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220px-1940s Vintage Hindu Print Dushyant & Shakuntala

Dushyant and Shakuntala

Dushyant was the son of Nileel. He was king of Hastinapur and ancestor of the Kuru dynasty. He was the father of Bharata, emperor of the Indian subcontinent. His wife was Shakuntala.

Marriage[]

Dushyant meets Shakuntala while on an excursion from his kingdom. He sees Shakuntala in an ashram (hermitage) of sage Kanva and falls in love. He and Shakuntala have a marriage there. Having to leave after some time, Dushyant gives Shakuntala a royal ring as a sign of their love, promising her that he will come to her.

But when Dushyant becomes king, he becomes too absorbed for many years in affairs of state. Shakuntala waits and despairs. One day, sage Durvasa visits the hermitage, but Shakuntala, who is too absorbed in her love for Dushyant, forgets to serve him food. In a fit of anger, sage Durvasa curses her, saying that the person she is thinking about will forget her. A shocked Shakuntala begs for forgiveness and the sage, after calming down, assures her that the person will remember her again when she shows some proof of their acquaintance.

So, Shakuntala sets off to Hastinapur to remind Dushyant of their past love. An accident occurs by which a fish consumes the royal ring, leaving Shakuntala with no formidable proof. Dushyanta does not recollect Shakuntala, but his memory and love are rekindled when another sage recovers the ring and brings it to the court. Dushyanta weds Shakuntala, who becomes his queen and mother of his son, Bharata.

Family[]

Kuru Genealogy in Hindu mythology Names in bold are kings of Hastinapura
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chandra
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Budha
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Seven generations
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dushyant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bharata
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bhumanyu
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Six generations
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kuru
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Viduratha
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bhimasena
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pratipa
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ganga
 
Shantanu
 
 
 
Satyavati
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bhishma
 
 
Chitrangada
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Subala
 
Ambika
 
 
 
 
 
 
Vichitravirya
 
Ambalika
 
 
Shurasena
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Shakuni
 
Gandhari
 
Dhritarashtra
 
Madri
 
Pandu
 
 
Kunti
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Duryodhana
 
Kauravas
 
Nakula
 
 
Sahadeva
 
 
 
Karṇa
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Draupadi
 
 
 
Yudhisthira
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bhima
 
 
Rohini
 
Vasudeva
 
Devaki
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Arjuna
 
Subhadra
 
Krishna
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Abhimanyu
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Parikshit
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Janamejaya
Preceded by:
Nileel
King of Hastinapura
Mythic
Succeeded by
Bharata
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