Vapu

The Divine Origin and the Curse

Vapu is a remarkable figure in the Purāṇic accounts, particularly as her story bridges the celestial realm with the great lineage of Garuḍa. Her history is recorded in Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa. Before her birth into the avian family, Vapu was one of the finest of the Apsarasas—the beautiful, graceful dancers of Indra’s court. However, due to circumstances detailed below, Vapu incurred the wrath of the powerful sage Durvāsā.

The Imprudence and the Incitement to the Curse

The genesis of Vapu’s curse began in Nandana-vanam, the celestial garden. Nārada, the great sage, observed Indra (the king of the devās) seated among the Apsaras women, his gaze fixed intently upon them. Upon seeing the great sage, the lord of the devās immediately stood up from his seat and offered it to Nārada with the deepest respect. The divine apsaras also offered their salutations, standing humbly with bowed heads.

After Indra was seated again, they engaged in beautiful conversation suitable for their status. Eventually, Indra posed a question to Nārada: “Nārada! Command the one among these Apsarases whom you like to perform a dance. I wish to give an order according to your desire, whether it be Rambhā, Karkaśa, Ūrvaśī, Tilottamā, Ghṛtācī, or Menakā.”

Nārada contemplated this for a moment, then looked at the women standing submissively and addressed them: “O Apsarases! Whoever among you believes herself to be superior in grace, beauty, and virtues should dance before me. A dance that lacks virtues and beauty is futile. True dance is that which is characterized by hāva, bhāva, and expressive glances; a dance that lacks this is merely pretentious.”

The Challenge to the Unchallengeable

While Nārada was still speaking, the Apsarases began arguing among themselves, each claiming to be superior to the others in form and virtue. Indra, seeing their dispute, suggested they ask Nārada to judge them. The Apsarases then sought Nārada’s definitive answer. Nārada’s response set the fateful challenge: “O Devāṅganās! The sage Durvāsā is performing penance (tapas) on a mountain. The one among you who can successfully infatuate him will be declared superior in virtues.”

At this suggestion, all the Apsarases trembled, declaring the task impossible. It was then that Vapu stepped forward, fueled by the arrogance born from having successfully disturbed the penance of many other great sages. She boldly declared, “I shall go to where Durvāsā is and break his penance! I will now sever the rope of his mind with the arrows of Kāma (the God of Desire) and let his senses run free like horses! I will make his body, the chariot, be without intellect as a charioteer! I will, without doubt, afflict even Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara with the arrows of Kāma!”

The Curse

After this arrogant boast, Vapu went to the Himālaya mountains, near Durvāsā’s hermitage. From a distance of one krośa (a unit of distance), the best of the Apsarases began to sing with the sweet melody of a male cuckoo. The sage Durvāsā was startled by the song. When he went to the source of the enchanting music and saw the beautiful Vapu, he immediately realized she had come to break his penance. He was overcome with uncontrollable rage. The great ascetic Durvāsā cursed her:

“O Khecarī (sky-goer)! O intoxicated, arrogant one! You have come to disrupt my penance, which I acquired through hardship, and to cause me difficulty. O evil-minded one! Being polluted by my wrath, you shall take birth in the lineage of Garuḍa for sixteen years! O lowliest Apsaras! Leaving your real form, you shall take the form of a bird and bear four sons! Without experiencing the love of your sons, you will be struck by an arrow, become purified, and return to Svarga (heaven). Go, speak no more!”

With eyes red with anger, the great sage Durvāsā then left that place and went to the banks of the Ākāśa-gaṅgā (celestial Ganges), leaving Vapu to face the immediate and unendurable reality of her severe curse.

Birth in the Gāruḍa Line

Vapu’s earthly journey began as the daughter of the great bird-king Kandharu and his wife, Madanikā. Kandharu was the powerful descendant of Garuḍa who avenged his brother Kanka by slaying the rākṣasa Vidyudrūpa. After the battle, Kandharu married Madanikā, who was the daughter of the celestial nymph Menakā and, being one who can take any form, she adopted the form of a bird to join her husband. It was in this avian context that Vapu was born. Because she was born to the bird-king of Garuḍa’s line, she was given the significant name Tārkṣī, a name directly derived from Tārkṣya, an alternate designation for Garuḍa. Though born of a cursed past, her lineage ensured her future renown.

Marriage and Motherhood

As she grew, Vapu, known by the name Tārkṣī, was sought by many. She eventually married Droṇa (different from Droṇācārya of Mahābharat) , one of the four sons of the virtuous Brāhmaṇa named Mandapāla. Droṇa himself was known to be devoted to dharma and well-versed in the Vedas and Vedāṅgas. The marriage was sanctioned by Kandharu, connecting the divine avian lineage with a family of pious scholars. After some time, Tārkṣī became pregnant. Her story takes a dramatic turn when, about three months and fifteen days into her pregnancy, fate guided her to the great battlefield of Kurukṣetra, the site of the devastating war between the Kauravas and the Pāṇḍavas

The Miracle of Kurukṣetra

Tārkṣī found herself in the middle of the horrific clash, witnessing the ferocious combat between legendary warriors like Bhagadatta and Arjuna. An arrow shot from Arjuna’s bow, described as moving like a black cobra, tragically pierced Tārkṣī, causing an abortion.

Immediately, four eggs were expelled and fell upon the earth. These eggs, which resembled the moon, possessed life force. The text notes the miraculous detail that they landed gently as if on a pile of cotton. At that very moment, a bell from the neck of Bhagadatta’s elephant Supratīka, severed by an arrow from Arjuna, fell directly onto the eggs. This bell, cracking the earth as it fell, acted as a protective shield, covering and safeguarding the four fragile eggs from the surrounding carnage.

This astonishing event, occurring amid the greatest battle of that age, underscores Vapu’s divine destiny and the protective grace of Time and Dharma. The eggs later drew the attention of the great sage Śamīka, who found them shielded within the bell and was struck by the incredible power of karma and preservation. Vapu, having fulfilled her role in this dramatic episode of creation and destruction, ensures that her offspring—born into the world through a miracle of the battlefield—carry forward the heroic legacy of the Gāruḍa line.