# शकुन्तला (śakuntalā)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/shakuntala

शकुन्तला (śakuntalā) is a Sanskrit word meaning the mother of king Bharata, an Apsaras, a proper name, a queen of Dushyanta. Its 11 recorded definitions are grouped into 6 contexts, among them Śakuntalā's Core Biography, Brief Identifications of Śakuntalā, Śakuntalā as Heroine of Kālidāsa's Drama.

- **Etymology:** E. शकुन्त a bird, ला to get, aff. क, and टाप्, being born in a solitary forest, and protected by the birds till found by KAṆVA — E. śakunta a bird, lā to get, aff. ka, and ṭāp, being born in a solitary forest, and protected by the birds till found by KAṆVA
- **SLP1:** `SakuntalA`  **IAST:** śakuntalā  **Devanagari:** शकुन्तला
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakuntala
- **Declensions:** 24 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/shakuntala/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** शाकुंतल (śākuṃtala), शाकुन्तल (śākuntala), शकुंतला (śakuṃtalā)

## Meanings by context

### Śakuntalā's Core Biography (4 definitions)
- the name of the daughter of Menaka and Vishvamitra, wife of Dushyanta, and mother of Bharata  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 1046,3] शकुन्त (śakunta) ला (śakuntalā) f. (said to be fr. शकुन्त (śakunta) ) N. of a daughter of the Apsaras Menakā by Viśvāmitra (she was supposed to have been born and left in a forest, where she was protected by birds till found by the sage Kaṇva, who took her to his hermitage and reared her as his daughter; she was there seen by king Duṣyanta, when on a hunting expedition, and married by him, and became the mother of Bharata, sovereign of all India; the story of Duṣyanta's accidental meeting with Śakuntalā, their marriage, separation, his repudiation of her through temporary loss of memory caused by a curse, his subsequent recognition of her by means of a ring which was lost but afterwards recovered, forms the subject of Kālidāsa's celebrated drama called Abhijñāna-śakuntalā q.v. ). [ ID=211383 ]
- The name of a mythological heroine, daughter of Menaka and Vishvamitra, raised by Kanva, and wife of Dushyanta.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शक (ka) ुन्त (śakunta) ला (lā) (śakuntalā) [Printed book page 824 ] शक (ka) ुन्त (śakunta) ला (lā) (śakuntalā) f. ( - ला (lā) (-lā) ) The daughter of MENAKĀ, the courtezan of Svarga, by the sage VIŚVĀMITRA, brought up by KAṆVA the hermit, and afterwards married to DUṢYANTA, by whom she became the mother of BHARATA, the sovereign of all India. E. शक (ka) ुन्त (śakunta) a bird, ला (lā) to get, aff. क (ka), and टाप् (ṭāp), being born in a solitary forest, and protected by the birds till found by KAṆVA. [ ID=37443 ]
- The name of a mythological heroine, daughter of Vishwamitra and Menaka, brought up by Kanwa, and mother of Bharata.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शक (ka) ुन्त (śakunta) ला (lā) (śakuntalā) [Printed book page 702-b ] शक (ka) ुन्त (śakunta) ला (lā) (śakuntalā) f. ( - ला (lā) (-lā) ) The daughter of MENAKĀ, the courtezan of Swarga, by the sage VISHWĀMITRA, brought up by KANWA the hermit, and afterwards married to DUSHYANTA, by whom she became the mother of BHARATA, the sovereign of all India. E. शक (ka) ुन्त (śakunta) a bird, ला (lā) to get, affs. क (ka) and टाप्, (ṭāp,) being born in a solitary forest, and protected by the birds till found by KANWA. [ ID=39228 ]
- The name of the daughter of Menaka and Vishvamitra, wife of Dushyanta, and mother of Bharata.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > शकुन्तला (śakuntalā) [Printed book page 0987-b ] Śakuntalā, f. (said to be fr. śakunta ), N. of a daughter of the Apsaras Menakā by Viśvā-mitra, (she was supposed to have been born and left in a solitary forest, where she was protected by birds till found by the sage Kaṇva, who took her to his hermitage and reared her as his daughter; she was there seen by king Dushyanta, when on a hunting expedition, and married by him, and became the mother of Bharata, sovereign of all India; the story of Dush- yanta's accidental meeting with Śakuntalā, their marriage, separation, his repudiation of her through temporary loss of memory caused by a curse, his subsequent recognition of her by means of a ring he had once given her which she had lost but after- wards recovered, forms the subject of Kālidāsa's celebrated drama called Abhijñāna-śakuntala, q. v.) —Śakuntalātmaja (°lā-āt°), as, m. ‘Śakuntalā's son,’ epithet of Bharata, sovereign of India. —Śa- kuntalopākhyāna (°lā-up°), am, n. ‘story of Śa- kuntalā,’ N. of chapters 69-74 of the Ādi-parvan of the Mahā-bhārata and of the first five chapters of the Svarga-khaṇḍa of the Padma-Purāṇa. [ ID=45999 ]

### Brief Identifications of Śakuntalā (2 definitions)
- 1. An Apsaras. 2. The daughter of Vishvamitra and Menaka, wife of Dushyanta, and mother of Bharata.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शकुन्तला (śakuntalā) [Printed book page 305-a3 ] शकुन्तला (śakuntalā) śakúntalā, f. N. of an Apsaras ( Br. ); N. of a daughter of Viśvāmitra and Menakā, wife of Duṣyanta, and mother of Bharata. [ ID=17422 ]
- The mother of king Bharata  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शकुन्तला (śakuntalā) [Printed book page 742-a ] शकुन्त - ला (śakunta-lā) ( ला ) ((lā)) 1. f. The mother of king Bharata, who was sovereign of all India. [ ID=37076 ]

### Śakuntalā as Heroine of Kālidāsa's Drama (2 definitions)
- A proper name  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शकुन्तला (śakuntalā) [Printed book page 0926-a ] शकुन्तला (śakuntalā) śakunta + lā, f. A proper name, Śāk. 3, 5. — Comp. Abhijñāna-, n. (suppl. nāṭaka, a drama), having as subject Śakuntalā, recognised by a token of remembrance, Śāk. 3, 12. [ ID=14363 ]
- The name of an Apsaras who is the heroine of a famous drama.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शकुन्तला (śakuntalā) [Printed book page 534 ] शकुन्तला (śakuntalā) f. N. of an Apsaras, the heroine of a celebrated drama. [ ID=31592 ]

### Śakuntalā as Apsaras in Vedic Texts (1 definition)
- an Apsaras who bore Bharata  
  *The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects*
  > शकुन्तला (śakuntalā) [Printed book page 2-348 ] Śakuntalā is the name of an Apsaras who bore Bharata, according to the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, 1 at Nāḍapit. Weber 2 doubtfully reads the latter word as Nāḍapitī, an epithet of Śakuntalā. [ Footnote: 1) xiii. 5, 4, 13.] [ Footnote: 2) Episches im vedischen Ritual, 6.] [ ID=3134 ]

### Śakuntalā in the Mahābhārata (1 definition)
- Daughter of Vishvamitra and Menaka, wife of Dushyanta, and mother of Bharata  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > शकुन्तला (śakuntalā) [Printed book page 186-1 ] Śakuntalā, daughter of Viśvāmitra and Menakā, wife of Duṣyanta, and mother of Bharata. § 11 (Parvasaṅgr.): I, 2, 371.—§ 133 (Duṣyanta): I, 69, 2814, 2815 (Duṣyanta sees Ś. in the hermitage of Kaṇva); 71, (2903). —§ 134 (Viśvāmitra): I, 71, (2912); 72, 2945 (daughter of Viśvāmitra and Menakā), 2951 (origin of her name: nirjane tu vane yasmāt śakuntaiḥ parivāritā | Ś°eti nāmāsyāḥ kṛtaṃ cāpi tato mayā ), 2952, (2953).—§ 135 (Śakuntalop.): I, 73, (2959), (2968), 2977, 2981, (2985), 2987; 74, 2988, 2997, 2998, 3000, 3003, 3060, (3069), 3101, 3102, 3103 (Duṣyanta wedded Ś. according to the Gāndharva form of marriage, and returned to his capital; Ś. brought her son Bharata to Duṣyanta, who first did not acknowledge him as his son, until a celestial voice testified the truth of Ś.'s words).—§ 156 (Pūruvaṃś.): I, 95, ††3782 ( Viśvāmitra- duhitaraṃ ), 3783—4 (= vv. 3102—3).—§ 565 (Gālavacarita): V, 117, 3974 ( reme…yathā…Śakuntalāyāṃ Duṣvantaḥ ). [ ID=2314 ]

### Śakuntalā in the Purāṇas (1 definition)
- 1. The daughter of Vishvamitra and Menaka, wife of Dushyanta, and mother of Bharata. 2. A queen of Dushyanta.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > शकुन्तला (śakuntalā) [Printed book page 3-357 ] Śakuntalā — the daughter of Viśvāmitra and Menakā; was brought up in Kaṇva's āśrama with nīvāra food; Duṣ- yanta who came there was entertained and was accepted as her Lord by Gāndharva vidhi. Gave birth to the future Bharata and came to the king's palace with the child; was refused admission by the king who had forgotten her. A voice in the air urged the king to accept her and he did so; 1 a queen of Duṣyanta and mother of Bharata. 2 [ Footnote: 1) Bhā. IX. 20. 8-22 [1-2]; M. 49. 11; Cā. 99. 134.] [ Footnote: 2) Vi. IV. 19. 12-13.] [ ID=13903 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Purana Index; The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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