"Sakuntala and The Ring of Recollection"

Many stories are surrounded by betrayal, hurt; pain, trials, triumphs, wars, passion, forgiveness, commitment, romance, lust and love.

The word “Love” has many different meanings. According to the Ancient Greek there is “philia” or “xenia” a friendship or brotherly kind of love, “storage” parent/child love, “agape” God’s love and “eros” a romantic love.

In the story of “Sakuntala and The Ring of Recollection” this is a perfect example of what seems to be a more dramatic courtship of the “eros” kind of love. This love is filled with passion, desire, yearning to be with the each other, where two bodies become one soul. If one feels pain so does the other, if one feels joy, so does the other.

In the story of “Sakuntala” the feelings expressed between the King Dusyanta and Sakuntala are so strong for each other that their desire for one another becomes almost unbearable in a “love sick” kind of way. So much so that all of their attention is fixated on the other person were one might even forget to do their job.

 Sakuntala was told to greet all the newcomers that arrive at the hermitage. Well she was so consumed with the king and the fact that she just secretly became his wife she didn’t greet the “Great Sage Durvasas.”  This did not sit well with him at all. So he ranted off a curse, “Since you blindly ignore a great sage like me, the lover you worship with mindless devotion will not remember you, even when awakened-like a drunkard who forgets a story he just composed!” (Norton Anthology of World Literature p.1295)

Priyamvada heard this curse and went to Durvasas to plea and ask for forgiveness stating that Sakuntala “didn’t understand the power of his austerity.” He wasn’t too eager to change his mind about the curse but he did say this, “when the king sees the ring of collection, the curse will end.”

Later in the story Sakuntala was sent by Father Kanva to be with her husband the king, especially since she was pregnant with his child. Sakuntala wasn’t aware of the curse that Durvasas put on her, so when she went before her husband he didn’t recognize her especially not as his wife. “Must I judge whether I ever married the flawless beauty they offer me now? I cannot love her or leave her, like a bee near a jasmine filled with frost dawn.” “I don’t remember marrying the lady. How can I accept a woman who is visibly pregnant when I doubt that I am the cause?”

Oh the devastation Sakuntala felt, the man she loved didn’t recognize her, the one that’s carrying his child. The only way she could prove that they married secretly was the engraved ring the king gave her, which she lost when she was, “bathing in the holy water at the shrine of the goddess near Indra’s grove.” (p.1308)

Where does one go now, full of tears, feeling rejected even from her own family she cries out to the heavens, “mother earth, open to receive me!” Over by the “nymphs shrine a ray of light in the shape of a woman” carries her away!

The king seemed a little relieved now that Sakuntala was gone. Shortly after she left a fisherman found a ring in the belly of a red carp. Unaware that it belonged to the king he unknowingly tried to sell it, yet the policemen stopped that from happening. They accused the man of stealing the king’s ring. Once the fisherman was allowed to tell his story and the ring was returned. The king gave the fisherman some reward money because he was pleased by the site of his ring. Then it hit him, like a sack of bricks, his memory came back. Then he realized the way he treated the woman he loved and by then it was to late.

Seasons passed and the king’s sorrow grew grimmer. All he could think about was what he had done and said to Sakuntala. The way he treated his wife, his love, he was so devastated. He lived in this sorrow for years and didn’t seem to get any better.

After time passed the king had an opportunity to travel to Maricas hermitage where he would be pleasantly surprised by what he saw, a little boy that looked like him, but he didn’t really think it was his son until, The Amulet-box fell off the boy’s wrist. The king picked it up and then the women (caretakers) responded in amazement. The king asked why and they said, “No one but the boy’s parents or himself could pick it up. If anyone else did so it would turn into a snake and strike.” After that they all knew the truth. The king was the father of the little boy, named Sarvadamana “Tamer-of-everything.” He then knew he would reunite with the boy’s mother, his wife Sakuntala. At first it seemed awkward for them both but after hearing the explanation from Marcia and that the memory loss was actually a curse. All was forgiven and they “lived happily ever after!”

How many love stories do we hear with a happy endings? There are only a few that I can think of, yet many that end in devastation such as Romeo and Juliet, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Orpheus and Eurydice, Pyramus and Thisbe. The few that end in happy endings almost seem like fairytales such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White. There are a few like Sir Lancelot and Guinevere or Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal (who built the Taj Mahal).

Why do we have such a strong desire for love, even when it can make you feel insane at times? Is that what life is about, Love?

Lysistrata

Lysistrata, Crazy or Brilliant?

The way that I would describe Lysistrata is that she is intelligent, strategic, bold, firm, confident, witty and full of sass. What a beautiful combination. Only this kind of personality could actually follow through with such an idea, “ending war by abstaining from sex.”

The only problem with this idea is that Lysistrata has to get all the women to agree with her and follow through with the plan. One might say, “Good luck on that one!”

The thinker that she is, she went to the women and said, “It concerns the fathers of your children- your husbands. Absent on active service. I know you all have men abroad. – Wouldn’t you like to have them home?” After letting them think and reply she then says, “If I can devise a scheme for ending the war, I gather I have your support?”

What a beautiful layup, She sets the stage with getting the women to start thinking about their men, then she figures out where they stand and what they would do to get their significant others home. After which she then nails them with this idea of abstaining from sex and by doing so it will end the war and they can have peace once again. HA!

The response that the women gave was expected they hated the idea but they did miss their husbands so they were more willing to listen to Lysistrata and her plan to end the war and to create peace. Once they all agreed to follow through with her plan they all took an oath together. (One that was much needed to give up something they all loved so much, sex.)

As the story developed there was an unspoken bond that brought significant strength and confidence within the community of women. Some were not as strong or as outspoken as the others but as time passed there was a great change. I thoroughly loved reading this story and enjoyed the sarcasm that came with it!!

Lysistrata: Brilliant!!!

Antigone

Right versus wrong…

A story of a prideful king by the name of Creon that becomes so caught up in his emotions and self righteousness that his own sense of realty becomes blurred; which causes him to ignore the advice of many wise people around him, including his own son (Haemon). The king made a law that stated that if anyone died without honor then they shall not be buried and left for the wild animals to feed off of them. If anyone were to bury a person without rightful reason according to the new law, that person would be sentenced to death. The king never thought about how the people would really respond to his new law nor did he act like he cared about their feelings on the matter.

This news upset his niece Antigone greatly. She just lost her two brothers to war. One died with honor (Eteocles) and the other (Polynices) did not. She could not bear the thought of her brother Polynices not receiving a rightful burial and being left for the animals. So she buried him herself. The king was NOT happy with her defying the laws of the land so he sentenced her to death. Even though the people of the city believed she did nothing wrong.

Thoughts of the people: “No woman,” they say, “ever deserved death less, and such a brutal death for such a glorious action. She with her own dear brother lying in his blood-she couldn’t bear to leave him dead, unburied, food for the wild dogs or wheeling vultures. Death? She deserves a glowing crown of gold!”

Even the wise Tiresias came to Creon with a warning, “Take these things to heart, my son, I warn you. All men make mistakes, it is only human. But once the wrong is done, a man can turn his back on folly, misfortune too, if he tries to make amends, however low he’s fallen, and stops his bullnecked ways. Stubbornness brands you for stupidity-pride is a crime.”  

With great frustration Tiresias told Creon his prophecy hoping that it would change his mind about killing Antigone, “The chariot of the sun will not race through so many circuits more, before you have surrendered on born of your own loins, your own flesh and blood a corpse for corpses given in return, since you have thrust to the world below a child sprung for the world above, ruthlessly lodged a living soul within the grave- then you’ve robbed the gods below the earth, keeping a dead body here in the bright air, unburied, unsung, unhallowed by the rites. You, you have no business with the dead, nor do the gods above-this is violence you have forced upon the heavens. And so the avengers, the dark destroyers late but true to the mark, now lie in wait for you, the Furies sent by the gods and the god of death to strike you down with the pains that you perfected!”

It wasn’t until Creon heard Tiresias words that he seemed to change his mind about killing Antigone. However, by then it was too late.

The prophecy became true; death began to surround Creon, Antigone his niece, Haemon his son and Eurydice his wife all died within an hour or so. Creon felt deeply pained and full of guilt because he knew that all of their blood was on his hands. He alone made the decisions and went against all wise council, and to think it all could have been avoided if he would have stepped back and listened. Yet, he was to prideful and arrogant to hear truth. Such a catastrophe yet in my opinion deserved.

Why do we ask for advice from others, yet rarely listen to what they have to say? Is it because their opinions don’t match our own belief on the subject at hand?

 This again should be a lesson learned by others mistakes. Seek wise council, avoid pride and never disregard warnings from others.