Purūravas and Urvaśī (Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa)

The Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa tells how King Purūravas and the apsarā Urvaśī lived as husband and wife for sixty-four years. The gandharvas took her back to the devas’ world. Purūravas found her again, received a sacred fire, and had six sons who began lines of the Aila dynasty.

The union of Purūravas and Urvaśī

Purūravas was the son of Budha and Ilā. He was a king of rare beauty and noble character, and he ruled from his capital Pratishṭhānapura.

Urvaśī was the most famous of the apsarās (heavenly dancers). She was born from the thigh of Nārāyaṇa himself. This happened when the ṛshis Nara and Nārāyaṇa did tapas and Indra sent apsarās to disturb them. Purūravas and Urvaśī came together and lived as husband and wife.

Sixty-four years in five regions

The Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa says that Purūravas and Urvaśī lived together for sixty-four years. In that time they passed through five holy regions, called āśrama-vanas (forests of āśramas).

Their bond was deep. An apsarā belongs in the worlds of the devas, but Urvaśī chose to stay with Purūravas out of true love. The gandharvas had set conditions for her stay on earth. One of the main conditions was that her two pet goats (or lambs) must never be taken away.

The gandharvas steal the goats

The gandharvas wanted to bring Urvaśī back to the world of the devas. In the dark of night they stole her two goats. Urvaśī cried out in distress.

Purūravas rushed to bring the goats back. He jumped out of bed without putting on any clothes. At that moment the gandharvas made a flash of light like lightning. Urvaśī saw him without clothes, and this broke the second condition of her stay. At once she vanished from his sight and returned to the world of the devas.

Separation and grief

Purūravas was left in sorrow. He searched everywhere for Urvaśī. He wandered through forests and holy groves, overcome with grief.

Reunion at Kurukshetra

After a long time Purūravas met Urvaśī at Kurukshetra, one of the tīrthas (holy places). She had come there with other apsarās. She knew him, and they spoke.

Urvaśī was moved by his sorrow and his devotion, and she agreed to meet him once more. She told him that on the night of the Aśvayuja full moon the gandharvas would give him one night with her. She also told him that she was carrying his child. After that meeting their reunion was celebrated. She gave him a fire, a coal from the world of the devas, together with instructions.

The three sacred fires

The gandharvas gave Purūravas a firebrand from the world of the devas. Purūravas took this fire and, as he was instructed, divided it into three fires. These are the Gārhapatya, the Āhavanīya and the Dakshiṇāgni, the three sacred household fires of Vedic tradition, all from one source. In this way the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa traces the start of the trayī-agni (the three fires) to this gift of the fire of Urvaśī’s own world.

The six sons

The six sons of Purūravas and Urvaśī are named as follows:

  1. Āyu, the eldest, who inherited his father’s kingdom. The Āyu line descends from him.
  2. Dhīmat, also called Śrutadhīmat, known for his wisdom.
  3. Amāvasu, the father of a great line. The Amāvasu line, which includes Jahnu and the Jāhnavī account, descends from him.
  4. Viśvāvasu, named after the gandharva king and linked with music of the devas’ world.
  5. Śrutāyu, known for his learning.
  6. Gṛtāyu, also called Dṛḍhāyu in some versions, the youngest.

From Āyu comes the main line of the Aila dynasty, which includes Nahusha, Yayāti, and in the end the great dynasties of the Pāṇḍavas and the Kauravas. From Amāvasu comes the line that includes Jahnu. Gaṅgā once entered his ear, and so she is called Jāhnavī.

Sources

  • Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa, Madhyama Bhāga, Chapter 66