Last updated: March 2026

Character Name

Shakuntala

Meaning — Derived from Sanskrit "shakunta" meaning "bird" — the name means "one who was cared for by birds". In legend, Shakuntala was abandoned by her mother and raised by birds in the forest hermitage of the sage Kanva. She is the heroine of Kalidasa's celebrated Sanskrit play.·Sanskrit origin·Female·sha-KUN-tah-lah

Shakuntala Kalidasa's Shakuntala is one of Sanskrit literature's most beloved heroines: raised in nature, innocent yet perceptive, capable of deep love and of sustaining enormous suffering with grace. Characters named Shakuntala tend to possess an untutored directness and a naturalness that sharply distinguishes them from those raised in more calculating social worlds.

Best genres for Shakuntala

MythologyHistorical FictionRomanceLiterary FictionDrama

Famous characters named Shakuntala

Shakuntala

Abhijnanashakuntalam (The Recognition of Shakuntala) — Kalidasa

A forest-raised maiden of extraordinary beauty and virtue who falls in love with King Dushyanta; their story — separation, a curse of forgetfulness, and eventual recognition — is the masterwork of Sanskrit dramatic literature.


Variations & nicknames

ShakuntalaSakuntalaShakuntala

Pairs well with

Shakuntala DeviShakuntala SharmaShakuntala NairShakuntala RaoShakuntala Iyer

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Related names


More Sanskrit names

Rohan

“Derived from Sanskrit "rohana" meaning "ascending", "growing", or "healing". It refers to the act of climbing or rising upward, and is also an epithet of Vishnu. In Pali, Rohana is a region of ancient Sri Lanka.”

Varun

“Derived from Sanskrit, referring to Varuna — the ancient Vedic god of the sky, cosmic waters, and moral law. Varuna was the guardian of rita (cosmic order) and punished those who broke oaths, giving the name connotations of justice and the sea.”

Ashok

“Derived from Sanskrit "a" (without) and "shoka" (grief or sorrow), meaning "one who is without sorrow" or "he who destroys sorrow". The name is immortalised by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great, who renounced violence after the Kalinga War and spread Buddhism across Asia.”

Padma

“Directly from Sanskrit meaning "lotus". Like Kamala, Padma represents the sacred lotus of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions — a name for Lakshmi and also used in Buddhist traditions as in Padmasambhava (the Lotus-Born). The lotus is the flower of spiritual awakening.”

Indira

“Derived from Sanskrit "indira" meaning "beauty" or "splendour" — an epithet of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and beauty. The name is also associated with Indra, king of the gods, and carries connotations of power, radiance, and sovereignty.”

Draupadi

“Derived from Sanskrit meaning "daughter of Drupada" — the patronymic of the princess born from a sacrificial fire to the King Drupada of Panchala. She is the shared wife of the five Pandava brothers in the Mahabharata and one of the most complex heroines in world literature.”


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