One of the least-known, yet most poignant love stories, is the tale of Devayani, daughter of Shukracharya, Guru of the Asuras and Kacha son of Brihaspati, Guru of the Devas. The Devas or Gods of the Vedic age were eternal enemies of the Asuras or Demonic races. How could the son of the preceptor of the Gods possibly hope to find love and happiness with the daughter of the preceptor of the Demons? Yet love flowers in the unlikeliest places and so Kacha and Devayani began to dream the impossible dream. Their love was doomed to end tragically but the how and wherefore of the tragedy is what makes their story so unforgettable. But the story doesn't end there. Instead, it segues (after a gap of a few years) into another, the love triangle of Devayani, her former friend Sharmishtha and the man they both loved, Yayati. After a quarrel with her friend Sharmishtha, Devayani used her father's influence and power to force her friend Sharmishtha to live out the rest of her life as Devayani's personal maidservant. One day Devayani found herself trapped at the bottom of a well deep in the forest. Soon after, a stranger wandering through the forest, chanced across her. On learning that he was Yayati, king of a powerful nation, she blackmailed him into a relationship. But unknown to Devayani, Yayati fell in love with Sharmishtha, resulting in a love triangle that presages the plots of countless present-day soap operas. Read on to see how Ashok's storytelling shines brilliant light upon this gem pried loose from the mosaic of his own Mahabharata Series.
The classic tale of Shakuntala and Dushyanta has enthralled Indians for millennia. The subject of the great Sanskrit play by Kalidasa and influencer of a thousand love stories in films, television shows and novels, this almost-tragedy captures the unusual pairing of a rustic sage's daughter and the arrogant young king who falls passionately in love with her only to forget her once he returns to his kingdom or has he truly forgotten? As much a drama with a twist in its tale as a romance of manners, the great romance of Shakuntala and Dushyanta remains an enduring love story as well as a fascinating portrait of a long-lost age. Now retold in Ashok's inimitable epic style, this short novella also forms a part of the larger epic Mahabharata Series.
Anthology containing:
Shakuntala and Dushyanta
Devayani, Sharmishtha and YayatI
