By Swami Harshananda
Pururavas was a heroic king mentioned even in the Ṛgveda[1] wherein a curious dialogue between him and Urvaśī, an apsaras or nymph, has been recorded. This oldest love-story of the two has been repeated in other sections of the Vedas like the Śaṭapatha Brāhmana[2] also. He was the son of Budha and Ilā.
The Viṣṇupurāṇa[3] contains a detailed version of the same story. The drama Vikramorvaśya of Kālidāsa[4] is based on it with several variations. Urvaśī, the divine damsel, was once banished to this earth wherein she fell in love with the king Pururavas and married him, laying certain conditions. After few years, it so happened that the king was once forced to violate the conditions, by a stratagem of the gods in heaven, whereby Urvaśī left him. All his efforts to get her back were in vain.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore