Human- Nature Coexistence in Kalidasa’s Abhijnanashakuntalam: An Ecocritical Interpretation

Abstract

This study explores the representation of human–nature relationships in Kalidasa’s Abhijnanashakuntalam through an ecocritical lens. While the play has been widely discussed for its poetic artistry, romantic themes, and dramatic structure, its ecological vision has received comparatively limited attention within contemporary ecocritical scholarship. This gap becomes particularly significant because Kalidasa presents nature not as a passive backdrop but as an active presence that shapes ethical values, emotional experience, and social conduct. It also explores how the forest hermitage nurtures a mode of living grounded in coexistence, reciprocity, and environmental responsibility.

This research is based on a qualitative approach, text-based, and interpretive methodology informed by ecocriticism, environmental humanities, and cultural ecology. Through close reading of the play, it analyses representations of forests, animals, rivers, seasonal cycles, and ascetic life to investigate how ecological values are embedded within the dramatic narrative. Particular attention is given to moments that reveal interdependence between human and non-human life. The analysis also draws upon ecological concepts such as interconnectedness, environmental ethics, and critiques of anthropocentrism to interpret the play’s broader ecological imagination. The play presents human and natural life as closely intertwined. The forest hermitage emerges as an ecological community sustained through care, restraint, and mutual dependence. Rather than privileging human interests alone, the play recognizes animals, plants, and natural processes as meaningful participants in a shared world. The analysis highlights the continuing relevance of the play’s ecological vision. By foregrounding interdependence, responsibility, and respect for non-human life, the play offers an alternative to human-centred approaches to nature. The ecological insights embedded in the play continue to offer meaningful ways of thinking about coexistence, environmental responsibility, and sustainable living.