Shloka 24
Ādi-parva, Adhyāya 73: Devayānī–Śarmiṣṭhā Dispute, Confinement in the Well, and Yayāti’s Rescue
मुहूर्तयाते तस्मिंस्तु कण्वो5प्याश्रममागमत् | शकुन्तला च पितरं द्विया नोपजगाम तम्,उनके गये दो ही घड़ी बीती थी कि महर्षि कण्व भी आश्रमपर आ गये; परंतु शकुन्तला लज्जावश पहलेके समान पिताके समीप नहीं गयी
muhūrtayāte tasmiṁs tu kaṇvo 'py āśramam āgamat | śakuntalā ca pitaraṁ dviyā nopajagāma tam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: When only a short while had passed, the sage Kaṇva too returned to the hermitage. But Śakuntalā, overcome by modesty and shyness, did not go up to her father as she had done before.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights social-ethical restraint (lajjā) and propriety in family relations: inner feelings and recent events can alter one’s outward conduct, and dharmic decorum—especially before elders—shapes behavior in the āśrama setting.
Soon after the preceding events, sage Kaṇva returns to the hermitage. Śakuntalā, feeling shy and self-conscious, does not approach him in the familiar manner she previously did.