[Original caption] Menaka sent by Indra to distract sage Vishwamitra in his penances, succeeds in her mission and gets a child by him. While going to Indra-lok, she offers the child to Vishwamitra, who feeling penitent for his weakness tries to avoid Menaka and disowns the child. [end]
Once, Vishvamitra started meditation in the forest to please the Gods. As the years passed by, the sage became so powerful that the Gods felt insecure. Indra, the King of the Gods, asked Menaka to distract Vishvamitra from his meditation in order to secure the interests of the Gods. Menaka came to the house of Vishvamitra, used her charms to distract him and succeeded in conceiving the sage's child. This child was named Shakuntala.  |
