Shakuntala's Friends Apply Collyrium on Her Eyes

After the two celestial devakumaras, distinguished in the painting by the fabulous ornaments and the jewel encrusted crowns they wear, leave gifts of ornaments and silks for Shakuntala, they casually depart from the precincts of the little hut. The companions of Shakuntala continue to adorn and beautify her appearance completely ignoring the two celestial beings as if their coming into the hermitage is an ordinary everyday occurrence - there is no element of surprise in either the expressions or gestures of the women.

The rustic landscape of the painting, along with the very realistically depicted trees, foliage and hillocks, the attires and demeanour of the women in it however mark the two celestial figures as extraordinary.

The devakumaras, however, turn their heads and continue to gaze at Shakuntala - the one dressed in a mauve dhoti gesticulates a sense of wonderment, expressed through the gesture of his hands as he continues to gaze upon Shakuntala.

The artist seems to allude to the fact that even these otherworldly beings are astounded by the appearance of the beautiful Shakuntala. The other women who hold up little vessels containing maquillage to embellish Shakuntala also gaze upon her, demanding that the focus and attention of the viewer of the painting remains on her person, despite the colourful details presented in the rest of the painting.

Here the artist uses the familiar idiom of gazing at the heroine as a strategy to draw the attention of the viewer, a structural device often employed by artists in the Guler-Kangra painting styles. Shakuntala’s countenance, however, is nothing out of the ordinary, and she is not distinguished by her features from the other women who surround her, apart from the artist depicting her with a paler colouring than the rest of her companions.

While Shakuntala's companions seem to use the ornaments and the ointments brought by the celestial beings, with the jewel-encrusted golden tray lying empty behind the women on the left, the garments that they have brought for her however seem to not be preferred, as Shakuntala continues to wear the brilliant red garments that she had worn earlier.