[_Exeunt omnes_.

NOTES:

1. _I[S']a preserve you_.

That is, 'the Lord,' a name given to the god Siva, when regarded as
supreme. As presiding over dissolution he is associated with Brahma
the Creator, and Vishnu the Preserver; constituting with them the
Hindu Triad. Kalidasa indulges the religious predilections of his
fellow-townsmen by beginning and ending the play with a prayer to
[S']iva, who had a large temple in Ujjayini, the modern Oujein, the city
of Vikramaditya, situated north-eastward from Gujarat.

2. _In these eight forms_.

The worshippers of Siva, who were Pantheists in the sense of
believing that [S']iva was himself all that exists, as well as the
cause of all that is, held that there were eight different
manifestations of their god, called Rudras; and that these had
their types in the eight visible forms enumerated here. The
Hindus reckon five elements. The most subtle is Ether (_akasa_),
supposed to convey sound, which is its peculiar attribute or
property (_guna_). The next element--Air, has for its properties
sound and feeling. The third--Fire, has sound, feeling, and
colour. The fourth--Water, has sound, feeling, colour, and taste.
The fifth--Earth, has all the other properties, with the addition
of smell.

3. _An audience of educated and discerning men_.

Lit. 'An audience, who are chiefly men of education and discernment.'
Few could have been present at these dramatic representations excepting
learned and educated men. The mass of the composition being in Sanskrit,
would not have been intelligible to the vulgar and illiterate.

4. _[S']akoontala; or, The Lost Ring_.

The literal title is '[S']akoontala recognized by the token or
ring.'

5. _The present Summer season_.

Hindu poets divide the year into six seasons of two months each,
viz. I. Spring (Vasanta), beginning about the middle of March;
or, according to some, February. 2. Summer (Grishma). 3. Rains
(Varsha). 4. Autumn (Sarad). 5. Winter (Hemanta). 6. Dews
(Sisira). Practically, however, there are only three seasons in
India, 1. The hot season. 2. The rains. 3. The cold weather. In
Lower Bengal and Behar, the first of these seasons begins in
March, the second in June, and the third in November. The
temperature of the cold season is highly exhilarating, and the
climate is then superior to that of any portion of the English
year. In Calcutta, this season continues for about three months;
in Upp