||Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya ||

Chapter - 144 - The legend of King Dhushyantha

Maharishi Vedavyasa wrote eighteen Puranas and Upa Puranas, and various scriptures which narrates the numerous righteous deeds to attain the supreme Bhramam.  The legends of Srimad Bhagavath Mahapuran describes the Karma, Dharma, and Bhramam, to elevate the souls to the ultimate Bhramam.   It repeatedly affirms the nature of material matters, wealth, richness, possessions, fame, respect, appearance, people,  and sensual pleasures that have impermanent nature, and the supreme Lord who resides as a soul is eternal and bliss.  Whoever realizes the absolute truth of the ‘Athman’ and its existence as the supreme soul would be relieved from miseries and sorrows of worldly existence.  The supreme soul has subtle nature, it cannot be seen, but it can be experienced the same as the feel of cool braze.   Whoever performs the duties and responsibilities with the knowledge of the Supreme Lord who resides as a soul in living beings would be liberated from the cycles of repeated births. In this scripture, Maharishi Vedavyasa describes the legend of the King Pareekshith/Vishnuratha who got cursed to die in seven days by the serpent bite of Thakshaka,  elevated his soul with the knowledge of Bhramam, from his preceptor Shukha Bhramam/Bhramaratha in seven days and attained liberation with the constant contemplation upon the supreme Lord.

Shuka Bhramam describes the clan of ‘Puru’, the legend of King Dushyantha who was born in this clan.   Once King Dhushyantha went for a hunting expedition, he arrived at the hermitage of Maharishi Kanva.  He met a stunningly beautiful woman surrounded by her female attendants.  His complete attention was drawn towards her lovely appearance.   He approached her and asked “Oh! Devi, why are you here in this dense wood? Why are you living in this hermitage?” Shakunthala replied “ Oh! Rajan, I am born to Sage Vishwamithra and Menaka, later Sage Kanva brought me in his hermitage and taking care of me as his daughter.”  King Dhushyantha has fallen in love with her instantly and requested to marry.  Thus, King Dhushyantha and Shakunthala married following the Gandharveeya rites of marriage.  They happily spend that night, while Sage Kanva was not in the hermitage.  The next morning King Dhushyantha left the hermitage of Sage Kanva, leaving a marvelous ring as a mark of his love for Devi Shakunthala.  

In due course of time, Shakunthala got pregnant with a child.  Shakuntala described Maharishi Kanva about the happenings in his absence, daughter, and father patiently waited for the arrival of King Dhushyantha, but they did not receive any message from him.   Sage Kanva took his fully pregnant daughter to the assembly of King Dhushyantha was not welcomed with respect, asked her to prove the marriage taken place between the King and Shakunthala.  Unfortunately, traveling through the dense wood she has lost the ring that was given as a mark of love by the King, ultimately she fails to produce the ring in the assembly.  Soon, a divine voice echoed “Oh! Rajan, do not abandon the chaste woman Shakunthala who is already married to you, and the child she is bearing is yours, therefore do not give up on her.”  Thus Shakunthala was accepted as the Queen of King Dhushyantha with all the respects and the child born to the couple was named Bharatha who brought up in the palace with all royal comforts.  Later, Bharatha was crowned as the King and ruled the Kingdom wisely like his father.