[Advaita-l] Mirage-water and Snake-illusion analogies in the Shaakuntalam of Kalidasa

[V Subrahmanian]

मृगतृष्णिका Mirage-water and सर्पभ्रान्ति Rope-snake analogies in
Kalidasa's Abhijnana Shakuntalam

கானல் நீர் மற்றும் கயிற்றில் (பூமாலையில்) அரவம் என்ற மதிமயக்கம் (ப்ரமை) -
இந்த உதாரணங்கள் காளிதாஸனின் 'சாகுந்தலம்' நாடகத்தில்.

In the Act 7, verse 24 we see a simile of rope-snake (garland-snake) to
depict the mental status of a confused man. See image 1. Then there is the
feeling of regret when Dushyanta says that when Shakuntala came in person
he ignored her and now he is seeing her only in a picture. The simile of
mirage-water is used here: It is like having walked past a river one comes
to encounter only an appearance of water, a mirage. See image 2. This is in
Act 6. An instance of mirage in Act 7: See image 3. The original shlokas
and the commentaries are given in further images. There is an instance of
mirage-water analogy in Act 7, after verse 20.

The analogies show that the instance of 'something is thought to be present
but actually, upon examining, is found to be not there.' These analogies
are used frequently in Advaita Vedanta. Kalidasa is admitted to be
pre-Kumarila Bhatta and pre-Shankaracharya.

Readers may point to such instances from other works of Kalidasa and
earlier works.

It was the renowned scholar MM Sri Swaminathan Sharma who informed me about
the above instances and Vidushi Srilakshmi of Bangalore who picked out the
actual lines in the text for me. I am not versed in the Kaavyas having not
studied them. My pranams to these scholars.


The images from the text, translation, commentary, etc. can be viewed here:

https://www.facebook.com/subrahmanian.vaidyanathan/posts/2702793596400651

warm regards
subbu