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Appointment with Kalidasa
to her, even if she were a younger queen. Such occasions have arisen in the life of Agnimitra and of Purūravas. In Duşyanta's portrayal Kālidāsa has avoided these situations. But Dusyanta too is anxious to keep his attraction for Sakuntalā away from his queens; and he instructs the Vidūşaka not to babble about the happenings in the aśrama before the inmates of the palace". Later, with his memory awakened and the pain of Sakuntala's repudiation and the anguish of separation torturing his mind and heart, when Duşyanta commits errors inadvertantly in addressing the woman in the harem, Duşyanta feels so guilty as to lapse in shame and silence$2. Untruth has different facets: Telling a lie for selfish profit or out of malice to hurt some person is one thing; to lie in order to spare the emotional hurt to others is quite another. In a society which has granted unequal authority to the male and with the fostering of the male ego, it requires moral courage and a largeness of heart to fall at the feet of one's wife and beg her pardon. Kālidāsa shows that his heroes, however high their position in society may be, have the honesty and humility to bend before their women. Whether in public or in private, they do not insult or humiliate their wives. Though another woman has captured their love their respectful behaviour towards their wives does not change; actually they become more respectful to their wives out of a sense of private guilt43. The picture that Kālidāsa presents deserves to be studied carefully on the background of the contemporary polygamous social life and from the angle of human paychology as well. It will strike us as an effort of art to find a way through the social inequalities of the times, and to give to the woman some measure of justice by preserving her status in marriage with courtesy and respect.
(7) The reaction of Duşyanta to Haṁsapadikā's complaint has a deeper meaniny not apparent on the surface; it deserves a separate consideration. Hamsapadikā describes Duşyanta as 'a bee greedy for ever-fresh honey' (abhinava-madhu-lolupa). This bee has drunk the juice of the mango-blossom to his heart's content and has now imprisoned himself, forgetting the mango-blossom, in the company of the lotus 44. This is a taunt against Duşyanta's behaviour in his harem. Though metaphorical and veiled its thrust is clear. Duşyanta is not visiting Hamsa padikā now, and is spending alf his time in the apartment of Vasumati. The critical interpretation of this complaint against Dusyanta's behaviour generally sees in it the emotional distress of Hamsapadikā, the younger queen of Daşyanta, the unsteadiness of his love and his pleasure-loving lustful tendency. There is a further suggestion in this song of Haṁsapadikā that Sakuntalā too would be reduced to the same plight one day, when Duşyanta would discard her, as he did Haṁsapadikā, in his search for new honey'. The interpretation, thus, presumes that Duşyanta is a selfish lover, caring for only the physial thrill and pleasure of a woman's body. When, later, he suffers the tortures of a real separation (and gets an opportunity of doing an unselfish act in helping the gods) then does his self-centered-ness change; his love is purified; and he becomes fit for a reunion of heavenly love. We know this 'theory of the transformation of physical love into spritual love; we have examined in the case of Sakuntalā; we must look into it now so far as it concerns Duşyanta.
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