Etymology
Rishi Kanva found her in forest as a baby surrounded by Shakunta birds (Sanskrit: शकुन्त, śakunta). Therefore he named her Shakuntala (Sanskrit: शकुन्तला), meaning Shakunta-protected.
In the Adi Parva of Mahabharata, Kanva says:
nirjane ca vane yasmācchakuntaiḥ parirakṣitā
śakuntaleti nāmāsyāḥ kṛtaṃ cāpi tato mayā
She was surrounded in the solitude of the wilderness, by śakuntas,
therefore, hath she been named by me Shakuntala (Shakunta-protected).
Read more about this topic: Shakuntala
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