The Legend of Urvasi and Pururavas
The King heard Urvasi's cry, but he dared not leap from his couch and chase the thief. He was in his nightclothes...
The King heard Urvasi's cry, but he dared not leap from his couch and chase the thief. He was in his nightclothes...
There once lived a king, whose name was Pururavas. He was a virtuous King, well known for his generosity and goodness. He was also very handsome, and every one respected him for his love of truth.
The King met a nymph from heaven named Urvasi. The gods Mitra and Varuna were displeased with Urvasi, so the nymph left the skies, and came down to the earth, to dwell in the abode of men.
Urvasi was very beautiful, and she was also very charming, and the King fell deeply in love with her. The nymph fell just as deeply in love with the King, for he was the bravest and most handsome man in the kingdom.
Pururavas went to the nymph, and said, "Fair maiden, I love you with all my heart, I beg you to give me your love in return." Urvasi blushed, and looked down modestly. She confessed how much she loved the King. And then she promised to marry him, if he would observe two conditions.
"And what are they?" asked Pururavas.
"First", said Urvasi, "my rams must stay with me. I have two of them, and I love them as if they were my own children. They must always be near me, both by day and night".
The King agreed to this condition.
"My second condition", said Urvasi, "is this: We must always retire for the night in darkness. If I see you without your day clothes on, misfortune will surely follow".
The King agreed to the second condition also.
Then the King and the nymph were wedded, and lived together in the greatest hapiness. The better Pururavas and Urvasi knew each other, the dearer they become to each other. In her wonderful happiness, Urvasi forgot that she was not a mortal. She had no wish to return to heaven, she was also happy living the life of a mortal upon earth.
But the nymphs and singers of Indra's court missed Urvasi.
They were very dull now that she was gone. They very much desired to have her again at Indra's court. They knew of Urvasi's agreement with the King. They now made a plan to cause the King to break the agreement. Then Urvasi must return to the skies, and take her place at the court of Indra.
They sent Viswavasu to carry out their plan. He came one night into the bedchamber of Pururavas and Urvasi, and stole one of the rams. As the Gandharvas carried away the ram, it bleated, and woke Urvasi up.
"Who has stolen one of my children?" she cried, starting up. "Where is my husband; will he allow my ram to be stolen?"
The King heard Urvasi's cry, but he dared not leap from his couch and chase the thief. He was in his nightclothes. If Urvasi saw him some misfortune would befall them. But the night was very dark. "How can she see me?" he thought. "There is no glimmer of night". At that moment, Gandharvas stole the second ram, and it bleated out loud for help. Then Urvasi cried, "What use is my husband to me? He does not come to help me when my rams are being stolen".
Then Pururavas leaped from his couch, and took up his sword, and began to rush after the robbers, loudly calling upon them to stop. At that moment, the Gandharvas caused a flash of lightning to play across the chamber, and everything showed up quite clearly. Urvasi was looking towards the King, and she saw him in his nightclothes. The agreement was broken and Urvasi disappeared.
The Gandharvas let go the rams, and they also disappeared. Pururavas was left quite alone; his bride's couch was now empty.
The King was very unhappy. Where was Urvasi gone? He left the palace and wandered over the face of the earth in search of her. He was almost mad with grief.
In his wanderings the King came to Kurukshetra, and there he saw Urvasi. She was playing with four other heavenly nymphs in a lake, beautiful with lotuses. He ran toward her wildly crying, "Urvasi, my wife, return to your grief-stricken husband, return to Pururavas!"
Urvasi looked round when she heard his voice, and said, "Do not give way to grief, mighty King. Come to me again in one year's time, and I will give you a son".
At the end of second year, Pururavas went to Kurukshetra and again met Urvasi. She gave to him his first-born son, whose name was Ayus. Then she bade him come to her again in another year's time.
At the end of the second year, Pururavas again went to Kurukshetra, and Urvasi handed over him their second son. Then she bade him come to her again in another year's time.
Year after year, for five years, the King want to Urvasi, and each time she handed to him a son. He never ceased to love her, and always hoped that some day she would be restored to him.
When Pururavas saw Urvasi the fifth time, she said, "The Gandharvas are pleased with you, Pururavas. They desire to grant you a boon. Say what you wish".
The King replied, "My enemies are destroyed, I have friends and armies and riches. There is only one thing that I cannot obtain, and that is my Urvasi. The boon I ask is to be allowed to live in the same region with her".
As soon as he had spoken, the Gandharvas surrounded the King. They brought to him a vessel of fire, and said, "Take this fire, and, according to the instructions of the Vedas, divide it into three parts. Then keep on wishing to be with Urvasi. Make offerings to the gods, and you will obtain your wish".
The King took the vessel of fire, and departed with it. He came to a forest, and then began to think, "How foolish I am! I took from the Gandharvas only this vessel of fire. Why did I not take Urvasi herself"? He put the vessel of fire down and went to his palace.
In the middle of the night he awoke, and thought, "How foolish I was to leave the vessel of fire in the forest! After all, it was a gift from the Gandharvas, who wished me well. I will go and find it again, and bring it home."
So he rose quickly from his couch, and went into the forest to search for the vessel. When he came to the place, he could not find it. It was gone. Where it stood was a young Aswattha tree growing out of a Sami plant. As he looked at the two plants, he thought, "I will produce the fire again by rubbing the wood of these two plants together. Then I will worship it. So he took up the two plants and returned with them to the palace.
He counted the syllables of holy verse, and cut sticks from the plant, an inch for each syllable. Then he rubbed the sticks together, till they become hot, began to smoke, and at last burst into a flame. Having made the fire, he divided it into three parts, and made offerings to the gods with it, and fixed his mind upon reunion with Urvasi.
Pururavas performed this sacrifice, and many more besides. At last his sacrifices obtained for him a place among the Gandharvas.
Pururavas found Urvasi among the Gandharavas, and was reunited to her. From that time they lived together without fear of misfortune, and were perfectly happy. Pururavas never again was separated from his beloved.
The King met a nymph from heaven named Urvasi. The gods Mitra and Varuna were displeased with Urvasi, so the nymph left the skies, and came down to the earth, to dwell in the abode of men.Urvasi was very beautiful, and she was also very charming, and the King fell deeply in love with her. The nymph fell just as deeply in love with the King, for he was the bravest and most handsome man in the kingdom.
Pururavas went to the nymph, and said, "Fair maiden, I love you with all my heart, I beg you to give me your love in return." Urvasi blushed, and looked down modestly. She confessed how much she loved the King. And then she promised to marry him, if he would observe two conditions.
"And what are they?" asked Pururavas.
"First", said Urvasi, "my rams must stay with me. I have two of them, and I love them as if they were my own children. They must always be near me, both by day and night".
The King agreed to this condition.
"My second condition", said Urvasi, "is this: We must always retire for the night in darkness. If I see you without your day clothes on, misfortune will surely follow".
The King agreed to the second condition also.
Then the King and the nymph were wedded, and lived together in the greatest hapiness. The better Pururavas and Urvasi knew each other, the dearer they become to each other. In her wonderful happiness, Urvasi forgot that she was not a mortal. She had no wish to return to heaven, she was also happy living the life of a mortal upon earth.
But the nymphs and singers of Indra's court missed Urvasi.
They were very dull now that she was gone. They very much desired to have her again at Indra's court. They knew of Urvasi's agreement with the King. They now made a plan to cause the King to break the agreement. Then Urvasi must return to the skies, and take her place at the court of Indra.
They sent Viswavasu to carry out their plan. He came one night into the bedchamber of Pururavas and Urvasi, and stole one of the rams. As the Gandharvas carried away the ram, it bleated, and woke Urvasi up.
"Who has stolen one of my children?" she cried, starting up. "Where is my husband; will he allow my ram to be stolen?"
The King heard Urvasi's cry, but he dared not leap from his couch and chase the thief. He was in his nightclothes. If Urvasi saw him some misfortune would befall them. But the night was very dark. "How can she see me?" he thought. "There is no glimmer of night". At that moment, Gandharvas stole the second ram, and it bleated out loud for help. Then Urvasi cried, "What use is my husband to me? He does not come to help me when my rams are being stolen".Then Pururavas leaped from his couch, and took up his sword, and began to rush after the robbers, loudly calling upon them to stop. At that moment, the Gandharvas caused a flash of lightning to play across the chamber, and everything showed up quite clearly. Urvasi was looking towards the King, and she saw him in his nightclothes. The agreement was broken and Urvasi disappeared.
The Gandharvas let go the rams, and they also disappeared. Pururavas was left quite alone; his bride's couch was now empty.
The King was very unhappy. Where was Urvasi gone? He left the palace and wandered over the face of the earth in search of her. He was almost mad with grief.
In his wanderings the King came to Kurukshetra, and there he saw Urvasi. She was playing with four other heavenly nymphs in a lake, beautiful with lotuses. He ran toward her wildly crying, "Urvasi, my wife, return to your grief-stricken husband, return to Pururavas!"
Urvasi looked round when she heard his voice, and said, "Do not give way to grief, mighty King. Come to me again in one year's time, and I will give you a son".
At the end of second year, Pururavas went to Kurukshetra and again met Urvasi. She gave to him his first-born son, whose name was Ayus. Then she bade him come to her again in another year's time.
At the end of the second year, Pururavas again went to Kurukshetra, and Urvasi handed over him their second son. Then she bade him come to her again in another year's time.
Year after year, for five years, the King want to Urvasi, and each time she handed to him a son. He never ceased to love her, and always hoped that some day she would be restored to him.
When Pururavas saw Urvasi the fifth time, she said, "The Gandharvas are pleased with you, Pururavas. They desire to grant you a boon. Say what you wish".
The King replied, "My enemies are destroyed, I have friends and armies and riches. There is only one thing that I cannot obtain, and that is my Urvasi. The boon I ask is to be allowed to live in the same region with her".
As soon as he had spoken, the Gandharvas surrounded the King. They brought to him a vessel of fire, and said, "Take this fire, and, according to the instructions of the Vedas, divide it into three parts. Then keep on wishing to be with Urvasi. Make offerings to the gods, and you will obtain your wish".
The King took the vessel of fire, and departed with it. He came to a forest, and then began to think, "How foolish I am! I took from the Gandharvas only this vessel of fire. Why did I not take Urvasi herself"? He put the vessel of fire down and went to his palace.
In the middle of the night he awoke, and thought, "How foolish I was to leave the vessel of fire in the forest! After all, it was a gift from the Gandharvas, who wished me well. I will go and find it again, and bring it home."
So he rose quickly from his couch, and went into the forest to search for the vessel. When he came to the place, he could not find it. It was gone. Where it stood was a young Aswattha tree growing out of a Sami plant. As he looked at the two plants, he thought, "I will produce the fire again by rubbing the wood of these two plants together. Then I will worship it. So he took up the two plants and returned with them to the palace.
He counted the syllables of holy verse, and cut sticks from the plant, an inch for each syllable. Then he rubbed the sticks together, till they become hot, began to smoke, and at last burst into a flame. Having made the fire, he divided it into three parts, and made offerings to the gods with it, and fixed his mind upon reunion with Urvasi.
Pururavas performed this sacrifice, and many more besides. At last his sacrifices obtained for him a place among the Gandharvas.
Pururavas found Urvasi among the Gandharavas, and was reunited to her. From that time they lived together without fear of misfortune, and were perfectly happy. Pururavas never again was separated from his beloved.
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