When King Dushyanta first saw Shakuntala, he was struck by her incomparable beauty and gentle character. He made her his wife and vowed to take her back to his palace. But a curse from the sage Durvasa erased her memory so completely from his mind that he failed to recognize her. Much later, when the curse was broken he realized his mistake but it was too late or so it seemed to be. The story of Shakuntala first appeared in the Mahabharata. It was later adapted into a play by the Sanskrit dramatist and poet, Kalidasa.