Menakā goes to tempt Viśvāmitra

 kaṇva uvāca

evamuktastayā śakraḥ saṁśa sadāgatim
prātiṣṭhata tadā kāle menakā vāyunā saha

Kaṇva said: Having been thus addressed, Indra commanded wind to be present with Menakā when she would be present before Ṛṣi.

athāpaśyad varārohā tapasā dagdhakilbiṣam
viśvāmitraṁ tapyamānaṁ menakā bhīrurāśrame

Timid and beautiful girl then entered the hermitage and saw Viśvāmitra, who had destroyed all his sins by penances and was still engaged in austere penances.

abhivādya tataḥ sā taṁ prākrīḍadṛṣisaṁnidhau
apovāha ca vāso ̍ syā mārutaḥ śaśisaṁnibham

Having saluted Ṛṣi, she then began to sport next to him. At this very moment Maruta robbed her of her clothes, which were white as moonlight.

sāgacchat tvaritā bhūmiṁ vāsastadabhilipsatī
smayamāneva savrīḍaṁ mārutaṁ varavarṇinī

That beautiful girl in great bashfulness began to run after the cloth to catch it and she appeared to express her great annoyance at the conduct of Maruta.

paśyatastasya tatrarṣerapyagnisamatejasaḥ
viśvāmitrastatastāṁ tu viṣamasthāmaninditām
gṛddhāṁ vāsasi sambhrāntāṁ menakāṁ munisattamaḥ
anirdeśyavayorūpāmapaśyad vivṛtāṁ tadā

She did all this before great Ṛṣi Viśvāmitra, who was as effulgent as fire and he saw her in that state. He marked that she was of faultless features in her nude state. The best of Ṛṣis saw that Menakā was exceedingly beautiful, with no marks of age on her person.

tasyā rūpaguṇān dṛṣṭvā sa tu viprarṣabhastadā
cakāra bhāvaṁ saṁsargāt tayā kāmavaśaṁ gataḥ

Seeing her great beauty and accomplishments, that best of Ṛṣis was filled with desire and wished for her company.

nyamantrayata cāpyenāṁ sā cāpyaicchadaninditā
tau tatra suciraṁ kālamubhau vyaharatāṁ tadā
ramamāṇau yathākāmaṁ yathaikadivasaṁ tathā
janayāmāsa sa munirmenakāyāṁ śakuntalām
prasthe himavato ramye mālinīmabhito nadīm
kṛtakāryā tatastūrṇamagacchacchakrasaṁsadam
taṁ vane vijane garbhaṁ siṁhavyāghrasamākule
dṛṣṭvā śayānaṁ śakunāḥ samantāt paryavārayan
nemāṁ hiṁsyurvane bālāṁ kravyādā māṁsagṛddhinaḥ

He invited her to come to him and that faultless featured beauty to accept his invitation. They then passed many days in each other̍s company sporting with each other. They passed many years and thought that it was but only a day. That Ṛṣi begot Śakuntalā on her. Menakā went to the banks of the river Mālinī, which passed playfully through beautiful valley of Himalaya mountains and there she gave birth to a daughter. She then left the child there on the banks of the river and went away. Thus having been successful in her mission, she returned to Indra. Some vultures, seeing that the child lay in deep forest abounding in lions and tigers, sat round it to protect it from harm, so that no carnivorous animals might take her life.

paryarakṣanta tāṁ tatra śakuntā menakātmajām
upaspraṣṭuṁ gataścāhamapaśyaṁ śayitāmimām
nirjane vipine ramye śakuntaiḥ parivāritām
ānayitvā tataścaināṁ duhitṛtve nyaveśayam
śarīrakṛt prāṇadātā yasya cānnāni bhuñjate
krameṇaite trayo ̍ yuktāḥ pitaro dharmaśāsane

Vultures protected life of the child of Menakā. I had gone there to perform my ablutions and I saw the child lying in deep solitude in the forest surrounded by vultures. Bringing her here, I have made her my daughter. According to the scriptures, maker of the body, protector of life and giver of food, these three are in their order considered to be fathers.

nirjane tu vane yasmācchakuntaiḥ parivāritā
śakuntaleti nāmāsyāḥ kṛtaṁ cāpi tato mayā

Because she was found in solitude of the forest, protected by Śaknuntas -birds, she has been named Śakuntalā -protected by birds.

evaṁ duhitaraṁ viddhi mama vipra śakuntalām
śakuntalā ca pitaraṁ manyate māmaninditā

O Brāhmaṇa! Know that it is thus that Śakuntalā has become my daughter and faultless Śakuntalā also regards me as her father.

śakuntalovāca
etadācaṣṭa pṛṣṭaḥ san mama janma maharṣaye
sutāṁ kaṇvasya māmevaṁ viddhi tvaṁ manujādhipa
kaṇvaṁ hi pitaraṁ manye pitaraṁ svamajānatī
iti te kathan yathāvṛttaṁ śrutaṁ mayā

Śakuntalā said: Thus great Ṛṣi Kaṇva, when asked, told Brāhmaṇa account of my birth. O king! You must know that I have thus become a danger of Kaṇva. Not knowing who is my real father, I regard Kaṇva as my father. Thus I have told you, O king, all that I have heard about my birth.