Wildlife Protection in Classical Sanskrit Drama: An Environmental Reading of Abhijñānaśākuntalam

Abstract

              Kālidāsa’s Abhijñānaśākuntalam is celebrated as one of the pinnacles of Sanskrit dramaturgy, but it is equally significant as a literary text reflecting ancient Indian environmental ethics. Among its many ecological themes, wildlife protection emerges as a recurring moral principle, deeply embedded within the play’s setting, character interactions, and ethical framework.  

              The action opens in the tapovana- a sacred forest hermitage- where ascetics live in harmonious co-existence with flora and fauna. This space is governed not only by spiritual discipline but also by ecological codes of conduct. The prohibition against harming deer grazing near the hermitage is one of the first explicit statements of environmental ethics in the drama, underscoring that all life within the forest is to be respected and protected. The forest is depicted as a sanctuary, both physically and spiritually, for animals, birds, and humans alike. 

             In Act I, the hunting expedition of King Duṣyanta serves as a narrative entry point for discussing human- animal relationships. Though a hunter by royal duty, Duṣyanta is reminded by the hermits to refrain from harming gentle creatures within the hermitage boundaries. This distinction between permissible hunting and sacred non-violence reveals a nuanced ecological understanding: while the royal court may view hunting as sport or duty, the ascetic domain follows a principle akin to modern ‘wildlife reserves,’ where certain zones are free from exploitation.  

             Shakuntalā herself symbolizes this ethos. Her daily activities include tending to plants and caring for deer, showing that compassion for animals is part of her dharmic duty. In one poignant scene, she speaks affectionately to a deer as though addressing a family member, blurring the human–animal divide. Kālidāsa’s natural imagery such as creepers clinging to trees or deer frolicking in the shade imbues the forest with a sense of sentient vitality, reinforcing the idea that non-human life is integral to the community’s moral order.

Keywords: Wildlife, environmental, protection, Kālidāsa, human, activity, ecological, Animals, forest