Tapatī
Tapatī was the daughter of Sūrya, the deva of the sun, and a woman of extraordinary luminous beauty. Saṃvaraṇa, a Kuru king, found her alone on a mountain and fell deeply in love with her at first sight.
Through the help of the Maharshi Vasishṭha, Sūrya gave Tapatī to Saṃvaraṇa in marriage. The couple spent twelve years in the forest, and during that time the kingdom suffered a great drought. Their son was Kuru, the ancestor who gave the Kuru dynasty its name.
Her name comes from tapas (heat, burning) and points to her origin in the sun. The river Tāpī (also spelled Tapti) is named after her.
Daughter of Sūrya
Tapatī was born of Sūrya, the deva of the sun, the source of all light and life. She shared her father’s nature. She was radiant and luminous, with a solar quality that all who saw her could see.
When Saṃvaraṇa met her on a mountain, she did not look to him like an ordinary woman. She seemed a being of light. He thought the sun itself had taken human form and come down before him.
No retinue or attendant was with her when the king found her. She was alone in that mountain forest. She moved with complete self-possession and was not afraid.
The meeting and her reply
Saṃvaraṇa fell unconscious with desire. When he came to himself, he called out to her. He asked her name, who her father was, and whether she was human or divine.
Tapatī did not stay to answer in full. She told him that she was not her own to give, and that he must approach her father. Then she went away into the sky.
Marriage to Saṃvaraṇa
Vasishṭha came to Sūrya and formally brought Saṃvaraṇa’s request. Sūrya considered the king’s lineage and character and agreed to the marriage. He gave Tapatī to Saṃvaraṇa as his wife.
Their union was one of deep mutual love. They withdrew into the forest for twelve years.
Citrāratha the gandharva narrates this story. The Pāṇḍava ancestors recall Tapatī as the source of a great and consuming love that shaped the course of the Kuru dynasty.
Mother of Kuru
Tapatī and Saṃvaraṇa had a son, Kuru, who gave the dynasty its name. Kuru performed his famous tapas (austerity) at the field of Kurukshetra. He made it a field of dharma and a sacred karmabhūmi (land of action). All the Kurus, Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas trace their descent to this son of Tapatī.
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva