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Appointment with Kalidasa
their mettle. This is true of modern fighting as well. So, Agnimitra's action in sending his son to lead the army must not be understood to mean that he wanted time off to run after a girl. The principle is the same which Duşyanta states with reference to Indra; it is a question of giving suitable opportunity to younger men and men of secondary rank, who would otherwise never get the necessary training and experience to hold the supeiror command.37 The valour and heroism of Purüravas, Duşyanta and the Raghu kings is evident. Thus, in Kālidāsa's showing this is the śrugara of valorous men, of real heroes; not of men in authority and power who have done very little in their life save hankering after beautiful women. This artistic suggestion in Kālidāsa's pictures of love helps to elevate the image of his heroes.
(6) In the polygamous atmosphere, even if a man's new love were tested for its integrity, a comparative neglect of the previous wife or wives seems to be unavoidable. No woman would ever like her husband traosferring his love to another woman or share her love in partnership. But there was no remedy against this contingency in the existing social conditions. An artist like Kālidāsa, therefore, advises an attitude of reconciliation, understanding and friendliness; it is expressed in the advice of Kaņva to Sakuntalā : 'Behave like a loving friend towards your rival wives.°38 Experienced and mature women accepted the woman's helplessness before her husband and reconciled themselves to the changing situation with dignity. This is obvious from the examples of Dhāriņi, Auśīnarī and Vasumati. The younger and less experienced queens like Irāvati and Hamsapadikā fretted and fumed and made a grievance of their neglect. But since it could not be helped in any positive way in the face of the social and religious sanction for polygamy, Kālidāsa seems to have come to the conclusion that any bitterness on the part of a woman against her husband would result only in destroying the peace and happiness of family life; hence, he advocates reconciliation and understanding with a largeness of heart.
But Kālidāsa also arranges a particular kind of assurance that the neglected wife would be treated by her husband with due honour and would never suffer any humiliation. Kālidāsa does this in two ways. First by showing that the heroes have a great respect for moral values and integrity, which they translate into their actions. The heroes fall in love with the heroine because the emotion is so natural and overwhelming that they cannot resist it as human beings. This is not like an irresponsible impulse to run after any beautiful girl that crosses one's path. The heroes have great respect for women, especially married ladies. Dusyanta's behaviour in this context is examplary. Sakuntalā arrives at the royal palace; due to the effect of the curse Duşyanta does not recognise her; he looks upon her as a stranger's wife (para-kalatra). Duşyanta is astounded by her uncommon beauty. But when the Pratihārī speaks with liberty Dusyanta commands her to stop, telling her that, 'One should not look so closely at a married woman.' Further, when Duşyanta is not convinced, under the circumstances, that he had married Sakuntalā, and refuses to accept her in his household on purely moral grounds, the Pratihări is forced to admit, 'Ah, what regard
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