection from her friend renders Anasuya somewhat uneasy in her mind as to whether the King in the midst of his queens will remember poor Sakuntala. Priyamvada, however, with her unbounded faith in love assures her that one who possesses such a noble personality can hardly commit wrong.

They are immeasurably relieved to find the sage Kanva, instead of condemning Sakuntala, is only rejoiced at her having chosen a husband quite worthy of her. So, when the preparations are made for her departure to her husband’s home, the two friends join them with a light heart. They gather the tender leaves and pretty flowers of the wood and deck the young bride with their own hands. They keep to themselves the curse of Durvasa in their great solicitude for her, just telling her to show the ring to the King in case he did not recognise her. The time has now come for their dearest Sakuntala to bid farewell to them. Though the parting is bitter in the extreme, yet their hearts ate full at the thought of the great happiness that awaits her.

Sakuntala with her two companions is the most beautiful picture ever drawn by an artist, and their talk, so sweet, so lively and so innocent, will remain the most exquisite in the literatures of the world.