Shakuntala narrates the story of her birth to King Dushyanta

King Dushyanta had met Shakuntala in the hermitage and was captivated. He asked her about her parentage—who was her father, who was her mother? In reply, Shakuntala narrated the story exactly as she had heard it from the sage Kanva, the man she called father. She told of the god Indra’s fear. The sage Vishvamitra was performing such fierce austerities that his power became a threat. To break his concentration, Indra commanded the apsara Menaka to seduce him and sent the wind god Marut to assist her. Menaka entered the hermitage, paid homage, and began to dance. The wind swept away her white garments. Vishvamitra saw her nude, saw her flawless beauty, and was overcome with desire. He invited her, and she accepted. They spent what seemed like a single day together in the forest, though a long time passed. From their union, Shakuntala was born. Menaka took the newborn to the banks of the Malini river in the Himalayas, left her there, and returned to heaven, her mission complete. The infant lay in a deserted forest full of predators. But vultures saw her and surrounded her, not to harm but to protect her with their wings. The sage Kanva, coming to the river for his ablutions, found her there in the deep wood, guarded by birds. He took her home and brought her up as his own daughter. Shakuntala explained that, according to the sacred texts, there are three kinds of fathers: the one who gives the body, the one who protects, and the one who provides food. Because she was found in the solitude of the forest, surrounded by birds (shakunta), Kanva had given her the name Shakuntala. She concluded her narration to the king. “When asked, this is how the great rishi described the account of my birth. O ruler of men, I do not know my own. But this is how I think of Kanva as my father. O king, I have told you exactly as I heard it.”