Chapter 14: King Purûravâ Enchanted by Urvas'î

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Hear now then oh King [after the stories about the dynasty of the sun god] about the moon dynasty, for to listen to the sanctifying descriptions of the dynasty of kings headed by Aila [Purûravâ], is a glorious thing. (2) Dhâtu [the 'original element' or Lord Brahmâ] appeared on the lotus that was produced from the navel of Vishnu, He with the thousands of heads. Dhâtu had a son called Atri who had the same qualities as his father. (3) From Atri's tears of jubilation a son called Soma was born who was an embodiment of the nectar of immortality [see also 4.1: 15]. He was by Brahmâ appointed as the supreme authority over the scholars, the medicinal herbs and the luminaries [see also B.G. 10: 21 and 6.6: 23]. (4) After he had conquered the three worlds, he performed a râjasûya sacrifice and kidnapped in his arrogance with force Târâ, the wife of Brihaspati. (5) Despite of a repeated request of the spiritual master of the godly ones, he in his conceit did not release her, as a consequence of which a conflict arose between the Suras and the Dânavas. (6) Because of S'ukra's ['semen', the spiritual master of the Asuras] enmity towards Brihaspati he together with the Asuras chose the side of the moon god. S'iva though took together with the host of ghosts following him out of affection for the side of [Brihaspati,] the son of  the spiritual teacher [Angirâ, one of the seven sages]. (7) The great Indra followed by all the different demigods, joined the spiritual master [Brihaspati]. The fight that ensued - just because of Târâ [Brihaspati's wife] - brought great destruction over the Suras and Asuras. (8) When the creator of the universe Lord Brahmâ, was fully informed about this by Angirâ, he severely chastised Soma and delivered Târâ unto her husband. He discovered that she was pregnant.

(9) [Brihaspati said to her:] 'You foolish woman, deliver now! Deliver immediately from that womb that was my domain. Despite of having been impregnated by another man I shall not burn you, unfaithful as you are, to ashes because you were a woman in want of a child.'

(10) Târâ, deeply ashamed, delivered a child that had a golden effulgence. That made Brihaspati and Soma both desire the child. (11) 'It is mine, not yours!' so they exclaimed fighting over the child. The sages and the gods asked Târâ questions, but she in her embarrassment could not say a thing.

(12) The child got angry and said to its mother: 'Why all this shame? Why are you not saying anything? Tell me immediately oh unchaste lady, what you have done wrong!'

(13) Lord Brahmâ took her separate, put her at ease and asked her about the details, upon which she admitted hesitantly: 'This child belongs to Soma'. Soma then immediately took charge of it. (14) Oh King, when the child because of its profound intelligence received from Lord Brahmâ the name Budha, the god of the moon was in great jubilation that he had gotten such a son. (15-16) As I said before [in 9.1], from his [Budha's] loins Purûravâ was born from the womb of Ilâ. When Urvas'î [see also 9.13: 6] in Indra's court heard Nârada speak about Purûravâ's beauty, qualities, magnanimity, behavior, wealth and power, the devî was struck by the arrows of Cupid and approached him. (17-18) Because of the curse of Mitra and Varuna the woman had descended to the human world. Seeing there that the best of all men was as beautiful as Cupid, she approached him self-controlled. As soon as he, the king, saw the divine woman, he with goose bumps addressed her enthused with sweet words and bright eyes. (19) The honorable king said: 'Be welcome o supreme beauty, please be seated, what can I do for you? Keep me company and share my bed for many, many years!'

(20) Urvas'î said: 'What woman would not be attracted by the sight and thought of you, oh beautiful man, and desist from enjoying your chest in intimate love [see also 7.9: 45]? (21) These two lambs, oh King, have fallen and need your protection oh honorable host. In the company of a superior husband so one says, a woman may enjoy in love. (22) Oh hero of mine, that what is prepared with ghee shall be my food and I do not want to see you naked at any other time than during intercourse.'

'That is settled then', so promised the great soul.

(23) 'Just look at your beauty and poise! No one on earth is as attractive as you are. Who can withstand a goddess like you who personally has descended among the human beings?'

(24) He, the best among the human beings, enjoyed in the most exquisite places and pleasure gardens like Caitraratha, with her whatever there was to enjoy to his desire [see also 5.16: 13-14]. (25) Making love with the goddess he enjoyed it for many nights and days to be with her and smell the stimulating lotus saffron fragrance of her face.

 (26) Indra not seeing Urvas'î [around] told the singers of heaven: 'Without Urvas'î my abode is not as beautiful'. (27) Thus they in the dead of night assembled in the dark to steal away the two lambs that Urvas'î as a wife had entrusted to the king. (28) When she heard the two [that she treated like her] sons, cry as they were lead away, she said: 'My life is stolen away by this bad husband who considers himself a hero but is not a real man! (29) Confiding in him who during the day appears to be a man but at night fearfully keeps himself silent as a woman, thieves have stolen away my two sons.'

(30) Pierced by the arrows of her words he, like an elephant fired up, angrily in the dark took up a sword and went after them, without putting his clothes on. (31) After they [the Gandharvas], gave up the lambs, they lit up the place with a light as bright as  lightening. Urvas'î thus could see her husband returning naked with the two lambs in his hands... [and thus she left him]. (32) Purûravâ not seeing his wife in bed any longer, got very sad. Being too much attached to her he got distraught and lamenting began to roam the earth [looking for her]. (33) He spotted Urvas'î in Kurukshetra [a place of pilgrimage, see also B.G. 1: 1] at the Sarasvatî together with five companions. Happy and smiling all over Purûravâ addressed her with sweet words: (34) 'Ah my wife, do not leave, stay oh cruel one! You should not have given up on me because I failed to make you happy thus far. Let us talk a little. (35) This good body of mine, led far, far away from home by you, will drop dead on the spot oh devî and the foxes and vultures will eat it, if it is not worthy of your grace!'

(36) Urvas'î said: 'You are a man, do not adhere to death! Do not let these foxes of the senses eat you up. You cannot always count on the friendship of women. They can be like wolves in matters of the heart. (37) Beware of them, women are merciless [when men forsake their duty, see B.G. 1: 40]. They are cunning, hard to handle, do whatever pleases them and put you as a faithful husband and brother down for the smallest reason, so one says. (38) They establish false hopes in the ones unsuspecting, run away from their well-wishers, always desire for newer and newer things, are easily allured and are real captains of independence [if they have to]. (39) At the end of every year your good self may count on one night only in order to make love with me my husband, so that you, one after the other, will have children in this world my dear [see also 6.18: 38-42].'

(40) Seeing that Urvas'î was pregnant he returned to his palace. At the end of the year he then at that very spot [at Kurukshetra] saw Urvas'î again, who had become the mother of a hero. (41) Obtaining her association he, delighting in her company, in great jubilation reunited with her. After the night had passed Urvas'î said to the poor-hearted fellow who was afflicted by the thought of being separated from her: (42) 'Go and take shelter of the singers of heaven, the Gandharvas. When you satisfy them with prayers they will bring me to you.' His [agnisthâlî] fire pot oh King, then gave him the idea that Urvas'î was really walking with him through the forest. (43) When he returned from the forest and had given up the fire pot, he at home began to meditate the entire night. During that time Tretâ-yuga was about to begin and before his mind's eye the three [trikânda principles of the Vedas] were revealed [of upâsanâ: sacrifice, song and prayer; karma: fruitive labor and jñâna: spiritual knowledge]. (44-45) Going to where he had left his fire pot he discovered that at that spot an As'vattha had sprouted from the inside of a s'amî tree. He used the wood to make two sticks [for creating fire] whereupon he, the master of the kingdom, with mantras [*], in his desire to be with Urvas'î, meditated on her as the lower stick, himself as the upper one and that what was between them as the child he had begotten. (46) From the friction a fire was born that, as the son of the king together with the three letter combination A, U and M [the Pranava], in its three forms stood for the complete of the Vedic practice [of being born from one's physical father,  from one's spiritual master and from one's own practice of offering - which is represented by the three sacrificial fires called Âhavanîya, Gârhapatya and Dâkashinâgni]. (47) He who wanted to be with Urvas'î thus worshiped the Controller of the Sacrifices, the Supreme Personality of Godhead beyond the senses who is the Lord, the Reservoir of all Demigods [see also B.G. 3: 10]. (48) Formerly [during Satya-yuga] all verbal [Vedic, atharva] expressions were covered with one mantra only, knowing the Pranava of omkâra, Nârâyana was the only god, there was only one fire and there was only one varna [the class called hamsa **]. (49) This is how with Purûravâ at the onset of Tretâ-yuga, the [before mentioned] threefold Vedic order [of being born by karma, upâsana and jñâna] came about oh ruler of man. By simply generating the sacrificial fire as his son, the king achieved the heavenly abode of the Gandharvas.'