URVASHI - A Passion Play & Curse - A Blessing in Disguise

URVASHI – A Passion Play & Curse - A Blessing in Disguise    

       

Urvashi was  an Apsara, a river nymph who lived with God and occasionally stepped on earth. She was the most beautiful celestial nymph for whom Gods formed a queue. Her beauty was a topic of discussion in Indralok (heaven) and was a matter of  envy for other Apsaras. 

The nature, birds, animals and grass all were attracted to her beauty and whenever she walked they slanted towards her for her close proximity. Urvashi was the most beautiful of Apsaras.  Urvashi is a nymph in the Hindu legend “Mahabharata”.

She is perennially youthful and infinitely charming but always elusive. Urvashi literally means “Uras”(heart) + “Vashi” (control) – someone who controls the heart.

One day in the early morning King Pururava was passing through a river bank and he happens to see Urvashi bathing in the river. A stunned Pururava by seeing the bathing beauty immediately fallen for her head over heels and developed an obsession for her.

Pururava proposed to her and pleaded her to become his queen and live in his palace.  In a spirit of play, the nymph indulged the king and said ‘only if you take care of my pet goats and never let anyone but I see you naked”.  To her great surprise the mortal Pururuva agreed, leaving her with no choice but to marry him. 

It was a new experience for Urvashi and she enjoyed it. She bore her human husband many sons.

It is said that life time of man is just a blink of  Indra’s eye. And yet Indra could not bear this momentary separation from Urvashi.  He ordered the celestial musicians known as Gandharvas to bring her back.

The Gandharvas stole Urvashi’s pet goats from under her bed while Prururava was busy making love to her. Urvashi saw this from the corner of her eye and cried in a stricken voice, ‘my goats’ someone is stealing my goats!  Keep your promise Pururava bring them back.

Pururava immediately jumped off the bed and got baffled or confused and then ran after the  thieves without bothering to cover his body.  While he was chasing the thieves Indra hurled a thunderbolt across the sky.  In the flash of the lightning everyone in the city saw Pururava naked.  As a result, the condition set by Urvashi and  Pururava’s promise was breached and it was time for her to return to Indra sadas (back to the life of celestial Apsara).

Without Urvashi, a heartbroken Pururava became mad and could not rule.  Such is the power of passion. Urvashi and Pururava’s relationship was indeed the greatest passion play in Indian mythology. There is one version that Pururava still weeps in the forest and scours the river banks in search of Urvashi. There is also another version that Urvashi has turned Pururava as a Gandharva and he follows her wherever she goes as music maker to her dance.

The obsessive passion of Pururva for Urvashi led to his downfall.  

Years later Shantanu had a similar love story with Ganga. 

The history repeats itself.

Urvashi being a celestial creature was immortal.  

A Blessing in Disguise –

A blessing in disguise is something that seems bad or unlucky at first, but results in something good happening later.

Let us examine the cause for Urvashi’s curse and how it resulted as a blessing in disguise.

Urvashi encountered the Pandava brother Arjuna countless several years later she had married Pururava their ancestor.  In fact, Arjuna was the son of Indra, the god of sky. Indra summons Arjuna to his palace in the heaven. Arjuna’s visit to heaven was to fight and save his father from the troubling Asuras.  Arjuna indeed fought Asuras alongwith Devas and defeated them. Arjuna also procured divine weapons from the Gods to fight the mortals on the earth as well.

Seemingly  pleased by the victory over Asuras Indra told Arjuna “Enjoy the pleasures of paradise, my son.  All that you wish will be yours. Arjuna indulged in the joys of paradise.   He took special interest in learning dancing from the Gandharvas.  As his warrior body moved to the tunes of the flute, the Apsaras realized that how beautiful his lithe human body, covered with sweat was.   Urvashi, one of the heavenly maidens at Indra’s palace was strongly attracted to Arjuna. Indra also noted that his son was also bewitched by Urvashi’s beauty. So Indra took it upon himself to offer Urvashi to Arjuna.

Having received Indra’s instructions, Urvashi reached Arjuna’s room one night. But Arjuna did not have any intentions of making love to Urvashi. Instead he called her the “mother” of the Kuru race. Because once Urvashi was the wife of king Pururava the ancestor of Kuru Dynasty. Urvashi felt insulted, now that a mere mortal was able to resist her.  Not to forget that Urvashi was a celestial nymph who was immortal.  She cursed him that Arjuna will be a eunuch for the rest of his life, who could only sing and dance with other women. Later on Indra’s request, Urvashi curtailed the curse to a period of one year, which would be the thirteenth year of the Pandavas’ exile.

I am so unfortunate Arjuna told Indra.  Indra advised Arjuna saying that turn this curse to an opportunity.  Use the thirteenth year of your exile when you are expected to live in hiding.

 Our lives are surrounded by curses and boons.

According  to  Indian  philosophy, life is  just  a  resultant of  the boons  and  banes  the  subject  has inherited through his or her karma. The resultant will reflect on the life and decide the next course of action, which will again result in further boons and banes.

What is boons and banes ?  Boons means something favorable or beneficial and banes means something destructive or fatal.  Can it be pros & cons ?

The swearing and promise.... YES …I mean it ..’God, Promise’ …! 

The pandavas were defeated in the game of dice and lost everything without a penny left and was sent to 12 years exile in forest by Kauravas.  There was another condition to this, after completing 12 years in exile they have to spend one more year in hiding (Agyata Vaas) and during that period no one should identity them.   Otherwise, they will have to suffer another 12 years in exile.

        

Arjuna as Brihannala

Hence, Arjuna opted the thirteenth year to live in  incognito in King Virat’s Matsya Kingdom as Brihannala an  eunuch and meet the curse by becoming a transgender.  Arjuna spent the one year of his exile as Brihannala, the eunuch at King Virata's court. He taught song and dance to Virat’s daughter the princess Uttara.

Having named Uttara it reminds me of  a “Kathakali” lyrics from a popular Mallu movie.

 

A Still from Uthara Swayamvar Kathakali

                                                   Uthara swayam varam kathakali kanuvan

Uthrada rathriyil poyirunnu

Kanchana kasavulla poonchela

Uduthaval nenjeyyum ambumayi vannirunnu

Irayimman thambi nalkum sringara padha lahari

Iru swapna vedhikalil alinju chernnu

Karalile kali thattil arupathu thiriyitta

Kadhakali vilakkukal erinju ninnu

Kudamaloor sairandriyayi mankulam brihandalayayi

Haripattu ramakirishnan valalanayi

Duryodhanan veshamittu guru chenganooru vannu

Varanassi than chenda unarnnuyarnnu

Ayiram sankalpangal therukal theertha ravil

Arjjunanayi njan aval utharayayi

Athu kazhinjatta vilakkananju poyi

Ethra ethra ajnatha vasaminnum thudarunnu njan

Arjuna successfully completed one year as Brihannala without being recognized and met the curse of Urvashi.  This was considered to be the most safe disguise and thus Arjuna avoided the ignominy of going further 12 years in exile for pandavas.  

This was really a blessing in disguise and originated a common phrase called “Urvashi shaapam (shrap) upakaram” -  Urvashi’s curse a blessing in disguise !

The photos in this Blog of Urvashi-Pururava saga is taken from a mallu love sublime movie called “Makaramanju” (WINTER SNOW).

Down the memory lane it provokes me to give below an Audrey Assad lyrics about the Winter Snow.

Could've  like a mighty storm
With all the strength of a hurricane
You could've come like a forest fire
With the power of heaven in Your flame

But You came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

You could've swept in like a tidal wave
Or an ocean to ravish our hearts
You could have come through like a roaring flood
To wipe away the things we've scared

But You came like a winter snow, yes, You did
You were quiet, You were soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

Oh, no, Your voice wasn't in a bush burning
No, Your voice wasn't in a rushing wind
It was still, it was small
It was hidden

You came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

Falling, oh, yeah
To the earth below
You came falling
From the sky in the night to the earth below….

You came like a winter snow.

The topic “blessing in disguise” has always fascinated me and inspired me to write this Blog post.