KASYAPA.--Know that when the nymph Menaká, the mother of Śakoontalá, became aware of her daughter's anguish in consequence of the loss of the ring at the nymphs' pool, and of thy subsequent rejection of her, she brought her and confided her to the care of Aditi. And I no sooner saw her than I ascertained by my divine power of meditation, that thy repudiation of thy poor faithful wife had been caused entirely by the curse of Durvásas--not by thine own fault--and that the spell would terminate on the discovery of the ring. KING [_drawing a deep breath_].--Oh! what a weight is taken off my mind, now that my character is cleared of reproach. ŚAKOONTALÁ [_aside_].--Joy! joy! My revered husband did not, then, reject me without good reason, though I have no recollection of the curse pronounced upon me. But, in all probability, I unconsciously brought it upon myself, when I was so distracted on being separated from my husband soon after our marriage. For I now remember that my two friends advised me not to fail to show the ring in case he should have forgotten me. KAŚYAPA.--At last, my daughter, thou art happy, and hast gained thy heart's desire. Indulge, then, no feeling of resentment against thy partner. See, now, Though he repulsed thee, 'twas the sage's curse That clouded his remembrance; 'twas the curse That made thy tender husband harsh towards thee. Soon as the spell was broken, and his soul Delivered from its darkness, in a moment Thou didst gain thine empire o'er his heart. So on the tarnished surface of a mirror No image is reflected, till the dust That dimmed its wonted lustre is removed. KING.--Holy father, see here the hope of my royal race. [_Takes his child by the hand_. KAŚYAPA.--Know that he, too, will become the monarch of the whole earth. Observe, Soon, a resistless hero, shall he cross The trackless ocean, borne above the waves In an aerial car; and shall subdue The earth's seven sea-girt isles.[44] Now has he gained, As the brave tamer of the forest-beasts, The title Sarva-damana; but then Mankind shall hail him as King Bharata, And call him the supporter of the world. KING.--We cannot but entertain the highest hopes of a child for whom your highness performed the natal rites. ADITI.--My revered husband, should not the intelligence be conveyed to Kanwa, that his daughter's wishes are fulfilled, and her happiness complete? He is Śakoontalá's foster-father. Menaká, who is one of my attendants, is her mother, and dearly does she love her daughter. ŚAKOONTALÁ [_aside_].--The venerable matron has given utterance to the very wish that was in my mind. KAŚYAPA.--His penances have gained for him the faculty of omniscience, and the whole scene is already present to his mind's eye. KING.--Then most assuredly he cannot be very angry with me.