The Recognition of Sakuntala

Anusuya and Priyamvada gather flowers. Anasuya is happy that Sakuntala’s secret wedding to Dusyanta has worked out, but fears Dusyanta may forsake Sakuntala once he returns to the city. Priyamvada dismisses Priyamvada’s fears, for men like Dusyanta “don’t belie their appearance” (43). Priyamvada is more afraid of Father Kanva’s reaction to the news of Sakuntala’s love-match.

A man’s voice booms offstage. It is a visitor announcing himself at the entrance to the ashram. Priyamvada and Anasuya decide to hurry back to welcome the guest, as Sakuntala may be too preoccupied with thoughts of Dusyanta to heed the guest. The voice, which belongs to the powerful and hot-tempered sage Durvasa, declares that Sakuntala has slighted a guest. Durvasas curses Sakuntala by declaring that, just as she forgot to attend to him, may the man of whom she dreams forget her too. Anasuya asks Priyamvada to rush to Durvasas and plead for mercy for Sakuntala. Priyamvada exits and returns.

Priyamvada tells Anasuya that she managed to extract a “sliver of compassion” (44) from the difficult sage. When she entreated him to forgive Sakuntala, Durvasas replied that he couldn’t unspeak (and thus reverse) his words, but the sight of a memento would lift the curse.