Her story, however, originates in the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata (c. 400 BCE - 400 CE), where she appears in the Adi Parva ("The Book of Beginnings").

Shakuntala has been a significant figure, often seen as a symbol of Indian womanhood, inspiring numerous literary, artistic, and visual adaptations.

Concerned by the severity of his meditation, Indra (king of gods) fears a potential challenge to his authority and seeks to disrupt his penance.

[3][2] In the Adi Parva of Mahabharata, Kanva says: She was surrounded in the solitude of the wilderness by śakuntas, therefore, hath she been named by me Shakuntala (Shakunta-protected).

Shakuntala, with her son, is escorted by Kanva's students and reaches the royal court and introduces him to the king, urging him to fulfill his promise and acknowledge their child as his heir.

[2] Kalidasa reworked the story of Shakuntala into a dramatic form, introducing additional elements such as a curse and a lost signet ring to create a more complex narrative.

[2] In Abhijnanamshakuntalam, Shakuntala is the daughter of Vishvamitra and Menaka, and is raised in Kanva’s hermitage alongside her companions Anasuya and Priyamvada.

Captivated by her beauty, grace, and modesty, Dushyanta learns from her Anasuya and Priyamvada that she is of royal birth despite her upbringing in the ashram.

Overwhelmed by his emotions, Dushyanta convinces Shakuntala to marry him through the gandharva rite, a form of spontaneous union that does not require formal rituals or parental approval.

[6] While deeply engrossed in thoughts of Dushyanta, Shakuntala inadvertently offends the irascible sage Durvasa by failing to notice his arrival.

Although her companions plead for mercy, the sage, unable to revoke the curse, grants a reprieve: Dushyanta’s memory will be restored only when he sees the token of their love.

Along the way, while crossing a river, Shakuntala accidentally loses the signet ring when it slips from her finger and falls into the water, unnoticed.

In an act of divine intervention, she is suddenly lifted away by celestial beings to her mother Menaka’s realm in the heavens, sparing her further disgrace at court.

Realizing that he has wronged Shakuntala, he is tormented by remorse and desperately seeks a way to reunite with her, but she has vanished, leaving him to wander in anguish.

During his journey, he arrives at the hermitage of the celestial sage Marichi, where he unexpectedly encounters a young boy playing with a lion cub.

[1][7][8][9] Raja Ravi Varma was widely praised for his ability to merge the Western academic painting style with Indian themes.

In the 1870s, as he began creating narrative paintings, he drew inspiration from India’s classical heritage—drawing upon the epics, Puranas, and Kalidasa’s plays.

The painting, which depicted Shakuntala lying on the forest floor in a yellow sari, surrounded by her friends and animal companions, won a gold medal and garnered widespread acclaim.

Though the location of the original painting remains unknown, it was widely reproduced in books and lithographs, including the 1903 publication Ravi Varma: The Indian Artist.

[13] In 1884 the first Opera of the 21-year-old Austrian composer Felix Weingartner had its debut performance in Weimar and was supported by Franz Liszt to bring it to stage.

[citation needed] Abanindranath Tagore later wrote in the Chalit Bhasa (which is a simpler literary variation of Bengali) mainly for children and preteens.

[citation needed] The German poet Goethe read Kalidasa's play and has expressed his admiration for the work[original research?]