शकुंतला और दुष्यंत

Prachin kaal mein swarg ke raja Indra ko Brahmarshi Vishwamitra ki kathor tapasya se bhay ho gaya. Vishwamitra ki tapasya itni prachand thi ki unka tej Indra ke singhasan ko kampit karne laga tha. Devraj Indra ne apni sabse sundar apsara Menaka ko Vishwamitra ki tapasya bhang karne ka aadesh diya. Menaka atyant roopvati aur nritya-gaan mein nipun apsara thin. Ve Vishwamitra ke aashram ke sameep gayin aur apne alaukik saundarya tatha manmohak nritya se Vishwamitra ka dhyan bhang kar diya.

Vishwamitra Menaka ke roop-saundarya par mohit ho gaye aur unka kathor tap toot gaya. Kuch samay tak dono ne saath-saath jeevan vyateet kiya aur isi beech Menaka ne ek atyant sundar kanya ko janm diya. Parantu jab Vishwamitra ko apni tapasya bhang hone ka bodh hua to unhe atyant krodh aur glaani hui. Unhone Menaka ko tyaag diya aur punah tapasya mein leen ho gaye. Menaka bhi apne kartavya ki poorti ke baad swarg laut gayin aur navjaat shishu ko Malini nadi ke tat par chhod gayin. Us asahay shishu ki raksha shakunt arthat pakshiyon ne ki — ve uske chaaron or ghera banakar baith gaye aur apne pankhon se use chhaaya tatha ooshma di. Isiliye us kanya ka naam "Shakuntala" pada, jiska arth hai "pakshiyon dwara rakshit".

Maharshi Kanva, jo usi van mein apne aashram mein nivas karte the, ek din Malini nadi ke tat par pakshiyon se ghiri us navjaat shishu ko paakar atyant dravit ho gaye. Unhone Shakuntala ko apne aashram mein le jaakar apni putri ke samaan paalan-poshan kiya. Shakuntala Rishi Kanva ke aashram mein vanya prakriti ke beech pali-badhi. Hiran uske sahchar the, lataayein uski sakhiyaan thin, mor uske aangan mein nritya karte the aur Malini nadi ki kal-kal dhaara uska sangeet tha. Shakuntala atyant sundar, saral, dayalu aur dharmparayan kanya bani. Uske mukh par tapaswini ka tej aur prakriti ki sahaj sundarta dono vidyamaan the.

Ek din Hastinapur ke mahapratapi Puruvanshi Raja Dushyant shikar khelte-khelte ghane van mein bhatakte hue Rishi Kanva ke aashram ke sameep ja pahunche. Us samay Rishi Kanva teerth yatra par gaye hue the. Raja Dushyant ne aashram mein pravesh kiya aur wahan Shakuntala ko dekha. Shakuntala us samay apne priya hiranon ko jal pila rahi thi aur paudhon ki seva kar rahi thi. Uska adviteey saundarya dekhkar Dushyant mantramugdh ho gaye. Unhone Shakuntala se uska parichay puchha. Shakuntala ne vinamrata se bataya ki ve Rishi Kanva ki paalit putri hain aur Vishwamitra tatha Menaka ki santan hain.

Dushyant ne Shakuntala ke samaksh apna prem prakat kiya aur Gandharva vivah ka prastaav rakha. Gandharva vivah woh prachin paddhati hai jismein var aur vadhu paraspar sahmati aur prem se bina kisi aupcharik vidhi-vidhaan ke vivah karte hain. Shakuntala ne ek shart rakhi — unse utpann putra hi rajya ka uttaradhikari hoga. Dushyant ne saharsh yeh shart sweekar ki aur dono ka Gandharva vivah sampann ho gaya. Kuch din aashram mein prempoorvak rehne ke baad Dushyant ko rajkarya ke liye Hastinapur lautna pada. Vidaai ke samay unhone Shakuntala ko apni rajmudrika arthat angoothi di aur kaha ki ise dikhakar woh kabhi bhi Hastinapur aa sakti hain. Dushyant ne vachan diya ki ve sheeghra hi Shakuntala ko lene aayenge.

Dushyant ke jaane ke baad Shakuntala unke viyog mein din-raat unki smritiyon mein khoyi rehne lagin. Ek din atyant krodhi swabhav ke liye vikhyaat Maharshi Durvasa aashram mein atithi ke roop mein padhare. Parantu us samay Shakuntala Dushyant ke dhyan mein itni talleen thi ki usne Durvasa Rishi ke aagman par dhyan nahi diya aur unka yathochit swaagat-satkaar nahi kiya. Durvasa apne apamaan se atyant kruddh hue aur unhone Shakuntala ko bhayanak shaap diya — "Jiski smriti mein tu khoyi hai, woh tujhe sarvatha bhool jayega!" Shakuntala ki priya sakhi Priyamvada ne jab Durvasa Rishi se kshama yaachna ki, to unhone shaap mein kuch shithilta pradaan karte hue kaha — "Jab woh vyakti koi pehchaan ka chihn dekhega, tabhi use sab kuch smaran ho jayega."

Samay beetta gaya aur Shakuntala garbhvati huin. Rishi Kanva teerth yatra se laute aur apni divya drishti se sampoorn sthiti jaan gaye. Unhone Shakuntala ko snehpoorvak aashirvaad diya aur use sasammaan Dushyant ke paas Hastinapur bhejne ka nirnay liya. Shakuntala apne aashram ke priya saathiyon — hiranon, pakshiyon aur vrikshor — se bhaavpoorn vidaai lekar Hastinapur ki or chal padin. Maarg mein unhe ek nadi paar karni padi. Nadi mein haath dhote samay Dushyant ki di hui angoothi unki ungli se phisalkar gehre jal mein gir gayi aur tatkal ek machhli ne use nigal liya. Shakuntala ko is durbhagyapoorn ghatna ka tanik bhi pata nahi chala.

Jab Shakuntala Hastinapur pahunchin aur Raja Dushyant ke bhavya darbar mein upasthit huin, to Durvasa ke shaap ke prabhaav se Dushyant ne unhe pehchanne se spasht roop se inkaar kar diya. Dushyant ne kaha — "Main is stri ko nahi jaanta. Maine koi Gandharva vivah nahi kiya." Shakuntala ne apni sampoorn katha sunayi, Gandharva vivah ki baat batayi, parantu Dushyant ko kuch bhi smaran nahi hua. Jab Shakuntala ne angoothi dikhakar pramaan dena chaaha to unhone paya ki angoothi ungli se gayab ho chuki hai. Bhari rajsabha mein Shakuntala ka ghor apamaan hua. Ve dukhi, apamaanit aur hridayvidarak peeda se bhari hokar van ki or laut gayin. Kehte hain ki unki maata Menaka ne unhe apne saath ek parvatiya aashram mein le jaakar aashraya diya. Wahin Shakuntala ne ek atyant tejaswi aur balshali putra ko janm diya aur uska naam "Bharat" rakha.

Balak Bharat apne janm se hi asadharan the. Ve atyant balshali, nirbhay aur tejaswi balak the. Bachpan se hi ve van mein sinh shaavkon ke saath khelte the, unke jabdon ko balpoorvak kholkar unke daant ginte the aur un par savaari karte the. Unke is apaar bal aur saahas ke kaaran unhe "Sarvadaman" arthat "sabko vash mein karne wala" kaha jaane laga.

Idhar ek din ek saadharan machhuaare ne nadi se ek badi machhli pakdi. Jab usne machhli ka pet cheera to usmein se ek chamakti hui rajmudrika wali angoothi nikli. Machhuaare ne us angoothi ko pehchaan kar turant Raja Dushyant ki seva mein bhent kiya. Angoothi ko dekhte hi — us par ankit rajchihn ko sparsh karte hi — Durvasa ka shaap kshan bhar mein toot gaya. Dushyant ki smriti mein sab kuch ek saath laut aaya — Shakuntala ka divya saundarya, unka nishchhal prem, Kanva aashram mein hua Gandharva vivah, di hui angoothi aur Shakuntala se kiya hua vachan. Dushyant ko atyant gehra pashchataap hua aur unka hriday glaani se bhar gaya.

Dushyant ne tatkal Shakuntala ki khoj aarambh ki. Bahut khoj aur bhatakne ke baad antatah ve us parvatiya aashram mein pahunche jahan Shakuntala apne putra Bharat ke saath nivas kar rahi thin. Dushyant ne wahan sinh shaavkon ke saath nirbhay hokar khelte hue apne tejaswi putra Bharat ko dekha aur uske adbhut bal tatha tej ko dekhkar unhe turant pehchaan liya. Dushyant ne Shakuntala se hriday ki gehraai se kshama maangi aur Durvasa ke shaap ki saari baat vistaar se batayi. Shakuntala ne apne udaar hriday se Dushyant ko kshama kar diya. Parivaar ka bhaavpoorn punarmilan hua aur Shakuntala, Dushyant tatha Bharat sasammaan Hastinapur laute.

Balak Bharat aage chalkar ek Chakravarti Samrat bane — aise samrat jinka shaasan sampoorn Bharatvarsh par tha. Unhone apni veerta, nyayapriyata aur prajaavatsalta se ek akhand samrajya sthapit kiya. Bharat itne mahaan, pratapi aur dharmparayan samrat hue ki unhi ke naam par is vishaal bhookhand ka naam "Bharatvarsh" arthat "Bharat ka desh" pada, jo aaj bhi hamare desh ka gauravpoorn naam hai. Mahabharata ke Pandav aur Kaurav isi Bharat vansh ki santanein the. Is prakar Shakuntala aur Dushyant ki prem katha keval ek pranay gatha nahi, balki sampoorn Bharat rashtra ki utpatti aur pehchaan ki katha hai.