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Amar Chitra Katha #12
Shakuntala
Shakuntala was the daughter of a nymph and a sage who abandoned her in the woods. Sage Kanva brought her up. King Dushyanta on a visit to the hermitage was struck with Shakuntala's beauty and they got married in a non-traditional ceremony. The king eventually returned back, leaving with Shakuntala a ring that carried his seal. After a when she came to live with the king, he did not remember anything about her and asked for proof of their being together. Shakuntala had lost the ring and could not produce any proof. So rejected by the king, she was carried away by her mother. The ring was one day found by a fisherman and produced before the king, this brought back his memory of Shakuntala and he longed to meet her. One day, on the way back from a great battle victory Dushyanta visited the sage Maricha's hermitage where Shakuntala and her son Bharata were living. Many were the signs by which the king recognized Bharata as his son. He asked Shakuntala for forgiveness and took both of them with him. Later, Bharata became an illustrious king and it is said that India's name "Bhaarata" is formed to mean 'the land of Bharat'. This story from Mahabharata provided the plot for a renowned play by the great Sanskrit poet Kalidasa of the 5th century. The play was translated into English by William Jones at the end of the 18th century. It won praise from the German poet Goethe then and has been widely translated and read worldwide.
32 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 2010
80 people are currently reading
420 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 7, 2021
Though the earliest recorded edition here shows 2007, I've had the book in the mid to late 90s. Lost my first copy and found another almost a decade later.
It was my first favorite story and continues to be even today.
It was my first favorite story and continues to be even today.
March 24, 2025
The story of Shakuntala is one of loyalty in the face of despair. A great lesson that has much to teach us even today. Questions of loyalty and acceptance are examined in a way that is very relatable to the reader. I find Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) comics a way to experience the rich cultural heritage of India in a very approachable way.
March 29, 2020
Beautiful story and well presented for the children to read and learn from our ancient Vedic history. Well done, Amar Chitra Katha.
December 31, 2019
The only story which I know so far. But there too the story of Bharat playing with lion cub is unknown....
January 11, 2025
great narration of shakuntala’s story, with beautiful illustrations! love love love amar chitra katha!
April 3, 2024
A beautiful book! A very recommended book of ACK (Amar Chitra Katha) series. Must read .
June 27, 2019
Have this in a bind-up of three. This one is my favorite in them.
August 8, 2019
Remember reading it in my school library
July 26, 2023
The Amar Chitra Katha, true to its name, remains Amar as children and elders all love to indulge in these comics even now. The credit goes to the pioneer in Indian Comics, Anant Pai who has given life to the characters of various Indian folklore and Mythology and made them more appealing to the readers. His efforts have not been wasted as this book, even though quite old, still holds the charm it had back in the day.
Shakuntala has been one of the finest creations of Kalidasa. Making a comic out of such an important piece of literature is a mammoth task. The characters have to be up to the mark and drawn in such a manner that we understand how they were described as they were in the play. Uncle Pai provides us with a beautiful rendering of the tale. It has fascinating illustrations made by K.P. Shankar, who has done justice to the characters, the background, the storyboard, everything. The story has also been left untouched without any unnecessary additions or changes which helps quite a lot as a true and useful source.
It could have been a five-star recommendation though; had the story not been as rushed as it was. Agreed that the number of pages is limited and we need to wrap it up asap, but the pace could have been a bit slower. The first half is somewhat rushed but fortunately, the remaining half is carefully and well explained. This saves the only fault to some extent as the second half is what includes the climax as well as the Happy Ending :)
All in all, Amar Chitra Katha's Shakuntala is s must read. It compels one to come open it and get to know about the beauty of Kalidasa's writing. It makes you feel the injustice Shakuntala faces from both her husband and parent. It makes us rejoice when everyone reunites in the end. I personally give it a 4/5 :))))
Shakuntala has been one of the finest creations of Kalidasa. Making a comic out of such an important piece of literature is a mammoth task. The characters have to be up to the mark and drawn in such a manner that we understand how they were described as they were in the play. Uncle Pai provides us with a beautiful rendering of the tale. It has fascinating illustrations made by K.P. Shankar, who has done justice to the characters, the background, the storyboard, everything. The story has also been left untouched without any unnecessary additions or changes which helps quite a lot as a true and useful source.
It could have been a five-star recommendation though; had the story not been as rushed as it was. Agreed that the number of pages is limited and we need to wrap it up asap, but the pace could have been a bit slower. The first half is somewhat rushed but fortunately, the remaining half is carefully and well explained. This saves the only fault to some extent as the second half is what includes the climax as well as the Happy Ending :)
All in all, Amar Chitra Katha's Shakuntala is s must read. It compels one to come open it and get to know about the beauty of Kalidasa's writing. It makes you feel the injustice Shakuntala faces from both her husband and parent. It makes us rejoice when everyone reunites in the end. I personally give it a 4/5 :))))
January 1, 2022
The story has been set back in the ancient ages of India. A beautiful fisherman's daughter, Shakuntala meets king Dushyant while he was hunting one day in the forest. The girl and the prince fell in love with each other and got married. After a few days, for an urgent meeting he had to return to his kingdom Hastinapur. The girl missed him a lot then. One day the sage Durvasa visits her home, but he gets upset as no one greets him as he arrives. He saw Shakuntala lost in her thoughts. The sage cursed her that whomever she's thinking about that person will forget her but only will remember her after he sees an object which he has given to her. The girl after a few days visits the king. But the king refuses to recognise her due to the curse. Now lets see how Shakuntala convinces him, which is the best part for me in the entire story. Readers you must read this to know the end. This story is still a legend and keeps getting passed down to generations. Its my favorite as this is how we come to know how India got its name Bharat. Must read.
October 9, 2022
When King Dushyanta first saw Shakuntala, he was struck by her incomparable beauty and gentle character. He made her his wife and vowed to take her to his palace. But a curse from the sage Durvasa erased her memory so completely from his mind that he failed to recognize her.
August 4, 2015
I love my amar chitra kathas!
November 25, 2018
How a child will take this comic book I don't know! Another thing seems to be ridiculous to me the intolerance in cursing. Anyway story's good.
January 30, 2019
A simple and lovely illustrated version of Kalidasa's wonderful drama.
May 23, 2022
Wonderful book loved it.
October 31, 2025
Shakuntala, The Forgotten Wife tells us about a character in Mahabharata on whose life Mahakavi Kalidasa composed a play in Sanskrit by the name of Abhigyan Shankuntalam. Shakuntala was the daughter of the nymph Menaka. But she grew up in the ashram of Sage Kanva. Shakuntala fell in love with the king of Hastinapur, Dushyanta, and later they were married. But Shakuntala was given a curse by Sage Durvasa due to which Dushyanta forgot to recognize his own wife. Later on when the effect of the curse was gone, Dushyanta remembered Shakuntala, and both lived happily. Shakuntala and Dushyanta had a boy child whom they named Bharat. It's a tale of love, separation, and reunion. The tale of Shakuntala also shows that 'true love is immortal.'
December 29, 2024
"Shakuntala" is also one of the Amar Chitra Katha comics. Shakuntala is the only daughter of a heavenly nymph Menaka and sage Vishwamitra. She was left near the hermitage of sage Kanva. One day, King Dushyant of Hastinapur visited the hermitage & was captivated by her beauty. He was desperate to marry her which he did. But he had to leave the hermitage and returned to Hastinapur for his duty. He promised that he would send the ministers to the hermitage to accompany Shakuntala to Hastinapur . Sage Durvasa 's curse had spoiled the chemistry between the couple. What happened next, you can find in the comic .This comic is truly amazing but very short. One can binge - read it in a day.
August 24, 2023
After reading this I always wanted to have a deer as a pet for myself. Chigri pet.
Just these pictures evoked in me a versatile self to be Shakunthala! Why did that happen? In too deep I went with the story. I asked myself and my amma if I was an orphan found in a forest? Ofcourse in a urban jungle at the hospital. But it was one wonderful day dream about many shakunthal pakshi and Shakunthala. I was in shock to see Raja Ravi Verma's painting and I put it as my dp on orkut. It made me feel so. Nostalgic paintings and Shakunthala.
Just these pictures evoked in me a versatile self to be Shakunthala! Why did that happen? In too deep I went with the story. I asked myself and my amma if I was an orphan found in a forest? Ofcourse in a urban jungle at the hospital. But it was one wonderful day dream about many shakunthal pakshi and Shakunthala. I was in shock to see Raja Ravi Verma's painting and I put it as my dp on orkut. It made me feel so. Nostalgic paintings and Shakunthala.
March 1, 2024
The test of true love was borne by wife!
The story is very strange in many ways. The way that the heroine was given birth. The way of life she left in the first, as she grew up! The way she met her future husband! The strangest thing is how he forgot his wife! The strange way, he met his wife again! The strange way, she forgave him! The strange way she prepared herself to go with her husband! God's strange ways to bring the two human souls, to wed them both!
The story is very strange in many ways. The way that the heroine was given birth. The way of life she left in the first, as she grew up! The way she met her future husband! The strangest thing is how he forgot his wife! The strange way, he met his wife again! The strange way, she forgave him! The strange way she prepared herself to go with her husband! God's strange ways to bring the two human souls, to wed them both!
April 9, 2020
Good. But our land भारत isn't named after दुष्यन्त पुत्र भरत.
August 13, 2020
Nice story
Book #2 in the new ACK series. Worth a read. Makes you nostalgic of your childhood days. ACK on Kindle ftw!
Book #2 in the new ACK series. Worth a read. Makes you nostalgic of your childhood days. ACK on Kindle ftw!
September 15, 2023
live, love, drama analysis class❤️
April 15, 2024
I like Amar Chitra Katha because it is an easy way for children to learn mythological stories.
September 5, 2025
How do I explain this to my undergrads
May 1, 2024
The whole story cooked because of sage Durvasa lmaooo.
September 9, 2024
this is still nice. a woodland girl spends her days frolicking with deer and weaving jasmine bracelets, until one day she encounters her king on a hunting expedition. they fall in love at first sight, marry like ‘forest people’ (a gandharva marriage, or a marriage of passion; named for amorous heavenly musicians and one of the eight classical forms of hindu marriage), and agree that he will send for her once he reaches his capital. unfortunately, she doesn’t greet a priest visiting her ashram with due respect and is cursed. and the story goes on from there. i thought her friends’ loyalty to her was the sweetest part :(
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews