संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
वैशंपायनः उवाच तं ऋषिं अपश्यमानः तया च तथा उक्तः नृपः वरारोहां श्रीमतीं चारुहासिनीं तां दृष्ट्वाvaiśaṃpāyanaḥ uvāca taṃ ṛṣiṃ apaśyamānaḥ tayā ca tathā uktaḥ nṛpaḥ varārohāṃ śrīmatīṃ cāruhāsinīṃ tāṃ dṛṣṭvāVaishampayana said: not seeing that sage and thus informed by her, the king, having seen that lovely-hipped, glorious, sweetly smiling [maiden]
वपुषा तपसा दमेन च विभ्राजमानां रूपयौवनसंपन्नां [दृष्ट्वा] महीपतिः इत्य् उवाचvapuṣā tapasā damena ca vibhrājamānāṃ rūpayauvanasaṃpannāṃ [dṛṣṭvā] mahīpatiḥ ity uvācashining in body, in austerity, and in self-restraint, endowed with beauty and youth, [having seen her], the king spoke thus
का असि कस्य असि सुश्रोणि किमर्थं वनं आगता एवंरूपगुणोपेता कुतः त्वं असि शोभनेkā asi kasya asi suśroṇi kimarthaṃ vanaṃ āgatā evaṃrūpaguṇopetā kutaḥ tvaṃ asi śobhanewho are you, whose are you, O lovely-hipped one? Why have you come to the forest? Endowed with such beauty and virtues — whence are you, O fair one?
शुभे दर्शनात् एव त्वया मे मनः अपहृतं त्वां ज्ञातुं इच्छामि तत् मम आचक्ष्वśubhe darśanāt eva tvayā me manaḥ apahṛtaṃ tvāṃ jñātuṃ icchāmi tat mama ācakṣvaO gracious one, from the very moment I saw [you], my heart has been stolen by you; I wish to know you — so tell me
एवं उक्ता कन्या तेन राज्ञा तदा आश्रमे हसती सुमधुराक्षरं इदं वाक्यं उवाचevaṃ uktā kanyā tena rājñā tadā āśrame hasatī sumadhurākṣaraṃ idaṃ vākyaṃ uvācathus questioned by that king, the maiden, in the hermitage, laughing, spoke this speech in sweet syllables
दुःषन्त अहं भगवतः कण्वस्य तपस्विनः धृतिमतः धर्मज्ञस्य यशस्विनः दुहिता मताduḥṣanta ahaṃ bhagavataḥ kaṇvasya tapasvinaḥ dhṛtimataḥ dharmajñasya yaśasvinaḥ duhitā matāO Duhshanta, I am reckoned the daughter of the blessed Kanva — an ascetic, steadfast, knowing dharma, glorious
दुःषन्तः उवाच महाभागः भगवान् ऊर्ध्वरेताः लोकपूजितः धर्मः अपि वृत्तात् चलेत् [न] संशितव्रतः न चलेत्duḥṣantaḥ uvāca mahābhāgaḥ bhagavān ūrdhvaretāḥ lokapūjitaḥ dharmaḥ api vṛttāt calet [na] saṃśitavrataḥ na caletDuhshanta said: the blessed lord is one who upholds the vow of celibacy, honored by the worlds; dharma itself might sooner swerve from its path, [but] one firm in his vow will not swerve
वरवर्णिनि त्वं तस्य दुहिता कथं संभूता मे अत्र महान् संशयः तं छेत्तुं अर्हसिvaravarṇini tvaṃ tasya duhitā kathaṃ saṃbhūtā me atra mahān saṃśayaḥ taṃ chettuṃ arhasiO most beautiful one, how then were you born his daughter? Great is my doubt in this — you must dispel it
वैशंपायनvaiśaṃpāyanaoriginal form "vaiśaṃpāyana", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अपश्यमानस्apaśyamānasoriginal form "apaśyamānas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तम्tamoriginal form "tam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चोक्तस्coktasoriginal form "coktas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चारुहासिनीम्cāruhāsinīmoriginal form "cāruhāsinīm", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चcaoriginal form "ca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
रूपयौवनसंपन्नाम्rūpayauvanasaṃpannāmoriginal form "rūpayauvanasaṃpannām", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कासिkāsioriginal form "kāsi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कस्यासिkasyāsioriginal form "kasyāsi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चागताcāgatāoriginal form "cāgatā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वनम्vanamoriginal form "vanam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कुतस्kutasoriginal form "kutas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्वम्tvamoriginal form "tvam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दर्शनाद्darśanādoriginal form "darśanād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
हिhioriginal form "hi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽपहृतं'pahṛtaṃoriginal form "'pahṛtaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्वाम्tvāmoriginal form "tvām", 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
शोभनेśobhaneoriginal form "śobhane", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एवम्evamoriginal form "evam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तदाश्रमेtadāśrameoriginal form "tadāśrame", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वाक्यम्vākyamoriginal form "vākyam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सुमधुराक्षरम्sumadhurākṣaramoriginal form "sumadhurākṣaram", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कण्वष्याहंkaṇvaṣyāhaṃoriginal form "kaṇvaṣyāhaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भगवतोbhagavatooriginal form "bhagavato", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तपस्विनोtapasvinooriginal form "tapasvino", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धृतिमतोdhṛtimatooriginal form "dhṛtimato", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दुःषन्तduḥṣantaoriginal form "duḥṣanta", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऊर्ध्वरेताūrdhvaretāoriginal form "ūrdhvaretā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
महाभागोmahābhāgooriginal form "mahābhāgo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भगवांल्bhagavāṃloriginal form "bhagavāṃl", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चलेद्caledoriginal form "caled", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धिdhioriginal form "dhi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वृत्ताद्vṛttādoriginal form "vṛttād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धर्मोdharmooriginal form "dharmo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽपि'pioriginal form "'pi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वरवर्णिनीvaravarṇinīoriginal form "varavarṇinī", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
संशयोsaṃśayooriginal form "saṃśayo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मेmeoriginal form "me", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
छेत्तुम्chettumoriginal form "chettum", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इहार्हसिihārhasioriginal form "ihārhasi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here the king's love reveals itself — "my heart has been stolen by you" — and, together with it, his discernment reveals itself as well. It is significant that the king, having fallen in love, does not lose his reverence for dharma: hearing that the maiden is the daughter of Kanva, he is perplexed, for he knows that Kanva is one "who upholds the vow of celibacy" (urdhva-retas), and therefore could not have had a daughter by the flesh. Here is a commendable trait: even under the sway of passion the king honors the sanctity of the ascetic and permits himself no unworthy thought of him — "dharma itself might sooner swerve, but one firm in his vow will not swerve." Thus scripture shows that true love is not blind to dharma: the king wishes to learn the truth about the maiden before giving way to feeling. It is this reverent doubt that moves Shakuntala to tell the wondrous tale of her birth — from the sage Vishvamitra and the celestial maiden Menaka. Thus the heart's attraction turns into a search for truth, and the meeting of lovers is set within the frame of a sacred story.