Alekh

She is an asset in the Indian mythology. She is an icon in the Indian cultural history. She was irresistible. The masculine gender could hardly resist her inexorable charm. She was Urvashi, the most adorable nymph the world had ever witnessed!

  Once Devraj Indra became obsessed with his throne. Sages Nar and Narayana were in deep penance. They desired to appease the creator Brahma. Indra became insecure . Out of compulsion, he sent the other nymphs of his court to break their penance. To teach Indra a lesson, Narayan slapped his thigh and gave birth to Urvashi, the most beautiful of all the nymphs who embellished Indra’s court.
  With the fleeting of time, Urvashi fell in love with Pururavas, the founder of the Lunar dynasty. Urvashi agreed but there were a couple of conditions. First, he would have to look after her pet sheep. Secondly, they would not see each other in nudity except the moments of love -making! On the other hand, Indra began to miss Urvashi and hatched a conspiracy to breed a barrier in their conjugal life. He sent his attendants to steal the pet sheep. The cries of sheep broke the trance of the married couple. Pururavas ran to rescue the sheep. Indra was looking for this opportunity. Indra used his weapon of lightning to make the spouse of Urvashi visible in nudity. Urvashi was convinced and went back to heaven. The promise was made to be broken! However, she occasionally came to bear him children!
   The nymph had a sexual intimacy with Varuna and Mitra and their gametes were deposited in a pot. After a certain time sages Vashista and Agastha were born. Later the Urvashi cursed the sage twin. The son of sage Khasyap Vibhandaka was seduced by her as she was enjoying her moments on the sea shore. It is worth mentioning that the sage Rishyashringa was born off a doe which was impregnated by Khasyap’s son.
   The conspicuous presence of Urvashi is found in Vyasa’s ‘Mahabharata’. Arjuna, the son of Indra went to the heaven in search of divine weapons. Uravashi came in touch with him. She fell in love. Desired to be in his arms. But Arjuna looked upon her as his mother as she had belonged to Pururavas. This enraged her. She cursed Arjuna. The pride of Urvashi was shattered into pieces. Her seduction didn’t work her. Her magical aura was vanquished. Her defeat was ensured.
   Beauty and grace complement each other. Beauty is ‘widely pervasive’. It is as soft and supple as the first break of dawn, accompanied by the chirping of aves! Urvashi literally refers to the “personification of dawn”, a theory propounded by Moner – Williams.
   Time changes. Concept changes. Feelings amend. Roles vary. Yet trust ought to remain intact and this was something which was never nurtured by the couple like Amit and Labonya who were never united, though loved one another in Tagore’s love – romance genre “Shesher Kobita”, (The Last Poems)!!

By Alekh

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