Once that strong-armed king, with a mighty host of men and chariots, entered a thick wood.  Then when the king had slain thousands of wild creatures, he entered another wood with his troops and his chariots, intent on pursuing a deer.  And the king beheld a wonderful, beautiful hermitage on the bank of the sacred river Malini; on its bank was the beautiful hermitage of blessed, high-souled Kanva, whither the great sages resorted.  Then the king determined to enter, that he might see the great sage Kanva, rich in holiness.  He laid aside the insignia of royalty and went on alone, but did not see the austere sage in the hermitage.  Then, when he did not see the sage, and perceived that the hermitage was deserted, he cried aloud, “Who is here?” until the forest seemed to shriek.  Hearing his cry, a maiden, lovely as Shri, came from the hermitage, wearing a hermit garb.  “Welcome!” she said at once, greeting him, and smilingly added:  “What may be done for you?” Then the king said to the sweet-voiced maid:  “I have come to pay reverence to the holy sage Kanva.  Where has the blessed one gone, sweet girl?  Tell me this, lovely maid.”  Shakuntala said:  “My blessed father has gone from the hermitage to gather fruits.  Wait a moment.  You shall see him when he returns.”

The king did not see the sage, but when the lovely girl of the fair hips and charming smile spoke to him, he saw that{} she was radiant in her beauty, yes, in her hard vows and self-restraint all youth and beauty, and he said to her: 

“Who are you?  Whose are you, lovely maiden?  Why did you come to the forest?  Whence are you, sweet girl, so lovely and so good?  Your beauty stole my heart at the first glance.  I wish to know you better.  Answer me, sweet maid.”

The maiden laughed when thus questioned by the king in the hermitage, and the words she spoke were very sweet:  “O Dushyanta, I am known as blessed Kanva’s daughter, and he is austere, steadfast, wise, and of a lofty soul.”

Dushyanta said:  “But he is chaste, glorious maid, holy, honoured by the world.  Though virtue should swerve from its course, he would not swerve from the hardness of his vow.  How were you born his daughter, for you are beautiful?  I am in great perplexity about this.  Pray remove it.”

[Shakuntala here explains how she is the child of a sage and a nymph, deserted at birth, cared for by birds (shakuntas), found and reared by Kanva, who gave her the name Shakuntala.]

Dushyanta said:  “You are clearly a king’s daughter, sweet maiden, as you say.  Become my lovely wife.  Tell me, what shall I do for you?  Let all my kingdom be yours to-day.  Become my wife, sweet maid.”

Shakuntala said:  “Promise me truly what I say to you in secret.  The son that is born to me must be your heir.  If you promise, Dushyanta, I will marry you.”

“So be it,” said the king without thinking, and added:  “I will bring you too to my city, sweet-smiling girl.”