संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
वैशंपायनः उवाच ततः महाबाहुः तान् अमात्यान् विसृज्य एकः गच्छन् तस्मिन् आश्रमे तं संशितव्रतं ऋषिं न अपश्यत्vaiśaṃpāyanaḥ uvāca tataḥ mahābāhuḥ tān amātyān visṛjya ekaḥ gacchan tasmin āśrame taṃ saṃśitavrataṃ ṛṣiṃ na apaśyatVaishampayana said: then the mighty-armed [king], having dismissed those ministers, walking alone, did not see in that hermitage that sage firm in vows
सः तं ऋषिं अपश्यमानः शून्यं आश्रमं दृष्ट्वा वनं संनादयन् इव उच्चैः कः इह इति उवाचsaḥ taṃ ṛṣiṃ apaśyamānaḥ śūnyaṃ āśramaṃ dṛṣṭvā vanaṃ saṃnādayan iva uccaiḥ kaḥ iha iti uvācahe, not seeing that sage and seeing the hermitage empty, as if filling the forest with sound, called out loudly: "Who is here?"
तस्य शब्दं श्रुत्वा श्रीः इव रूपिणी कन्या तापसीवेषधारिणी तस्मात् आश्रमात् निश्चक्रामtasya śabdaṃ śrutvā śrīḥ iva rūpiṇī kanyā tāpasīveṣadhāriṇī tasmāt āśramāt niścakrāmahearing that sound, a maiden, [beautiful] as embodied Shri, wearing the garb of an ascetic, came out of that hermitage
सा असितेक्षणा तं राजानं दुःषन्तं दृष्ट्वा एव प्रतिपूज्य क्षिप्रं ते स्वागतं इति उवाचsā asitekṣaṇā taṃ rājānaṃ duḥṣantaṃ dṛṣṭvā eva pratipūjya kṣipraṃ te svāgataṃ iti uvācathat dark-eyed one, as soon as she saw King Duhshanta, having honored him, at once said: "Welcome to you"
आसनेन पाद्येन अर्घ्येण च अर्चयित्वा नराधिपं अनामयं कुशलं च पप्रच्छāsanena pādyena arghyeṇa ca arcayitvā narādhipaṃ anāmayaṃ kuśalaṃ ca papracchahaving honored him with a seat, water for the feet, and the guest-offering, she asked the king about his health and welfare
यथावत् अर्चयित्वा अनामयं पृष्ट्वा सा स्मयमाना इव किं कार्यं क्रियताम् इति उवाचyathāvat arcayitvā anāmayaṃ pṛṣṭvā sā smayamānā iva kiṃ kāryaṃ kriyatām iti uvācahaving honored him duly and asked after his health, she, as if smiling, said: "What is to be done? Let it be done"
राजा यथावत् प्रतिपूजितः सर्वानवद्याङ्गीं तां मधुरभाषिणीं कन्यां दृष्ट्वा तां अब्रवीत्rājā yathāvat pratipūjitaḥ sarvānavadyāṅgīṃ tāṃ madhurabhāṣiṇīṃ kanyāṃ dṛṣṭvā tāṃ abravītthe king, duly honored, having seen that flawless-limbed, sweet-voiced maiden, said to her
अहं महाभागं ऋषिं कण्वं उपासितुं आगतः भगवान् क्व गतः भद्रे तत् मम आचक्ष्व शोभनेahaṃ mahābhāgaṃ ṛṣiṃ kaṇvaṃ upāsituṃ āgataḥ bhagavān kva gataḥ bhadre tat mama ācakṣva śobhaneI have come to pay homage to the blessed sage Kanva; where has the lord gone, O gracious one? Tell me that, O fair one
शकुन्तला उवाच मे पिता भगवान् फलानि आहर्तुं आश्रमात् गतः मुहूर्तं संप्रतीक्षस्व एनं आगतं द्रक्ष्यसिśakuntalā uvāca me pitā bhagavān phalāni āhartuṃ āśramāt gataḥ muhūrtaṃ saṃpratīkṣasva enaṃ āgataṃ drakṣyasiShakuntala said: my father, the lord, has gone from the hermitage to bring fruits; wait a moment — you will see him arrive
वैशंपायनvaiśaṃpāyanaoriginal form "vaiśaṃpāyana", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ततोtatooriginal form "tato", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
महाबाहुर्mahābāhuroriginal form "mahābāhur", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एकोekooriginal form "eko", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽमात्यान्'mātyānoriginal form "'mātyān", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नापश्यद्nāpaśyadoriginal form "nāpaśyad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तस्मिंस्tasmiṃsoriginal form "tasmiṃs", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तम्tamoriginal form "tam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
संशितव्रतम्saṃśitavratamoriginal form "saṃśitavratam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सोsooriginal form "so", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽपश्यमानस्'paśyamānasoriginal form "'paśyamānas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तम्tamoriginal form "tam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तम्tamoriginal form "tam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आश्रमम्āśramamoriginal form "āśramam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कkaoriginal form "ka", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इहेत्य्ihetyoriginal form "ihety", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
उच्चैर्uccairoriginal form "uccair", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
संनादयन्न्saṃnādayannoriginal form "saṃnādayann", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
श्रुत्वाथśrutvāthaoriginal form "śrutvātha", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
श्रीर्śrīroriginal form "śrīr", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
निश्चक्रामाश्रमात्niścakrāmāśramātoriginal form "niścakrāmāśramāt", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दृष्ट्वैवdṛṣṭvaivaoriginal form "dṛṣṭvaiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दुःषन्तम्duḥṣantamoriginal form "duḥṣantam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तtaoriginal form "ta", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
क्षिप्रम्kṣipramoriginal form "kṣipram", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आसनेनार्चयित्वाāsanenārcayitvāoriginal form "āsanenārcayitvā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पाद्येनार्घ्येणpādyenārghyeṇaoriginal form "pādyenārghyeṇa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चैवcaivaoriginal form "caiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
हिhioriginal form "hi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पप्रच्छानामयंpapracchānāmayaṃoriginal form "papracchānāmayaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
राजन्rājanoriginal form "rājan", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चcaoriginal form "ca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नराधिपम्narādhipamoriginal form "narādhipam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यथावद्yathāvadoriginal form "yathāvad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चानामयंcānāmayaṃoriginal form "cānāmayaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तदाtadāoriginal form "tadā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
स्मयमानेवsmayamānevaoriginal form "smayamāneva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ताम्tāmoriginal form "tām", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ततोtatooriginal form "tato", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मधुरभाषिणीम्madhurabhāṣiṇīmoriginal form "madhurabhāṣiṇīm", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आगतोāgatooriginal form "āgato", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽहं'haṃoriginal form "'haṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
महाभागम्mahābhāgamoriginal form "mahābhāgam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कण्वम्kaṇvamoriginal form "kaṇvam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
उपासितुम्upāsitumoriginal form "upāsitum", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
गतोgatooriginal form "gato", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तन्tanoriginal form "tan", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ममाचक्ष्वmamācakṣvaoriginal form "mamācakṣva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शकुन्तलोवाचśakuntalovācaoriginal form "śakuntalovāca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
फलान्य्phalānyoriginal form "phalāny", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आहर्तुम्āhartumoriginal form "āhartum", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
द्रक्ष्यस्य्drakṣyasyoriginal form "drakṣyasy", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एनम्enamoriginal form "enam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इहागतम्ihāgatamoriginal form "ihāgatam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here the meeting of King Duhshanta and Shakuntala takes place — the beginning of a love from which the line of the Bharatas will descend. It is significant that Shakuntala, the daughter of an ascetic, first of all manifests the dharma of hospitality: alone, in the empty hermitage, she receives an unknown guest with proper honor — a seat, water, the guest-offering, an inquiry after his health. Here it is shown that the law of receiving a guest (atithi-dharma) is sacred and inviolable; the guest is like a deity, and he must be honored, whoever he may be. The comparison of Shakuntala to Shri (Lakshmi) is significant: we recall from the "descent of parts" that Draupadi is a portion of Shri; here too the beauty of Shakuntala is likened to that same goddess — tradition honors, in a virtuous wife, a reflection of divine beauty. And the maiden's first word is concern for the guest's welfare, her last — "What is to be done?": it is service, not self-interest, that moves her. Thus scripture reveals the image of a chaste, well-mannered maiden — worthy foremother of a great line.