Urvasi: A Rgvedic Rshi By: Swamini Atmaprajnananda Saraswati

Rgveda - X.95 is famously known as Purüravä-Urvasi-Samväda. It is a dialogue between Purüravä and Urvasi. As per definition, yasya väkyam sa rshi, yä tenocyate sä devatä. Hence, for the nine mantras (2, 4, 5, 7, 11, 13, 15, 16 and 18) uttered by Urvasi, she is the Rshikä, and Purüravä is the Devatä. For the nine mantras (1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14 and 17) uttered by Purüravä, she is the Devatä and he is the Rshi. 

The dialogue contains the seeds of a legend, which is also narrated in the Satapatha-Brähmana, in theMahäbhärata, the Puränas, and forms the plot of the well-known drama Vikramorvasiyam of Kälidäsa. According to this legend, Urvasi, an apsaras or celestial nymph has been banished to earth, where she consents to live with King Purüravä on condition that he takes care of her two pet rams, and that she never sees him unclothed. She lives with Purüravä for four years, when the Gandharvas resolve to bring her back. They steal one of the rams by night. Purüravä springs from his bed; the Gandharvas send on him a flash of magic lightning, and Urvasi sees her husband unclothed. One of the conditions of the continuance of their union is broken, and the nymph instantly vanishes. Purüravä meets her afterwards, and in vain implores her to return. At last he relents, and a son is born to them. These are the main outlines of a somewhat variously told story. 

Brhaddevatäkära has presented her as a Rshikä (Brhad.-II.83) as well as a Devatä - caransarasi so’pasyad abhirüpäm-ivorvarsim. (Brhad.-VII.151) Äcärya Säyana also has presented her as a Rshikä as well as a Devatä - navarca ailasya purüravaso väkyäni| atas-täsäm sa rshih | sishtä navorvasyä väkyäni| atastäsu sarshikä| ubhayor-väkyeshu yo’rthah pratipädyate sä devatä|(RV.Sä.Bh.-X.95) 

RV-X-95    (18 mantras)

 (Purüravä-Urvasi-Dialogue) 

Rshikä - 2, 4, 5, 7, 11, 13, 15-16, 18 Urvasi; Devatä-Purüravä

Rshi – 1, 3, 6, 8-10, 12, 14, 17 Purürava Devatä - Urvasi

Metre – Trishtup

Purüravä: Ho there, my consort! Stay, thou fierce-souled lady,

                  and let us reason for a while together.

                  Such thoughts as these of ours,

                  While yet unspoken in days gone by,

                  Have never brought us comfort.||1|| 

Urvasi:  What am I now to do with this thy saying?

               I have gone from thee like the first of Mornings.

               Purüravä ! return thou to thy dwelling,

               I, like the wind, am difficult to capture.||2|| 

Purüravä: Like a shaft sent for glory from the quiver,

                  Or swift steed winning cattle,

                  Winning hundreds,

                  The lightning seemed to flash,

                  As cowards planned it.

                  The minstrels (singers) bleated like a lamb in trouble.||3|| 

Urvasi:  Giving her husband’s father life and riches,

               From the near dwelling, when her lover craved her,

               She sought the home wherein she found her pleasure,

               Accepting day and night her lord’s embraces. ||4|| 

Urvasi: Thrice in the day didst thou embrace your consort,

              Though coldly she received thy fond caresses.

              To thy desires, Purüravä, I yielded,

              So were you king, O Hero! of my body. ||5|| 

Purüravä: The (maidens) Sujürni, Sreni, Sumne-äpi, Charanyu,

                  Granthini, and Hradecakshus,

                  These like red kine have hastened forth,

                  The bright ones,

                  And like milch-cows have lowed in emulation.||6|| 

Urvasi:   While he was born, the Dames sat down together,

                The Rivers with free kindness gave him nurture;

                And then, Purüravä, the Gods increased thee for mighty battle,

                to destroy the Dasyus ||7|| 

Purüravä:  When I, a mortal, wooed to mine embraces,

                   these heavenly nymphs who laid aside their raiment (own proper form ),

                   Like a scared snake they fled from me in terror,

                   Like chariot horses when the car has touched them.||8|| 

Purüravä: When, loving these Immortal Ones,

                  The mortal hath converse with the nymphs as they allow him.

                  Like swans, they show the beauty of their bodies,

                  Like horses in their play they bite and nibble.||9|| 

Purüravä:  She who flashed brilliant as the falling lightning,

                   Brought me delicious presents from the waters,

                   Now from the flood be born a strong young hero,

                   May Urvasi prolong her life forever! ||10|| 

Urvasi:    Thy birth has made me drink from earthly milch-kine,

                This power, Purüravä, has thou vouchsafed me,

                I knew, and, warned thee on that day.

                 Thou wouldst not hear me.

                What says thou, when nothing avails thee? ||11|| 

Purüravä: Who will the son be born and seek his father? 

                  Mourner-like, will he weep when first he knows him?

                 Who shall divide the accordant wife and husband,

                 While fire is shining with thy consort’s parents? ||12|| 

Urvasi:  I will console him when his tears are falling,

               He shall not weep and cry for care that blesses.

               That which is thine, between us, will I send thee,

               Go home again, thou fool, thou have not won me ||13|| 

Purüravä : Thy lover shall flee forth this day for ever,

                  To seek, without return, the farthest distance.

                  Then let his bed be in Destruction’s bosom,

                  And there let fierce rapacious wolves devour him.||14|| 

Urvasi:   No, do not die, Purüravä, nor vanish,

               Let not the evil-omened wolves devour thee.

               With women, there can be no lasting friendship:

               Hearts of hyenas are the hearts of women, ||15||

Urvasi:  When amid men in altered shape I sojourned,

               And through four autumns spent the nights among them.

               I tasted once a day a drop of butter,

              And even now with that am I contented. ||16|| 

Purüravä:  I, her best love, call Urvasi to meet me,

                   Her, who fills air and measures out the region.

                   Let the gift brought by piety approach thee.

                   Turn thou to me again, my heart is troubled.||17|| 

           Urvasi:     Thus speak these Gods to thee, O son of Ilä! 

                 As death has verily got thee for his subject,

                 Your sons shall serve the Gods with their oblation,

                 And thou, moreover, shall rejoice in Svarga. ||18||

***

Swamini Atmaprajnananda Saraswati's Profile

Also known as Swamini

Sannyäsini (Hindu Monk), Advaitin, Vedic and Sanskrit Scholar, Published Author, Researcher, Vedäntäcäryä and Vyäkaranäcaryä (Teacher of Vedänta and Sanskrit). Gurukula studies, Masters and PhD in Sanskrit, MBA (in previous Äshrama). Alumni of XIMB, Ärsha Vidyä Gurukulam, Utkal University, IGNOU.Swämini Ätmaprajnänanda Saraswati is a student-disciple of Swämi Dayänanda Saraswati (b.1930 -), founder of Ärsha Vidyä paramparä - tradition. She is a Dasanämi Sannyäsini of Shankara-Bhagavatpäda order, belonging to Niranjan Akhädä.

She is an Advaita Vedantin and Vedic and Sanskrit Scholar (holding a Ph. D. in Sanskrit). Her other areas of study and research are - Vedic Studies, Temple-Architecture, Buddhism, Bhakti and Sufi Movement in India. (Her other technical degrees are MBA (in Finance and Marketing), and PG Diploma in Journalism, Certificate in Human Rights, which she earned in per previous äshrama).

Her expertise lies in disseminating Advaita Vedanta, and presenting it to the students/readers without any entropy, demystifying it and presenting as a Pramana (a valid means of knowledge). Her decades of gurukula studies and University education (MA and Ph.D) and past coroparte work-experience makes her relate to her students/readers. Although a consummate Advaitin, she handles effortlessly other philosophies. She handles her contenders in Vishishtadvaita, Davita, Acintya Bhedabheda, Atheists, Iconoclast, Christians , Islamic scholars with ease and respect, and wins them over with her intellectual honesty without imposing her views on anyone, winning them overhand, gathering the additional knowledge to her corpus.. She waits for the other person to grow and be ready for Advaita.

 

 

Swämini Ätmaprajnänanda Saraswati is a Vedäntäcäryä and Vyäkaranäcäryä. She teaches Vedänta and Pänini in Ärsha Vidyä Vikäs Kendra at Bhubaneswar. She is the author of two published books -‘Nomenclature of the Vedas’ and ‘Rshikas of the Rgveda.

The write-up is a portion of her Book ‘Rshikäs of the Rgveda’. The translation is of RTH Griffith, with minimum adaptation.