Devi bhagavata purana AND SMD Bhagavatham @ Bhagavata Puranam
THE WRITE UP OF MR GK WAS SIMPLY ADOPTED FROM THE FOLLOWING WESTERN
REFERENCERS WHO CANNOT DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE SEX AND REAL THEME (VIDE
AILA GEETHAM FROM BHAGAVATHA PURANA WHICH IS NEVER QUOTED BY THE WEST) .
WENDY DONIGER WAS ALWAYS ONBSESSED WITH SEX WHICH ALONE IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE
BEEN NARRATED UNDER HINDUISM IF ONE WERE TO READ HER BOOK: HINDU”. QUOTE OF
“BREAST PURURAVAS’ AD MANY STORIES WRITTEN BY GK , WITHOUT APPLICATION OF
THE MIND AND ANALYSIS HAD LEAD TO PERSIST IN CALLING THE DEVALOKA WOMEN AS
FAIRIES CONSISTENTLY ,PERSISTING BRUTALLY ON AVIVEKAM. NOW PL GO THROUGH
FACTS FROM BHAGAVATHA PURANA WHERE OTHER THSAN THESE ONE CANNOT FIND
ANYTHING ELSE. THANK YOU K RAJARAM IRS 1326
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I On the origin of Urvaśī
25-27. They saw near to them the Cupid with his attendants Menakā, Rambhā,
Tilottamā, Puspagandhā, Sukeśī, Mahāśvetā, Manoramā, Pramodvarā, Ghritācī,
Cāruhāsinī, the expert in music, Candra Prabhā, the cuckoo voiced Somā, the
lotus eyed Vidyunmālā, Kāñcana malinī, and others.
28. Eight thousand and five hundred Apsarās and long multitudes of the
hosts of Cupid, the Munis saw and were surprised.
30. The Apsarās began their enchanting songs, exciting much passion and
rarely heard or seen in this world.
33-34. Vyāsa said :-- O king! The two Munis, thinking that Indra has sent
these Apsarās to obstruct their Tapasyā, were filled with egoism and
determined to create, out of their strength of Tapasyā a new Apsarā, who
would be very much more beautiful and possessing far more heavenly graces
than the present ones, who are ordinary looking and clumsy in their
behaviours.
35. And the Munis, by clapping or striking their thighs, instantly created
a woman, exquisitely beautiful in all respects.
36. This good looking woman was named Urvaśī, since she was produced from
the thighs. And all the other Apsarās present there were very much
thunderstruck on seeing that Urvaśī.
37. Then the Muni Nārāyaṇa easily created as many women as there were
Apsarās to serve them.
38. The just produced Apsarās brought with them all sorts of offering in
their hands, and, singing and smiling, came before the Munis and with
clasped hands bowed down before them.
*39. The heavenly damsels sent by Indra*, though enchanting to others were
themselves now bewildered on beholding Urvaśi, beautiful in all respects
and produced out of the Tapasyā of the Munis; and their hairs over the
bodies stood on their ends.
41. We are convinced that both of you are the Amsas of Viṣṇu and that your
treasures are your incessant peace and control of mind. We have come here
not to serve you but to hinder you in your penances, that we may fulfill
the desires of Indra. 42. By what good luck of ours we have got a sight of
thee, we do not know; we do not know also what merits we did? We have
committed great offence to you; still you have not cursed us. You have
considered us as those of your own family and have pardoned us. Therefore
our minds are free from sorrow and anxiety. Much praise be to your
forgiveness! Wise saints do not squander away their occult powers, derived
from austerities, in trivial ways like cursing others.
50. Let those sixteen hundred and fifty beautiful-eyed damsels including
Urvaśī, that are your creation and that are now existing here, let them go
unto Heaven by your command.51. And we, the sixteen hundred and fifty
damsels that have come before, may be allowed to remain here at your
service.
56-57. The Apsarās said :-- Of the five senses; sound, etc., the pleasures
attained through the sensation of touch are excellent, and are reckoned as
the source of Bliss; no other pleasures stand equal to it. Therefore do
then fulfill our words, and enjoy incessantly this highest bliss and roam
freely in this Gandhamādan mountain.
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II On Urvaśī and Pururavā
1-34. Sūta said :-- O Maharṣis! When the king Sudyumna had gone up to
heavens, the religious king Pururavā, endowed with great beauty and many
qualities, and able to please the minds of his subjects began to govern his
kingdom well, according to Dharma, with his heart intent on governing his
people. No body knew what his counsel was, but he was very clever in
knowing otherś counsels. He was always highly energetic and his lordly
power was great. The four methods of warfare, (1) con-ciliation, (2) giving
gifts, (3) sowing dissensions and (4) war, were fully under his control. He
saw that his subjects practised religion according to Varnāśram (Colours
and stages of life), and thus he began to govern his kingdom. Pururavā, the
lord of men, performed various sacrifices with abundance of Dakṣiṇās
(sacrificial fees) and also gave away much in various charities, causing
great wonder and astonishment. His extra-ordinary beauty and qualities,
liberality and good nature, his unbounded wealth and prowess made the
Apsarā Urvaśī think of him often and she wanted him to satisfy her. Some
time passed when that procud Urvaśī had to descend on this earth, due to a
curse pronounced on her by a Brāhmin; and she chose the king Pururavā as
her husband, thinking him to be endowed with all the qualities.
She then addressed the king and made the following contract :-- “O king,
giving honour due to every body! I keep these two young sheep in trust and
deposit with you; kindly look after these and, then, my honour will be
preserved by you. O king! I will take ghee daily and nothing else for my
food; and there is one word more; O king! Let me not see you naked, except
when you hold sexual intercourse. O king I say this truly, that, in case
there be any breach in this contract I will instantly leave you and go
away.” The king accepted this contract of Urvaśī. Urvaśī, too, remained
there according to the above contract and also with a view to pass away the
period of her curse. During this time the king was fascinated with the love
of Urvaśī and became so very much attached to her, that he left all his
duties and dharma and remained long for many, many years in enjoying
Urvaśī. The king’s mind was so deeply absorbed in her, that he could not
remain alone without her, even for a moment.
Thus many years passed away, when, once on a time, Indra, the lord of the
Devas, not seeing Urvaśī, asked the Gandarbhas and said :-- “O Gandarbhas!
Better go and steal away the two young sheep in a proper time from the
palace of Pururavā, and then bring Urvaśī here. My Nandana garden is now
void of all beauty without Urvaśī; so bring the lady here any how or
other.” Thus spoken by Indra, Viśvāvasu and other Devas went to Pururavā’s
palace; and when it was dark in the night, and when Pururavā was holding
sexual intercourse with Urvaśī, stole away the two young sheep.
They, when being carried away in the sky, cried out so piteously that
Urvaśī came to hear that as if of her two sons, and angrily spoke to the
king :-- “O king! Now the contract that I made with you is verily
fulfilled! It is that I placed my implicit confidence on you that this my
misfortune has befallen on me; See! the thieves are stealing away the two
sheep, my sons as they were! How then are you sleeping here like a woman?
Alas! I am ruined in having an impotent husband who vainly boasts of his
prowess!
Where are my two young sheep to-day that are dearer to me than my life?”
Thus seeing Urvaśī wailing, the king Pururavā, the lord of the Universe,
ran after the Gandharvas instantly without any sense as it were, left in
him, naked. The Gandharvas, then, cast rays of lightning in that room, and
Urvaśī, willing to leave, saw the king naked when the Gandharvas left the
two young sheep there and went away. The tired king brought the two sheep
back to his house in that naked state. Then Urvaśī, too, seeing the husband
naked, went away immediately to the Devī loka. Seeing Urvaśī going away,
the king wailed very much with a very grievous heart. Then, being very much
bewildered by the bereavement of Urvaśī, with his senses beyond control,
and deluded by passion, wandered about in various countries, crying and
giving vent to sorrow.
Thus, wandering all over the globe, he came once to Kurukṣettra and saw
Urvaśī; then with a gladdened face said :-- “O beloved! Wait, wait for a
moment; my mind is all absorbed in you; it is quite innocent and submissive
to you. So you ought not to forsake me in such a dire difficult time. O
Devī! For the sake of you, I have travelled very far. O Beautiful one! The
body that you embraced before, will now, forsaken by you, fall here and
will be devoured by crows and wolves, and other carnivorous animals.”
Seeing the king, tired and passion stricken, greatly distressed and with a
very sorrowful heart and wailing, Urvaśī spoke out :-- “O king! You are
certainly a quite senseless man; whither has gone your extraordinary
knowledge now? O king! Do you not know that the pure unalloyed love of
women cannot take place with any other as the love of a wolf cannot fall on
any man. Therefore, the earthly men ought never to trust a bit to women and
thieves. So go back to your palace and enjoy the pleasures of the kingdom;
do not drown your mind further in sorrows.” The king Pururavā, though thus
brought to senses by Urvaśī, was so much fascinated by her love that his
heart did not feel any consolation; rather he felt indescribable pain,
being held up in bondage by the love of Urvaśī. O Munis! Thus I have
described to you the character of Urvaśī; it is described, in detail, in
the Vedas; I have stated this in brief.
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III Dimock, Edward C., et al. The Literatures of India: An Introduction.
Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1978. Print.
Dinkar, Ramdhari Sinha, and Kṛṣhṇa Kumara Vidyarthi, trans. Dinkar’s
Urvashi (A Saga of Human Love and Vedanta). New Delhi: Siddharth, 1994.
Print.
Doniger, Wendy. Splitting the Difference: Gender and Myth in Ancient Greece
and India. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1999. Print.
---, trans. The Rig Veda. London: Penguin, 1981. Print.
Gerow, Edwin. “Sanskrit Dramatic Theory and Kalidasa’s Plays.” Theater of
Memory: The Plays of Kalidasa. Ed. Barbara Stoler Miller. New York:
Columbia UP, 1984. 42–62. Print.
Haberman, David L. Introduction. The Bhaktirasamrtasindhu of Rupa
Gosvamin. Trans. Haberman. New Delhi: Indira Gandhi Natl. Centre for the
Arts, 2003. xxviiii–lxxiv. Print.
Jarow, E. H. Rick. Tales for the Dying: The Death Narrative of the
Bhagavata-Purana. Albany: State U of New York P, 2003. Print.
Miller, Barbara Stoler. “Kalidasa’s World and His Plays.” Theater of
Memory: The Plays of Kalidasa. Ed. Miller. New York: Columbia UP, 1984.
3–41. Print.
“Tillich, Paul Johannes.” The Columbia Encyclopedia. New York: Columbia UP,
2008. Print.
Van Buitenen, J. A. B. “The Classical Drama,” The Literatures of India: An
Introduction. Ed. Edward C. Dimock, et al. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1978.
81–114.
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IV Chapter 26 - The Song of Aila (Purūravas)
Book 11 - Eleventh Skandha
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
The Lord said:
1. He who having obtained this human body (existence) capable of perceiving
my real nature, and having adopted the path of devotion so pleasing to me,
duly attains to me who am Supreme Bliss and the Supreme Soul abiding in his
heart.
2. Emancipated completely by dint of his knowledge from the Jīva-hood
constituted of guṇas, and though living in the midst of objects of senses
which are unreal, he does not get attached to them, as they are created by
(and hence dependent upon) Māyā (and as such) are perceived falsely.
3. One should never associate oneself with unworthy persons who seek to
satiate their hunger and gratify their sexual desire. For like a blind man
following another blind person, the followers of such sensualists fall into
blinding darkness.
4. Emperor Purūravas, the son of Ilā, who was well- known far and wide,
became mad due to his separation from Urvaśī. When he regained his normalcy
and decided to resign, he sang the following song:
5. As Urvaśī forsook him, the king lamented loudly and like a mad person,
unaware of his nudity, followed her crying, “Wait, O cruel wife, do stop”.
6. His mind being completely fascinated by Urvaśī, he enjoyed trivial
pleasures through nights year after year and remained unsated. He was not
aware of the years that passed away nor those coming in.
Aila (Purūravas) said:
7. Alas! How terrifically vast is the extent of my infatuation! My mind has
been soiled (and spoilt) by my libidinousness. I was not even aware of the
loss of (the major part of) my life, while my neck was being clasped by the
queen (Urvaśī).
8. Hypnotized by her, I could not know when the sun arose or set. What I
pity, that being enamoured of her, I was unaware how days amounting to a
number of years just flitted away.
9. hat a shocking self-delusion! I, the sovereign ruler of the world, the
crest-jewel of kings, was made a pet-deer of women.
10. The woman who spurned me (contemptuously) like a blade of straw even
though I was a ruler with royal grandeur (and paraphernalia). And I,
weeping like a madman, went after her in nakedness.
11. What majestic lustre, power or Lordship could there be in me, who like
a donkey kicked (by a she-donkey) followed the woman as she deserted me.
12. What is the value of that learning, penance, liberality, scriptural
scholarship, resort to solitude or observance of silence in a man who has
lost his heart to women.
13. Fie upon me I A fool who, though impervious to his self-interest, fancy
myself to be a learned man and who, even after being installed as a
sovereign ruler, was subdued and roped like a bull or a donkey by women.
14. Although I had been enjoying the intoxicating nectar of the lips of
Urvaśī for years together, my inborn lust for her is not satiated, like
fire fed with oblations (of ghee).
15. Who else than the glorious Lord Viṣṇu, the Lord of those who revel in
the spiritual bliss of the Soul, is capable to deliver my mind from (the
clutches) of a wench who captivated it.
16. Even though I was advised by the queen (Urvaśī) in well-argued speech
(recorded in a Vedic Sūkta) the deep infatuation entrenched in my mind does
not disappear, as I, being perverse-minded, had not controlled my mind.
17. What offence has been committed by her against me? Or what wrong can be
attributed to a rope against a person who, not knowing its real nature,
mistook it for a serpent? It is I who could not subdue my senses, am
responsible (for this tragedy).
18. What a lot of difference there is between a (woman’s or a human) body
full of dirt, stinking with bad odour and impure and the attributes of
being like a flower (clean sweet-smelling, pure). But these attributes are
superimposed on it (a woman’s body) through Nescience.
19. It cannot be definitely determined whether this human body belongs to
parents (who procreated it), or to the wife (one’s life-parttier), or to
the employer, or to the fire (which ultimately consumes it) or to dogs and
vultures (in case it is not cremated but lies unclaimed) or whether it
belongs to the Soul (who abides in it) or to friends and well- wishers?
20. What a pity that a man should be fascinated with this disgusting body
which disintegrates into worms (if interred), faeces (if eaten by
carnivorous animals), and ashes (if cremated), and appreciates it as a
beautiful feminine countenance with shapely nose, beaming with charming
smiles.
21. What difference is there between people like me who enjoy pleasure in a
feminine body which is nothing but an accumulation of skin, flesh, blood,
nerves, fat, marrow and bones and worms who enjoy themselves in feces,
urine and pus.
22. A person knowing his personal interest, should under no circumstances
associate himself with women or persons addicted to women; for the mind
gets agitated only when there is a contact between objects of senses and
senses and not otherwise.
23. A thing that is not spoken about, seen or heard creates no passion or
desire for it. A person who does not direct his life-breath (mind or
sense-organs to external objects), gets his mind steady and serene.
24. Therefore, one should not associate with women or women addicts through
the medium of senses. For the group of six (internal) enemies (like lust,
anger, greed and others) cannot be trusted even in the case of wise people.
What need be said of (ignorant) persons like me?
The Lord resumed:
25. Singing loudly the song (of his life) in this way, Purūravas, the King
of the Kings, left the realm of Urvaśī. He realized me as his own self, and
having shaken off delusion by virtue of this knowledge, he retired from
worldly life.
26. Therefore, an intelligent person should dissociate himself from evil
company, and associate himself with the saintly people; for it is these
pious saints who would cut off his deep attachment (to sense-objects) by
their wise precepts.
27. The saints devote their minds to me without expecting anything in
return. Being desireless, they are serene, viewing all beings as equals (as
they are none else but Brahman). They have superseded the notions of
mine-ness and I-ness (i.e. identification of the Soul with the body). They
are not affected by the pair of opposites (like joy and sorrow, pleasure
and pain) and are perfect have-nots (property-less).
28. It is in the company of these supremely fortunate persons, O highly
blessed Uddhava, that my legends are told and these stories absolve the
listeners from all sins.
29. Those persons who listen to these (my) stories, extol them in songs,
devoutly appreciate them and are devoted to me with faith and reverence,
get devotion engendered in them.
30. What else remains to be achieved by the saints who attained real
devotion towards me, the Brahman, who am endowed with infinite qualities
and potencies and who am conscious blissfulness incarnate.
31. Just as cold, fear (of darkness) and darkness fly away from a person
who resorts to the fire, similarly, those who wait upon and worship saints,
become free from fear, ignorance and apathy.
32. Even as a strong boat is to those who are drowning in the sea, saints,
serene-minded knowers of the Brahman are the best life-savers to those who
are tossed about and are drowning in the sea of Saṃsāra.
33. Just as food is the very life of living beings, I am the shelter to the
afflicted. Righteousness (pious acts) is the wealth (investment) in the
other world, the saints are the support (resort) of those who are afraid of
repeated transmigration of the Soul in future.
34. The saints confer the (inner) vision (of the Brahman) on those who
associate with them, even as the sun bestows the external eye (to see
nature). Saints are deities, the near and dear relatives, the very soul,
nay they are even myself.
35. It is traditionally recounted that Purūravas who divested himself of
all longing for the realm of Urvaśī (and pleasures in her company),
renounced all attachment, and revelling in the spiritual bliss of the
Ātman, went about all over the world.
V ailagītam |
śrībhagavānuvāca |
mallakṣaṇamimaṃ kāyaṃ labdhvā maddharma āsthitaḥ |
ānandaṃ paramātmānam ātmasthaṃ samupaiti mām || 1 ||
guṇamayyā jīvayonyā vimukto jñānaniṣṭhayā |
guṇeṣu māyāmātreṣu dṛśyamāneṣvavastutaḥ |
vartamāno'pi na pumān yujyate'vastubhirguṇaiḥ || 2 ||
saṅgaṃ na kuryādasatāṃ śiśnodaratṛpāṃ kvacit |
tasyānugastamasyandhe patatyandhānugāndhavat || 3 ||
ailaḥ samrāḍimāṃ gāthām agāyata bṛhacchravāḥ |
urvaśīvirahān muhyan nirviṇṇaḥ śokasaṃyame || 4 ||
tyaktvā'tmānaṃ vrajantīṃ tāṃ nagna unmattavannṛpaḥ |
vilapan anvagājjāye ghore tiṣṭheti viklavaḥ || 5 ||
kāmānatṛpto'nujuṣan kṣullakān varṣayāminīḥ |
na veda yāntīrnāyāntīḥ urvaśyākṛṣṭacetanaḥ || 6 ||
aila uvāca |
aho me mohavistāraḥ kāmakaśmalacetasaḥ |
devyā gṛhītakaṇṭhasya nāyuḥkhaṇḍā ime smṛtāḥ || 7 ||
nāhaṃ vedābhinirmuktaḥ sūryo vābhyudito'muyā |
mūṣito varṣapūgānāṃ batāhāni gatānyuta || 8 ||
aho me ātmasammoho yenātmā yoṣitāṃ kṛtaḥ |
krīḍāmṛgaścakravartī naradevaśikhāmaṇiḥ || 9 ||
saparicchadamātmānaṃ hitvā tṛṇamiveśvaram |
yāntīṃ striyaṃ cānvagamaṃ nagna unmattavad rudan || 10 ||
kutastasyānubhāvaḥ syāt teja īśatvameva vā |
yo'nvagacchaṃ striyaṃ yāntīṃ kharavat pādatāḍitaḥ || 11 ||
kiṃ vidyayā kiṃ tapasā kiṃ tyāgena śrutena vā |
kiṃ viviktena maunena strībhiryasya mano hṛtam || 12 ||
svārthasyākovidaṃ dhiṅ māṃ mūrkhaṃ paṇḍitamāninam |
yo'hamīśvaratāṃ prāpya strībhirgokharavajjitaḥ || 13 ||
sevato varṣapūgān me urvaśyā adharāsavam |
na tṛpyatyātmabhūḥ kāmo vahnirāhutibhiryathā || 14 ||
puṃścalyāpahṛtaṃ cittaṃ ko nvanyo mocituṃ prabhuḥ |
ātmārāmeśvaramṛte bhagavantam adhokṣajam || 15 ||
bodhitasyāpi devyā me sūktavākyena durmateḥ |
manogato mahāmoho nāpayātyajitātmanaḥ || 16 ||
kimetayā no'pakṛtaṃ rajjvā vā sarpacetasaḥ |
rajju svarūpāviduṣo yo'haṃ yadajitendriyaḥ || 17 ||
kvāyaṃ malīmasaḥ kāyo daurgandhyādyātmako'śuciḥ |
kva guṇāḥ saumanasyādyā hyadhyāso'vidyayā kṛtaḥ || 18 ||
pitroḥ kiṃ svaṃ nu bhāryāyāḥ svāmino'gneḥ śvagṛdhrayoḥ |
kimātmanaḥ kiṃ suhṛdāṃ iti yo nāvasīyate || 19 ||
tasmin kalevare'medhye tucchaniṣṭhe viṣajjate |
aho subhadraṃ sunasaṃ susmitaṃ ca mukhaṃ striyaḥ || 20 ||
tvaṅmāṃsarudhirasnāyu medomajjāsthisaṃhatau |
viṇmūtrapūye ramatāṃ kṛmīṇāṃ kiyadantaram || 21 ||
athāpi nopasajjeta strīṣu straiṇeṣu cārthavit |
viṣayendriyasaṃyogān manaḥ kṣubhyati nānyathā || 22 ||
adṛṣṭād aśrutādbhāvāt na bhāva upajāyate |
asamprayuñjataḥ prāṇān śāmyati stimitaṃ manaḥ || 23 ||
tasmātsaṅgo na kartavyaḥ strīṣu straiṇeṣu cendriyaiḥ |
viduṣāṃ cāpyavisrabdhaḥ ṣaḍvargaḥ kimu mādṛśām || 24 ||
śrībhagavānuvāca |
evaṃ pragāyan nṛpadevadevaḥ |
sa urvaśīlokamatho vihāya |
ātmānamātmanyavagamya māṃ vai |
upāramat jñānavidhūtamohaḥ || 25 ||
tato duḥsaṅgamutsṛjya satsu sajjeta buddhimān |
santa evāsya chindanti manovyāsaṅgamuktibhiḥ || 26 ||
santo'napekṣā maccittāḥ praśāntāḥ samadarśinaḥ |
nirmamā nirahaṅkārā nirdvandvā niṣparigrahāḥ || 27 ||
teṣu nityaṃ mahābhāga mahābhāgeṣu matkathāḥ |
sambhavanti hitā nṛṇāṃ juṣatāṃ prapunantyagham || 28 ||
tā ye śrṛṇvanti gāyanti hyanumodanti cādṛtāḥ |
matparāḥ śraddadhānāśca bhaktiṃ vindanti te mayi || 29 ||
bhaktiṃ labdhavataḥ sādhoḥ kimanyad avaśiṣyate |
mayyanantaguṇe brahmaṇyānandānubhavātmani || 30 ||
yathopaśrayamāṇasya bhagavantaṃ vibhāvasum |
śītaṃ bhayaṃ tamo'pyeti sādhūn saṃsevatastathā || 31 ||
nimajjyonmajjatāṃ ghore bhavābdhau paramāyanam |
santo brahmavidaḥ śāntā naurdṛḍhevāpsu majjatām || 32 ||
annaṃ hi prāṇināṃ prāṇa ārtānāṃ śaraṇaṃ tvaham |
dharmo vittaṃ nṛṇāṃ pretya santo'rvāg bibhyato'raṇam || 33 ||
santo diśanti cakṣūṃṣi bahirarkaḥ samutthitaḥ |
devatā bāndhavāḥ santaḥ santa ātmāhameva ca || 34 ||
vaitasenastato'pyevam urvaśyā lokanispṛhaḥ |
muktasaṅgo mahīmetam ātmārāmaścacāra ha || 35 ||
iti śrīmadbhāgavate mahāpurāṇe pāramahaṃsyāṃ |
saṃhitāyāṃ ekādaśaskandhe ṣaḍviṃśo'dhyāyaḥ || 26 ||
K RAJARAM IRS 1326
On Sun, 1 Mar 2026 at 11:52, 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty <
[email protected]> wrote:
> *CELESTIAL NYMPHS- PART 3*
>
> *APSARAS URVASHI -CONTINUED *
>
> *Urvashi’s Secret Admirer: Durmada*
>
> This story is in the Brahmanda Purana, Chapter 3
>
> Hamsa, the king of the Gandharvas, had an army general named Durmada. *Durmada
> had fallen in love with Urvashi*. Whenever he encountered her, we would
> follow her with lust. On many occasions, Durmada had confessed his undying
> love for Urvashi, but *Urvashi had immediately rejected him. She was, in
> fact, already married to King Pururavas.*
>
> One day, Pururavas and Urvashi were present in the court of Indra. There,
> Pururavas signalled to Urvashi that *they would meet in the corner of the
> Nandana Garden at night*. Durmada saw this gesture, and he understood
> what Pururavas was telling Urvashi. He realized that this was his chance.
>
> He called a Vidhyadhari (celestial woman) named Unmada, and together, they
> made a devious plan. Unmada disguised herself as Urvashi, and Durmada
> disguised himself as Pururavas.
>
> Thus, at nightfall, Durmada and Unmada arrived at the Nandana Garden
> disguised as Pururavas and Urvashi respectively. When Urvashi saw Durmada,
> she thought it was Pururavas and they united in sexual intercourse. When
> Pururavas saw Unmada, he thought it was Urvashi, so they had sexual
> intercourse as well.
>
> After they had intercourse, Durmada began loudly laughing. His ploy had
> succeeded. Urvashi was initially perplexed, and then realized his true
> identity. This was not her husband Pururavas. This was that stalker
> Durmada. At that time, Unmada also arrived there with a dumbfounded
> Pururavas. Urvashi was furious.
>
> “Durmada, I curse you that you will be born on Earth as a Rakshasa. And
> your partner Unmada, she will also suffer a terrible fate. She will be
> born on Earth as the daughter of King. She will fall in love with one man,
> but she will end up marrying another!”
>
> Durmada and Unmada were shocked by this curse. They begged Urvashi to
> forgive them. They didn’t want to leave heaven for Earth.
>
> Urvashi took some pity on them and said, “Durmada will be born as the son
> of Unmada. Durmada will die during a war and attain heaven. Unmada’s
> husband will also die. With the death of her husband and her son, she will
> be so sad that she will jump into a fire and obtain heaven as well.”
>
> Urvashi’s curse came true, but that is another story for another day.
>
> My note- This legend is new to me. Through Google also I could not verify
>
> *Pururuvas in search of Urvasi- finding in Kurukshethra*
>
> One time, when he came to Kurukshetra, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
> Urvashi was standing right there in front of him. “Urvashi, my love. Wait!
> You can’t leave me during such a difficult time. I can’t live without you!”
>
> Urvashi looked at his state and felt pity. *She said, “You have fallen
> from grace. You were once a powerful king, and now you are a ruined man,
> obsessed with a woman you can never have. So stop this madness and go back
> to your kingdom. Rule well!”* Saying this, Urvashi vanished. But
> Pururavas was inconsolable. For the rest of his life, he remained a
> deranged man, with no purpose or ambition.
>
> My note- The information is partially correct- Details as per Google
> search is as follows:-
>
> Kurukshetra (specifically the Anyatah-plaksha lake) is the location where
> Apsara Urvashi met King Pururavas after her initial departure, *though it
> was not necessarily a single "last" visit in all versions of the legend.*
>
> *According to various Puranic and Vedic sources:*
>
> The Meeting at Kurukshetra: After Pururavas accidentally broke the
> conditions of their marriage, Urvashi returned to heaven. The heartbroken
> king wandered for a long time before discovering her at a lake in
> Kurukshetra, where she was sporting with another Apsaras.
>
> *The Annual Agreement: During this meeting, Urvashi refused to return to
> his palace but agreed to meet him at that same spot once a year for one
> night.*
>
> Handing Over the Children: In many versions, these annual visits at
> Kurukshetra continued for several years. She used these meetings to hand
> over the sons she had borne him (*most notably their eldest, Ayu*).
>
> The Final Separation: While Kurukshetra was the site of their recurring
> "last" earthly meetings, the story often concludes with *Pururavas
> performing a fire sacrifice (Agni-yajna) to become a Gandharva himself so
> he could join her in heaven permanently, rather than waiting for her visits
> on earth*.
>
> *Urvasi bathes in Prayag to get her celestial status after living in Earth*
>
> Urvashi after living with king Pururuvas used to get her transformation
> after bathing at Prayaga, which restores her celestial status. This
> illustrates the redemptive power of sacred water.
>
> *King Pururuva’s family lineage*
>
> The next passage recounts Pururavas’s family lineage beginning with the
> creator god Brahma, *from whom he is descended in only four generations*.
> Brahma had a son named Atri, who married Bhadra; their son was called Soma,
> or the moon. A minor deity, Som was prominent in the ancient Vedic period
> as the source of soma, the intoxicating divine elixir used in Vedic
> sacrifices. Soma was highly attractive and eloped with Tara, the daughter
> of sage Brihaspati, while Brihaspati was away. *Tara gave birth to a son,
> Budha, who together with Ila conceived Pururavas*.
>
> Pururavas becomes “a great king and established the Lunar Dynasty named
> after his grandfather” (“Story of Urvashi and Pururava”). Pururavas’s
> lineage establishes his proximity to the gods, his kingly virtue, and his
> role as founder of the dynasty in which the action of the Mahabharata takes
> place.
>
> *Dramatic meeting of king Pururava and apsapras Urvasi*
>
> Urvasi, who “found the atmosphere of heaven stifling,” often sneaks down
> to earth after dark with fellow nymphs “to feel the wet dew under her
> feet and the soft breeze against her body” Heaven to Urvasi is “cold and
> synthetic.” For his part, Pururavas is jealous of heaven’s glories, which
> he has seen firsthand as a regular guest at Indra’s court. After these
> visits, Pururavas would relieve his envy by *flying above the clouds in
> his chariot “at break-neck speed.”*
>
> Just before dawn one such night, on her way back to heaven, *Urvasi is
> kidnapped by a demon.* Pururavas witnesses the abduction and flies to her
> rescue. The story lingers over the life-changing moment of their first
> touch: “for the first time Urvashi experienced the warm flesh of a mortal,
> for the first time she heard blood pouring in veins and for the first time
> she heard the inhalation and exhalation of breath” (“Story”). Pururavas
> feels “high” being next to the most ravishing of all the heavenly apsaras,
> whom he has admired before in Indra’s court. But Pururavas leaves Urvasi
> and the other apsaras to go on their way. They depart passionately in love,
> but neither knows with confidence whether the other feels the same way.
>
> Separation and longing ensue. Urvasi waits for Pururavas to “make the
> first move” (“Story”); she is a woman of her time in this regard and holds
> to traditional gender roles. Meanwhile, Pururavas, in his virtuous
> humility, cannot imagine Urvasi giving up pride of place in heaven in order
> to live with a mere mortal, and he avoids rejection by doing nothing: “So
> both pined for each other.”
>
> In heaven, Urvasi gives a dance performance in which she plays the role of
> Lakṣmī, goddess of wealth. Distracted by thoughts of Pururavas, she
> mistakenly calls his name during the performance instead of Visṇu’s. The
> error offends her teacher, the sage and dramaturge Bharata, who punishes
> her with a curse: she will be able to live with Pururavas and will have his
> son, but if ever Pururavas and his son lay eyes on each other, Urvasi must
> return to heaven. *She is thus forced to choose between them.*
>
> *Different versions of the Pururuvas- Urvashi legends*
>
> In the Mahabharata, this reunion marks the end of the story.
>
> Other versions of the tale, however, continue to different endings. *The
> Rig Vedic hymn dealing with Urvasi and Pururavas takes the form of a
> conversation between the couple near the end of events that unfold only
> after their reunion at Gandhmadan*.
>
> As told in a later Brahamana text, and later again in the Bhagavata
> Purana, these events are, in brief, as follows. Urvasi lives with Pururavas
> in his palace on two conditions: he must promise to watch over her pet
> goats—in some versions, they are pet sheep—and Urvasi must never see
> Pururavas naked. ----*Details are already told .*
>
> *In the Rig Veda, Pururavas tries to convince Urvasi to stay*, but she
> repeatedly rejects his arguments—a common pattern in Vedic “conversation”
> hymns between mortal men and immortal women (Doniger, Rig Veda 245–46).
> Urvasi tells of their frequent sex—three times daily—and how she yielded to
> him even when she had “no desire” (253). She also reveals that she has born
> him a son, which is news to Pururavas. Pururavas threatens to kill
> himself if he cannot have her, but she tells him not to, arguing that good
> relations are simply impossible with women since they have “the hearts of
> jackals” (254).
>
> The hymn concludes with a narrator’s consoling remark to Pururavas that
> though he is mortal—”a kinsman of death”—*his son will make the proper
> sacrifices on earth after Pururavas is in heaven to ensure the well-being
> of his line (255).* The resolution is profoundly Vedic, since Vedic
> culture saw the sacrifice as the key to preserving dharmic world order.
>
>
>
> *In the Bhagavata Purana, Pururavas ends up reunited with Urvasi in
> heaven, but only after a series of trials on earth*. When the gandharvas’
> trick succeeds and Urvasi leaves, He finally comes on Urvasi at
> Kurukshetra on the Saraswati River, and the same conversation from the Rig
> Veda takes place. Urvasi warns the king that women are “merciless” and,
> moreover, associated with death (83). They are reunited, but with difficult
> conditions set, again, by Urvasi: they will sleep together only one night
> each year. Initial “delight” in reunion turns to “affliction” in
> anticipation of their cyclic separation (83). Pururavas propitiates the
> gandharvas for help, and in the forest, they give him a clay fire vessel of
> a type used for worship. In theory, Pururavas can perform rites with the
> vessel that will allow him to reach heaven and be with Urvasi forever. In
> the next line, crazed by grief, he confuses the vessel for Urvasi, but
> quickly realizes his mistake, returning to the palace in grief and
> determined not to “accept a substitute” (83).
>
> The story then inserts an ancient Vedic element: the cosmic ages change,
> the next yuga begins, and “knowledge of the Veda reveals itself in the
> king’s mind” (Jarow 83). Thus renewed, Pururavas returns to the forest,
> rubs two sticks together, and chants a mantra: “Pururavas is in the breast
> of Urvasi” (83). *He gains entry to heaven through this fire sacrifice
> and reunites with Urvasi.*
>
>
>
> End of posting about Apsaras -Urvashi
>
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