T E X TS, R E A D I N G S, H I S TO R I E S

ROMILA THAPAR

Śakuntala–“THAPAR shows how it is possible to express complex ideas, rooted in philosophy and hermeneutics, without recourse to jargon. This book is a frontrunner for the prize of the best book on Indian history.”—TelegraphTHE figure of Śakuntala

_ appears in many forms throughout South Asian

literature, most famously in the Mahabharata and in Kalidasa’s fourth-century Sanskrit play Śakuntala

_ and the Ring of Recollection. In these

two texts, ́Sakuntala_ undergoes a critical transformation, relinquishing her

assertiveness and autonomy to become the quintessentially submissive woman, revealing much about the performance of Hindu femininity that would come to dominate South Asian culture. Through a careful analysis of sections from Śakuntala

_ and their various iterations in different contexts,

Romila Thapar explores the interactions between literature and history and culture and gender that frame the development of this canonical figure, as well as a distinct conception of female identity.

“THROUGH a timeless character of legend and literature, we are allowed a ringside view of our most fascinating cultural—and gendered—history.”—India Today

“A VIRTUOSO feat of historical and cultural analysis.”—Biblio

“THAPAR’S wide-ranging essays and monographs make a strong case for the urgency to historicize traditions and highlight the changing meanings of texts and oral cultures.”—Hindustan Times

“AS fascinating as Śakuntala_

’s journey is Thapar’s retelling of it and her careful assumption of the role of a literary detective.”—Hindu

ROMILA THAPAR specializes in early Indian history and is professor emerita in history at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. In 1983 she was elected general president of the Indian History Congress and in 1999 a corresponding fellow of the British Academy. Her best known works are Ashoka and the Decline of the Mauryas, From Language to State, Interpreting Early India, and Time as a Metaphor of History: Early India.

Cover image: Kshitendranath Majumdar, Calcutta, India, 20th century. ©V&A Images / Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Cover design: Milenda Nan Ok Lee

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS / NEW YORKwww.cup.columbia.edu

Printed in the U.S.A.

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ŚakuntalaTexts, Readings, Histories

Romila Thapar

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS

NEW YORK

Columbia University PressPublishers Since 1893New York Chichester, West SussexCopyright © 1999, 2010 Romila ThaparCopyright © 2011 Columbia University PressĀdi Parvan in J.A.B. van Buitenen, The Mahābh¯¯ arata, ¯ vol. 1, copyright © 1973University of Chicago PressŚakuntalā and the Ring of Recollection ¯ copyright © 1984 Columbia University PressAll rights reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Thapar, Romila.Sakuntala : texts, readings, histories / Romila Thapar.

p. cm.Originally published: New Delhi : Kali for Women, 1999.Includes bibliographical references.ISBN 978-0-231-15654-7 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-231-15655-4

(pbk. : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-231-52702-6 (ebook)1. Kalidasa. Sakuntala. 2. Sakuntala (Hindu mythology) 3. Sakuntala (Hindu

mythology) in literature. I. Title.

PK3796.S5T43 2010891'.22—dc22 2010014597

�Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper.This book is printed on paper with recycled content.

Printed in the United States of America

c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

References to Internet Web sites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing.Neither the author nor Columbia University Press is responsible for URLs thatmay have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared.

ContentsPreface1. Preliminaries2. THe Narrative form the Mahabharata3. The Abhijnana-sakuntalam of KalidasaSakuntala and the Ring of Recollection By Kalidasa

4. Popular and high culture as historical parallels5. Adaptations: Another popular tradition and its role in another court6. Translations: Orientalism, German romanticism and the image of Sakunstala7. Traslation: colonial views8. Sakuntala from the perspective of the middle-class nationalism9. ConclusionEndnotes