Shloka 17
कच-देवयानी संवादः
Kaca–Devayānī Dialogue and the Curse on Vidyā
एवं दुहितरं विद्धि मम विप्र शकुन्तलाम् | शकुन्तला च पितरं मन्यते मामनिन्दिता,ब्रह्म! इस प्रकार शकुन्तला मेरी बेटी हुई, आप यह जान लें। प्रशंसनीय शील- स्वभाववाली शकुन्तला भी मुझे अपना पिता मानती है
evaṁ duhitaraṁ viddhi mama vipra śakuntalām | śakuntalā ca pitaraṁ manyate mām aninditā brahman ||
Kaṇva said: “O Brahmin, know this—Śakuntalā is my daughter. And Śakuntalā herself, blameless in conduct, regards me as her father.”
कण्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharmic parenthood: a child’s social and moral standing is secured through acknowledged guardianship and responsibility. Kaṇva’s statement frames fatherhood as an ethical role—protection, acceptance, and legitimacy—rather than merely biological origin.
Kaṇva formally identifies Śakuntalā as his daughter before a Brahmin interlocutor and notes that she herself accepts him as her father. This functions as a public affirmation of her status and propriety within the āśrama and wider society.