Durvasa- Hindu FigureMortal"The Wrathful Sage"

The Wrathful Sage

Durvasa was born from Shiva's wrath to the sage Atri and his wife Anasuya. His name means "difficult to live with." His austerities gave him spiritual power that made his curses as devastating as his blessings were generous. He gave Kunti the mantra that allowed her to invoke any god and bear his child, a gift that produced the Pandavas. He nearly destroyed the gods over a trampled flower.

The Curse on Indra

Durvasa offered Indra a sacred garland. Indra placed it carelessly on his elephant Airavata, who tossed it to the ground and trampled it. Durvasa cursed every god to lose their power and immortality. The weakened devas were driven from heaven by the asuras. To recover what the curse had stripped from them, the gods had to churn the ocean of milk, the Samudra Manthan, an event that produced the amrita, the Halahala poison, and a dozen other cosmic treasures. All of it set in motion because a god was careless with a garland.

Shakuntala's Ring

When Durvasa arrived at the ashram of the sage Kanva, Shakuntala was lost in thoughts of King Dushyanta and failed to notice him. Durvasa cursed her: the man she was thinking of would forget her entirely. Kanva's disciples begged for mercy. Durvasa softened the curse: Dushyanta's memory would return when he saw a token of recognition.

Shakuntala went to Dushyanta's court carrying his signet ring. She lost it on the journey. The king looked at her and saw a stranger. Kalidasa's Abhijnanasakuntalam tells the rest: a fisherman found the ring in the belly of a fish, Dushyanta's memory returned, and he searched the earth for the woman he had forgotten.