Vikramorvasheeyam
This drama, written by Kaalidaas, is about the King Pururavaa and the
Apsaraa Urvashee. This story is given here as written by Sanskrit poet
Kaalidaas in his play Vikramorvasheeyam
Urvashee Meets Pururavaa
Urvashee found the atmosphere in heaven stifling. Everything was cold and
synthetic including the colors and the fragrances of the flowers. Urvashee
on account of this often stole to the Earth at night with her friends to
feel the wet dew under her feet and the soft breeze against her body. On
the other hand, king Pururavaa envied the Gods. He was a regular invitee
to Indra's court and was haunted at night by the grandeur he saw there. He
would then take his chariot above the clouds and hurtle through the skies
at break-neck speed. It was on such an occasion that the two met.
Urvashee Falls in Love With Purururava
Once Urvashee was returning to Heaven just before dawn with the other
Apsaraa, when she was getting abducted by a demon. Pururavaa saw this and
chased the demon on his chariot and freed Urvashee from his clutches. For
the brief period their bodies touched and changed their lives forever. For
the first time Urvashee experienced the warm flesh of a mortal, for the
first time she heard blood pounding in her veins and for the first time
she heard the inhalation and exhalation of her own breath. Pururavaa had
seen Urvashee in Indra's court before and to actually be close to the most
beautiful woman in Heaven exhilarated him. Pururavaa left Urvashee with
her friends but when they parted each was madly in love with the other but
unsure whether the love was being reciprocated. Urvashee was a woman in a
man's world and in keeping with the tradition of the times expected the
man to make the first move. Pururavaa on the other hand feared rejection
because he did not expect the pride of Heaven to come and live with a
mortal, and hence did not approach Urvashee. So both pined for each other.
Urvashee was giving a dance performance in which she was portraying
Vishnu's consort, Lakshmee. Her concentration was on Pururavaa and she
called out her lover's name instead of saying "Vishnu".
Urvashee Goes to Pururavaa
Once Urvashee's teacher, the Sage Bharat, got offended and cursed Urvashee.
"You will get to live with the person you are thinking about," he
said, "And you will also give birth to his son. But you will have to
choose between the father and the son, because the day they see each other
you will have to leave them both and return to Heaven." The curse actually
emboldened Urvashee. She wasn't even thinking about children, she was sure
to get her love. She sent a friend to Earth to find out about Pururavaa. The
friend located the king in the garden of Gandhmaadan (meaning intoxicating
fragrance) Parvat, whining away for his ladylove. The stage was set. Urvashee
left Heaven and went to the waiting arms of Pururavaa.
Pururavaa was a married man.
His wife's name was Aushiniri. They did not have any children and as was
the custom of the time, the wife was blamed for this. So when Pururavaa
met Urvashee he was already distanced from his wife and hence was more
easily drawn towards the Apsara. He decided to live with Urvashee in the
forest of Gandhmaadan Parvat. He arranged for all princely comforts there
as also for running the affairs of the state. They spent the time in love,
in discourse; Urvashee sang and danced for Pururavaa; the king was content
to have her with him. For Urvashee this was a unique opportunity to live
with mortals and to experience their joys and sufferings, while Pururavaa
reveled in the fact that the pride of Heaven and Indra's favorite was his
and his alone. In fact the only discordant note in their ethereal music
was the argument whether the Gods are more fortunate or mortals.
Urvasheei Leaves Pururavaa in Anger
Once Urvashee and Pururavaa were walking along the bank of a stream in animated
conversation. Pururavaa noticed a maiden knee deep in water washing clothes and
for a second his concentration faltered. Urvashee went into a fit of jealous rage
and ran away from there. So maddened was she that she stepped into Kaarttikeya's
grove. Kaarttikeya is the God of War and women were forbidden to enter his grove
and if they did so they would be turned into a creeper. This was the fate Urvashee
met. For many months Pururavaa searched for Urvashee. He prayed to the gods for
their favor. He recounted numerous times he had fought shoulder to shoulder with
them in their incessant war against the Demons, but he could not find her. Kaarttikeya
relented and gave Pururavaa a crimson jewel and asked him to rub a particular creeper
in his grove with it. When the king did so Urvashee was freed from being the creeper.
Uravashee Joins Pururavaa
By now everyone, including Aushiniri had accepted Urvashee as the king's consort. There
was no need for them to stay at Gandhmaadan Parvat. The two went to the capital city of
their kingdom and continued to enjoy each other's company as before. In all Urvashee and
Pururavaa spent sixteen years together. The gem with which Pururavaa had freed Urvashee in
Kaarttikeya's grove was Urvashee's favorite. One day a raven snatched it from the hands of
Urvashee's maid. Pururavaa raised his bow but before he could fire an arrow someone else
hit the bird and it fell into the palace courtyard. The arrow was retrieved and given to
the king. It was the custom that each arrow bore the name of its owner and this arrow said
Aayu the son of Pururavaa and Urvashee.
It had so happened that Urvashee had desired
to bear a child, so without Pururavaas' knowledge she had conceived and given birth to his
son. The incident at Kaarttikeya's grove was a ploy by the Gods to give Urvashee time for
bearing the child. The reason for the secrecy lay in the curse Sage Bharat had given Urvashee
many years earlier - "You will have to choose between your son and your lover, for the
day the two meet you will have to return to heaven." The lover in Urvashee had yet not
been satisfied so she had left the newborn child in sage Chyavan's hermitage in the care of
his wife Satyavatee. Sage Chyavan explained everything to the astounded king. The time had
come for Aayu (his son) to meet Pururavaa, but unfortunately the same time necessitated the
departure of Urvashee.
Aayu is Crowned as King
Pururavaa crowned Aayu as the King and left for Gandhmaadan Parvat, where he had spent
many memorable seasons with the Apsaraa. But the story does not end here. Once again the
Demons attacked Heaven, gods have to ask help from Puravaa and with Pururavaa's help the
Gods succeeded in driving them away. In return Indra allowed Urvashee to go back to Gandhmaadan
Parvat where she spent many more years with Pururavaa and bore him many more sons.
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