Unlike in the Mahabharata, she barely even talks to Dushyanta directly—she is too innocent and sweet to do anything of the sort. In fact, as a companion explains, she is ‘as delicate as a jasmine’, which also means she knows nothing of the ways of the world. She falls in love with the king, in any case, and he is tempted by this ‘flower that no one has smelled’. Their mutual attraction results soon enough in a consummation, and in a twist that might have been inspired by a Buddhist tale, the king departs after handing over to Shakuntala his ring. While she is lost in romantic dreams and
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