Urvashi – Applied Indology

In Sanatana Dharma, where there are Gods, there are also Sub-Yonis. Like, Gandharva, Yaksh, Yakshini, Kinnari, Yogini, Kshetrapala, Bhootas, Bhootini, Preta, Pishacha, Pisachini and Apsara. Among these, Gandharva, Yogini, Kshetrapala and Apsara are from the Upper Loka while others are from lower realms or Lokas. Urvashi is one such apsara.

Urvashi means she who can control heart of others,”Ur” means heart and “vash” means to control. Earliest Vedic texts suggest, it was also the name for the dawn goddess. In the Vedas, the apsaras are water nymphs where in apsa means water, the one going in the waters or between the waters of the clouds. Often married to the gandharvas or or temptresses of Rishis. There are two types of Apsaras, namely, laukika (wordly) and daivika (divine). Thirty-four nymphs / Apsaras are specified of the first type and ten of the second type. These celestial beings are also known as vidyadhari or tep apsar.

By the time the Puranas and the two epics were composed, the apsaras and gandharvas had become semi-divine, performing artists to the gods who were adept in magic and knowledgeable in all of the 64 performing arts; the apsaras are singers, dancers, and courtesans, while the gandharvas are musicians. The Apsaras were born as a result of the churning of the milky ocean / Samudra Manthana.

Later when Brahma faced the challenge to reach teach arts / Natyashastra to the human beings living on earth. The Lord then created the Apsaras, who would help propagate them among the earthlings. It is believed that Brahma created these cosmic beings from the clouds and water. The Lord also gave Apsaras the power to change their form at will and the ability to change the course of history, thus transforming the world for the better.

The gandharvas are companions to the apsaras. They are handsome, possess brilliant weapons, and wear fragrant clothes. They guard the Soma Rasa but do not have the right to drink it. How they lost this right has a story: in one version, the gandharvas failed to guard the Soma Rasa properly, resulting in it being stolen. Indra brought back the Soma Rasa and, as a punishment, the gandharvas were excluded from the Soma Rasa draught. In another version, the gandharvas were the original owners of the Soma Rasa. They sold it to the gods in exchange for a goddess – the goddess Vach (speech) – because they are very fond of female company.

Rigveda 1.91.22
“O Soma, You alone create the medicines that heal us. You alone create the water that quenches our thirst. You alone create all moving objects, sense organs and living beings and also give us this life. You have provided expanse to this universe and you alone enlighten the world to eradicate darkness.”

The Manu Shastra claim the Apsaras were created in part with the seven Manus to serve as wives of the gods and daughters of pleasure. Originally believed to have emerged as a group of thirteen, the Apsaras are understood to have grown in numbers reaching up to 35 million. They live on trees, such as the banyan and the sacred fig, and are entreated to bless wedding processions. The Rig Veda mentions one apsara by name; she is Urvashi, wife to Pururava, who is the orginator of Chandra Vamsha and ancestor of the Kauravas and Pandavas.

Once, the primordial twin Rishis Nara and Naryana were performing a particularly severe penance. The Rishis Nara and Narayana had taken to intense austerities in their practice of meditation from a very young age. They moved around in the upper regions of Kedar and Badri, and sometimes were known to frequent the upper passes to Gomukha, at the birth of the river Ganga. At this tri-junction of the sacred birth of several holy rivers, Nara and Narayana began to observe their most intense meditation. In entering nirvikalpa samadhi, they began to focus their entire powerful meditation energy upon the aspect of the supreme human, ascribed as ‘tath’.

The energy, intense as it was, soon engulfed the three worlds and overcome all aspects of known creation. In this unthinkable heat and the spread of energy, Indra, the king of the gods, got worried at Alaka. He knew of their identities, of the manifestation of Vishnu himself, as Nara and Narayana. He knew of their respect by Shiva. He was worried that in their manifestation, their energy could become a threat to him, as king of the gods.

He went up to the Rishis Nara and Narayana meditating upon the divine aspect of Devi, and saluted them and said, “O divinities yourselves, as Vishnu himself, I bow to thee. I am but a mere god, Bramha, however, is divine grandfather to thee, and is fully aware of your energy. It is thus, left to me to acclaim your tremendous meditation, and declare my recognition, happy that you are immersed in your dhyana. I am most happy to grant you any boon that you may desire. O venerable Rishis, please step out of your meditation, and do ask.”

Nara and Narayana were engrossed within their nirvikalpa samadhi, and jnanis that they were, immersed in their dhyana, did not even realise that Indra, the king of the gods was standing in their presence and was talking to them. Initially, Indra created some paranormal visualisations that could enter the inner mind of meditative Sadaka. These were powerless and were unable to penetrate even the outer minds of Nara and Narayana.

Having failed, Indra began to create primeval illusions of real-like external experiences. He created animals that would take on real manifestations and would be dangerous and could create fear in mortals. The animals charged at the rishis, but were thwarted by their divine auras. Being able to realise that Nara and Narayana were divine beings, the animals went away from the area.

Indra then reached out to Kama, and said, “O God of Love, You are the supreme archer to be sent out to rescue the three worlds through peace and love. The three worlds are under threat, and it is from none other than Nara and Narayana themselves. The intensity and duration of their austerities and the spread of their energy from their meditation has spread all over and is beginning to consume the energy of the three worlds. It is much like an unexpected pralaya. They are not aware that their intention to do good by their dhyana has actually begun to threaten those whom they desired to help. It is but necessary for us to get involved and interrupt the meditation of Nara and Narayana.”

Take the most beautiful of my chosen apsaras with you, along with Rati the angel of springs, take Rambha, Tilottama, Menaka and also sixteen thousand other apsaras. Keep them between you and Nara and Narayana. Let them distract the divine Rishis when you disrupt their meditation with your arrows of love. Seduce them the divine Rishis.

On arrival at Sundamadana, Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka accompanied by the sixteen thousand apsaras began to sing and dance seductively. Kama got five of his most potent arrows ready and waited for his opportunity. Nara was disturbed. He opened his eyes and did not get angry. He was just curious as to the cause of these events.

Narayana conveyed his thoughts to Nara, unspokenly, for they were one in their soul and mind, “Brother Nara, These apsaras, Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka have begun to take too much pride in their beauty. They do not understand the power of meditation, dhyana and the ability of a Rishi. Beauty and charms are but impermanent achievements. They are like treasures that will disappear. They need to realise that the real achievement comes from exploring oneself from within. I shall create an apsara that would surpass them in their beauty and be better than the three of them in her abilities.”

Saying thus, Narayana slapped his thigh and manifested a beautiful woman by his power and ability. Being born from the thigh, she was named Urvashi. She was far more beautiful than the three apsaras, Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka. After Urvashi, Narayana created several hundred beautiful women to be companions to her. Seeing Urvashi, all the apsaras stopped their dancing and singing.
They came together, bowed in humility, and asked for Narayana’s forgiveness. They said, “Forgive us, O Narayana, We were misled by Indra, and in the accompaniment of Manmatha himself, we lost our integrity. We do not wish to disturb your austerities. Please forgive us”

Narayana blessed them all and declared that Urvashi and her sisters could go back as a gift Indra with Rambha, Tilottama and Menaka and that Indra may see that he had nothing to fear. The sixteen thousand apsaras who had come did not wish to return to Alaka, for they had seen Lord Narayana, had spoken to him and received his blessings. They were now deeply in love with Narayana and desired to stay back at Sundamadana and be wed to him.

Narayana smiled and declined, and spoke thus, “You who are in love with me, I bless you all. At this moment, I am here to be immersed in my dhyana, along with my beloved brother, Nara. We are intent in continuing with our meditation. We wish to be accomplished as our father, Dharma, and we would like to stay undisturbed in our intent to spread righteousness in the world. I cannot accept you as you desire, in this period of celibacy. I shall be born again, as Krishna, in the coming yuga, and so will Nara, be born as Arjuna, and we will be companions together in our battle to fight the forces against righteousness. You will all be born again, in the next yuga, all sixteen thousand apsaras together, and as Krishna, I shall wed you all. I promise you and bless you that we will be together. Take Urvashi and her companions with you and inform Indra about the sanctity of her birth. Take our daughter, Urvashi.

Sometime later, Tired of life in Devaloka, Urvashi and some other Apsaras came down to earth to stay among the humans for some time. On her way back, she was approched by an Asura named Keshi. He was deeply in love with her and wanted to marry her. He took her in his arms and she desperately tried to free herself from his grasp.

Rishi Atri had a son Soma is called Chandratreya, Soma and Tara had a son named Buddha. He, in turn, had a son named Pururavas. He was the first Chandravamshi, the Lunar King. From Pururavas came the Pandavas and the Kauravas. He was a mighty and valiant warrior, who constantly accompanied Indra on his battles against the Asuras. Pururavas also performed a hundred Ashwamedha Yagnas to become one of the greatest rulers ever. The Rig Veda, Matsya Purana and the Mahabharata narrate his tragic love story with Urvashi.

Hearing Urvashi cries for help, Pururavas, who was passing by, stopped and challenged the Asura for a fight. He successfully fought Keshi and rescued the Apsara. During the course of the fight, though, Pururavas accidentally touched Urvashi. It was the first time that Urvashi experienced the warmth of Mortal Human Being and felt his emotion. On his side, he too had never seen such a captivating beauty and was immediately smitten by her.

Back in heaven, Urvashi could not stop thinking about him. While acting in a play directed by Rishi Bharata, she accidentally said the name, ‘Pururavas’, instead of ‘Purushottama’ (Vishnu’s name). This angered the Rishi, who cursed her to become mortal and beget children on earth. This gladdened Urvashi in a way, since she always felt that she identified more with humankind than with her own race.

In the meantime, Pururavas was already married, but his wife could not have children. Though he had met Urvashi briefly, he could not get her out of his mind. When she came down to earth and told him about the curse, the two decided to run away together and live in the Gandhamadana gardens. Urvashi was still bound by the rules of the Devaloka. Hence, she lay down three conditions upon Pururavas and told him that, if he broke any of them, she would have to leave him immediately and return to Heaven.

1. Her first condition was that she would bring with her two sheep, whose safety would be his responsibility.
2. she said she would live only on ghee and nothing else.
3. As the final condition, they would never see each other as naked unless they were making love.

Pururavas agreed to them all and the two lived together happily for a period of 64 years. Indra and the other Devas wished Urvashi would come back to where she truly belonged. Indra sent Gandharvas to steal her sheep, so that she would be forced to return to them. One night, they proceeded to steal the sheep. The noise woke Urvashi and Pururavas from deep sleep, in his rush to stop them, he forgot to put on some clothes. Gandharvas also knew to create fire and at the same time when the king was running naked, they lit the fire and thus condition was breached, Urvashi saw him naked. He gave them a chase, but the Gandharvas managed to get away and took the sheep with them.

Urvashi was saddened that two of her conditions were violated. She left to Devaloka with a heavy heart. However, she was now with Pururavas’s child, Ayu. So she asked him to meet her at Kurukshetra in nine more months, when she would give him the son he always wanted. She came down to earth many times after that, she spent a day with him and Vanished again. Maintaining her relationship this way, Urvashi delivered six sons to Pururva, Ayu, Amavasu, Vishwavasu, Shritrayu, Shataryu and Ayutaryu.

Though they met each other every now and then, they never reunited in the true sense. Ayu Son was Nahusha whose son was Yayati. Puru and Yadu were Yayati’s sons. Shantanu was a descendant of Puru. The lineage contnued with the help of Vyasa, because Vuchitravirya, son of Shantanu died childless. Satyavati’s son, Vyasa continued the lineage of Puru. The ancestors of the Pandavas and Kauravas.

Urvashi is the mother of Rishyashringa, the great saint of the Ramayana, who played a crucial role in the birth of Rama. He was married to Shanta, the only daughter of King Dasaratha.

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About Author:
Subhasini BA, is a Screenplay writer, Director, creative director, costume designer and producer, whose work has featured in some of the most prestigious film festivals in the country and internationally. She has collaborated on several film projects juggling different roles. 

In beginning of her career, she worked as Associate director and Costume Designer with the acclaimed director Girish Kasaravalli. She’s written and directed a documentary film on the famed Krishna Temple in Udupi, and also written plays, screenplays for films and short form content for some of the leading technology companies in India, including Microsoft, Akamai Technologies, LAM Research, and SAP. 

With Knowledge in Sanskrit, Subhasini is a seeker of the Eternal Truth / Santana Dharma, writes on dharma. She is passionate about History, Mythology, Philosophy and Spirituality. She believes Dharma is the manifestation of the natural strength of every living soul.
She lives in Cincinnati.

Image Courtesy: Herzindagi

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