vaiśampāyana uvāca
tato ' gacchanmahābāhureko ̍'mātyān visṛjya tān
nāpaśyaccāśrame tasmiṁstamṛṣiṁ saṁśitavratam
Vaiśampāyana said: Having proceeded further, leaving behind him his attendants that mighty armed king entered hermitage alone but he did not find there Ṛṣi of rigid vows, Kaṇva.
so ̍'paśyamānastamṛṣiṁ śūnyaṁ dṛṣṭvā tathā āśramam
uvāca ka ihetyuccairvanaṁ saṁnādayanniva
Having seen that Ṛṣi ̍ s hermitage was empty, he hailed aloud: Ho! Who is there?
His voice was echoed in the forest.
śrutvātha tasya taṁ śabdaṁ kanyā śrīriva rūpiṇī
niścakrāmāśramāt tasmāt tāpasīveṣadhāriṇī
Hearing his voice, a maiden, in the garb of ascetics, as beautiful as Śrī - Lakṣmī, came out of hermitage.
sā taṁ dṛṣṭvaiva rājānaṁ duṣyantamasitekṣaṇā
avāgataṁ ta iti kṣipramuvāca pratipūjya ca
No sooner that black eyed damsel saw king Duṣyanta, that she instantly bade him welcome and worchipped him in due form.
āsanenārcayitvā ca pādyenārgheṇa caiva hi
papracchānāmayaṁ rājan kuśalaṁ ca narādhipam
She respected him with offering a seat, gave him water to wash his feet and offered him argya. Having done all this, O king, she enquered aftre his health and peace.
yathāvadarcayitvātha pṛṣṭvā cānāmayaṁ tadā
uvāca smayamāneva kiṁ kāryaṁ kriyatāmiti
Having thus honoured him in due form and enquered about his health and peace, maiden most respectfully asked king: What should be done?
tāmabravīt tato rājā kanyāṁ madhurabhāṣiīm
dṛṣṭvā caivānavadyāṅgīṁ yathāvat pratipūjitaḥ
Having been thus honoured in due form, king replied to that sweet speeched and faultless featured damsel thus:
āgato ̍ haṁ mahābhāgamṛṣiṁ kaṇvamupāsitum
kva gato bhagavān bhadre tanmamācakṣva śobhane
I have come to worship greatly blessed Ṛṣi Kaṇva. O amiable and beautiful lady! Tell me where has illustrious man gone?
śakuntalovāca
gataḥ pitā me bhagavān phalānyāhartumāśramāt
muhūrtaṁ sampratīkṣasva draṣṭāsyenamupāgatam
Śakuntalā said: My noble father has gone away from hermitage to collect fruits. Kindly wait for a moment and you will see him when he will come.
vaiśampāyana uvāca
apaśyamānastamṛṣiṁ tathā coktastayā ca saḥ
tāṁ dṛṣṭvā ca varārohāṁ śrīmatīṁ cāruhāsinīm
vibhrājamānāṁ vapuṣā tapasā ca damena ca
rūpayauvanasampannāmituvāca mahīpatiḥ
Vaiśampāyana said: King, having not seen Ṛṣi and having been thus addressed by maiden, saw that she was exceedingly beautiful. She was exquisite beauty of sweet smiles and lady of perfect symmetry of shape. She was in the bloom of her youth and beauty. She was adorned with beauty of faultless features, hard asceticism and sweet humility. King addressed her thus:
kā tvaṁ kasyāsi suśreṇi kimarthaṁ cāgatā vanam
evaṁūpaguṇopetā kuastvamasi śobhane
Who are you? O beautiful lady! Whose daughter you are? Why have you come into this rest? O beautiful lady, accomplished and beautiful as you are, whence have you come here?
darśanādeva hi śubhe tvayā me ̍ pahṛtaṁ manaḥ
icchāmi tvāmahaṁ jñātuṁ tanmamācakṣva śobhane
O charming lady! You have stolen my hart at the very first glance. I desire to know all about you. O bautiful lady! Tell me all!
evamuktā tu sā kanyā tena rājñā tamāśrame
uvāca hasatī vākyamiaṁ sumadhurākṣaram
Having been thus addressed by king in that hermitage, maiden smilingly replied in sweet words.
kaṇvasyāhaṁ bhagavato duṣyanta duhitā matā
tapasvino dhṛtimato dharmajñasya mahātmanaḥ
O king! I am daughter of illustrios, virtuous, wise and high souled ascetic Kaṇva.
duṣyanta uvāca
ūrdhvaretā mahābhāgo bhagavāṁllokapūjitaḥ
caleddhi vṛtād dharmo ̍ pi na calet saṁśitavrataḥ
Duṣyanta said: Illustrious and highly blessed Ṛṣi is worshipped by all the world. He has completely controlled his sexual passions. Even Dharma may fall from the right path, but ascetic of rigid vows can never fall from it.
kathaṁ tvaṁ tasya duhitā sambhūtā varavarṇinī
saṁśayo me mahānatra tanme chettumihārhasi
O beautiful and charming lady! How can you be his daughter? You should dispel from mt mind this great doubt of mine.
Śakuntalovāca
yathāyamāgamo mahyaṁ yathā cedamabhūt purā
śṛṇu rājan yathātattvaṁ yathāsmi duhitā muneḥ
Śakuntalā said: O king! Hear, what I have learnt from Ṛṣi regarding all that happened to me and how I became the daughter of Ṛṣi Kaṇva.
ṛṣiḥ kaścidihāgamya mama janmābhyacodayat
tasmai provāca bhagavān yathā tacchṛṇu pārthiva
Once upon a time Ṛṣi came here and asked about my birth. O king! Hear what illustrious Ṛṣi - Kaṇva told him about me.
kaṇva uvāca
tapyamānaḥ kila purā viśvāmitro mahat tapaḥ
subhṛśaṁ tāpayāmāsa śakraṁ suragaṅeśvaram
Kaṇva said: In the days of yore, Viśvāmitra was engaged in austere asceticism and he thus alarmed Indra, king of celestials.
tapasā dīptavīryo ̍ yaṁ sthānānmāṁ cyāvayediti
bhītaḥ puraṅdarastasmānmenakāmidamabravīt
Indra thought that Ṛṣi, by his great ascetic penances would hurl him from his high seat in heaven. Being thus alarmed, he called Menakā and told her:
guṇairapsarasā divyairmenake tvaṁ viśiṣyase
śreyo me kuru kalyāṇi yat tvāṁ vakṣyāmi tacchṛṇu
asāvādityasaṁkāśo viśvāmitro mahātapāḥ
tapyamānastapo ghoraṁ mama kampayate manaḥ
O Menakā! You are the best of all celestial Apsaras! O amiable girl, do me this service! Listen to what I say. Great ascetic Viśvāmitra, as effulgent as Sun, is now engaged in great asceticism and therefore my heart is trembling.
menake tava bhāro ̍ yaṁ viśvāmitraḥ sumadhyame
śaṁsitātmā sudurdharṣa ugre tapasi vartate
O Menakā! O slender waisted girl! It is your business. You must see Viśvāmitra, whose soul is rapt in contemplation and who is deeply engaged in austere penances.
samāṁ na cyāvayet sthānāt taṁ vai gatvā pralobhaya
cara tasya tapovighnaṁ kuru me ̍ vighnamuttamam
He may displace me from the seat in heaven. Go and tempt him. Frustrating his asceticism, do my good.
rūpayauvanamādhuryaceṣṭitasmitabhāṣaṇaiḥ
lobhayitvā varārohe tapasastaṁ nivartaya
O beautiful girl! Win him from his asceticism by tempting with your beauty, youth, agreeableness, arts, smiles and speech.
menakovāca
mahātejāḥ sa bhagavāṁstathaiva ca mahātapāḥ
kopanaśca tathā hyenaṁ jānāti bhagavānapi
Menakā said: That illustrious Ṛṣi is great ascetic and greatly effulgent. Your illustrious self know also , that he is very wrathful.
tejasastapasaścaiva kopasya ca mahātmanaḥ
tvamapyudvijase yasya nodvijeyamahaṁ katham
Energy, asceticism and wrath of that illustrious man have made even you anxious. Why should I not be afraid of him?
mahābhāgaṁ vasiṣṭhaṁ yaḥ putrairiṣṭairvyayojayat
kṣatrajātaśca yaḥ pūrvamabhavad brāhmaṇo balāt
śaucārthaṁ yo nadīṁ cakre durgamāṁ bahubhirjalaiḥ
yāṁ tāṁ puṇyatamāṁ loke kauśikīti vidurjanāḥ
He made even illustrious Vasiṣṭha suffer grief of premature death of his sons. He was originally a Kṣatriya, but has become a Brāhmaṇa by his own strength of asceticism. He created deep river of strong current for the purpose of ablutions. That holy river is still known in the world by the name of Kauśika.
babhāra yatrāsya purā kāle durge mahātmanaḥ
dārānmataṅgo dharmātmā rājarṣirvyādhatāṁ gataḥ
Here on the banks of this river wife of illustrious man was maintained during a famine by king Mataṅga, who was living there as a hunter under a curse.
atītakāle durbhikṣe abhyetya punarāśramam
puniḥ pāreti nadyā vai nāma cakre tadā prabhuḥ
O lord! This illustrious man, after the famine was over, came back to his hermitage and gave river the name Pāra.
mataṅgaṁ yājayāñcakre yatra prītamanāḥ svayam
tvaṁ ca somaṁ bhayād yasya gataḥ pātuṁ sureśvara
Being very much pleased with Mataṅga, this illustrious man became his priest for the purpose of sacrifice. O king of celestials! Out of fear you yourself went to that sacrifice to drink Soma.
cakārānyaṁ ca lokaṁ vai kruddho nakṣatrasampadā
pratiśravaṇapūrvāṇi nakṣatrāṇi cakāra yaḥ
guruśāpahatasyāpi triśaṅkoḥ śaraṇaṁ dadau
This illustrious man created in anger another world with stars, created numerous other stars beginning from Śravaṇa. This illustrious man gave protection to Triśaṅku, cursed by his Guru.
etāni yasya karmāṇi tasyāhaṁ bhṛśamudvije
yathāsau na dahet kruddhastathā ājñāpaya mā vibho
I am afraid to go to a man, whose deeds are such. O lord! Ordain that which may prevent him from burning me in anger.
tejasā nirdahellokān kampayed dharaṇīṁ padā
saṁkṣipecca mahāmeruṁ tūrṇamāvartayed diśaḥ
He can burn the worlds with his effulgence. He can make Earth quake by a kick. He can uproot great Meru mountain and hurl it to great distance and go round ten points or Earth in a moment.
tādṛśaṁ tapasā yuktaṁ pradīptamiva pāvakam
kathamasmadvidhā nārī jitendriyamabhispṛśet
How can a woman like my humble self touch such a man who is full of ascetic virtues, who is as blazing fire and who has completely controlled his passions?
hutāśanamukhaṁ dīptaṁ sūryacandrākṣitārakam
kālajihvaṁ sureṣṭha kathamasmadvidhā smṛśet
His mouth is as blazing as fire, pupils of his eyes are like sun and moon and his tongue is like Yama himself. O best of celestials, how can women like ourselves touch him?
yamaśca somaśca maharṣayaśca
sādhyā viśve vālakhilyāśca sarve
ete ̍ pi yasyodvijante prabhāvāt
tasmāt kasmānmādṛśī nodvijeta
Yama, Soma, great Ṛṣis, Sādhyas, Viśedevas, Vālakhilyās, all are alarmed at the thought of his proves. Why should not a woman like myself be afraid of him?
tvayaivamuktā ca kathaṁ samīpa-
mṛṣerna gaccheyamahaṁ surendra
rakṣāṁ tu me cintaya devarāja
yathā tvadarthaṁ rakṣitāhaṁ careyam
O king of celestials! Commanded by yyou, somehow or other I must go to that Ṛṣi, but, O king of celestials! Devise some means by which, under your protection, I can safely move about him.
kāmaṁ tu me mārutastatra vāsaḥ
prakrīḍitāyā vivṛṇotu deva
bhavecca me manmathastatra kārye
sahāyabhūtastu tava prasādāt
O celestial! When I shall be near the Ṛṣi, Maruta - wind, should be there and rob me of my cloth. Manmatha - god of love, should at your command help me in my this work.
vanācca vāyuḥ surabhiḥ pravāyāt
tasmin kāle tamṛṣiṁ lobhayantyāḥ
tathetyuktvā vihite caiva tasmiṁ-
statoyayausā āśramaṁ kauśikasya
Let wind carry sweet fragrance from the wood to tempt Ṛṣi. Having said this and having seen that all that she wanted had been duly provided, she went to the hermitage of great Kauśika - Viśvāmitra.
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