Srimad Bhagavatam

Canto 9: Liberation
Chapter 14: King Pururava Enchanted by Urvasi

Text 0: Chapter Summary
Text* 1: ÅšrÄ«la Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« said to MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it: O King, thus far you have heard the description of the dynasty of the sun-god. Now hear the most glorious and purifying description of the dynasty of the moon-god. This description mentions kings like Aila [PurÅ«ravÄ] of whom it is glorious to hear.
Text* 2: Lord Viṣṇu [GarbhodakaÅ›ÄyÄ« Viṣṇu] is also known as Sahasra-śīrá¹£Ä Puruá¹£a. From the lake of His navel sprang a lotus, on which Lord BrahmÄ was generated. Atri, the son of Lord BrahmÄ, was as qualified as his father.
Text 3: From Atri’s tears of jubilation was born a son named Soma, the moon, who was full of soothing rays. Lord BrahmÄ appointed him the director of the brÄhmaṇas, drugs and luminaries.
Text* 4: After conquering the three worlds [the upper, middle and lower planetary systems], Soma, the moon-god, performed a great sacrifice known as the RÄjasÅ«ya-yajña. Because he was very much puffed up, he forcibly kidnapped Bá¹›haspati’s wife, whose name was TÄrÄ.
Text* 5: Although requested again and again by Bá¹›haspati, the spiritual master of the demigods, Soma did not return TÄrÄ. This was due to his false pride. Consequently, a fight ensued between the demigods and the demons.
Text 6: Because of enmity between Bá¹›haspati and Åšukra, Åšukra took the side of the moon-god and was joined by the demons. But Lord Åšiva, because of affection for the son of his spiritual master, joined the side of Bá¹›haspati and was accompanied by all the ghosts and hobgoblins.
Text* 7: King Indra, accompanied by all kinds of demigods, joined the side of Bá¹›haspati. Thus there was a great fight, destroying both demons and demigods, only for the sake of TÄrÄ, Bá¹›haspati’s wife.
Text* 8: When Lord BrahmÄ was fully informed by Aá¹…girÄ about the entire incident, he severely chastised the moon-god, Soma. Thus Lord BrahmÄ delivered TÄrÄ to her husband, who could then understand that she was pregnant.
Text 9: Bá¹›haspati said: You foolish woman, your womb, which was meant for me to impregnate, has been impregnated by someone other than me. Immediately deliver your child! Immediately deliver it! Be assured that after the child is delivered, I shall not burn you to ashes. I know that although you are unchaste, you wanted a son. Therefore I shall not punish you.
Text* 10: Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« continued: By Bá¹›haspati’s order, TÄrÄ, who was very much ashamed, immediately gave birth to the child, who was very beautiful, with a golden bodily hue. Both Bá¹›haspati and the moon-god, Soma, desired the beautiful child.
Text* 11: Fighting again broke out between Bá¹›haspati and the moon-god, both of whom claimed, “This is my child, not yours!†All the saints and demigods present asked TÄrÄ whose child the newborn baby actually was, but because she was ashamed she could not immediately answer.
Text* 12: The child then became very angry and demanded that his mother immediately tell the truth. “You unchaste woman,†he said, “what is the use of your unnecessary shame? Why do you not admit your fault? Immediately tell me about your faulty behavior.â€
Text* 13: Lord BrahmÄ then brought TÄrÄ to a secluded place, and after pacifying her he asked to whom the child actually belonged. She replied very slowly, “This is the son of Soma, the moon-god.†Then the moon-god immediately took charge of the child.
Text* 14: O MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it, when Lord BrahmÄ saw that the child was deeply intelligent, he gave the child the name Budha. The moon-god, the ruler of the stars, enjoyed great jubilation because of this son.
Text* 15-16: Thereafter, from Budha, through the womb of IlÄ, a son was born named PurÅ«ravÄ, who was described in the beginning of the Ninth Canto. When his beauty, personal qualities, magnanimity, behavior, wealth and power were described by NÄrada in the court of Lord Indra, the celestial woman Urvaśī was attracted to him. Pierced by the arrow of Cupid, she thus approached him.
Text* 17-18: Having been cursed by Mitra and Varuṇa, the celestial woman Urvaśī had acquired the habits of a human being. Therefore, upon seeing PurÅ«ravÄ, the best of males, whose beauty resembled that of Cupid, she controlled herself and then approached him. When King PurÅ«ravÄ saw Urvaśī, his eyes became jubilant in the ecstasy of joy, and the hairs on his body stood on end. With mild, pleasing words, he spoke to her as follows.
Text* 19: King PurÅ«ravÄ said: O most beautiful woman, you are welcome. Please sit here and tell me what I can do for you. You may enjoy with me as long as you desire. Let us pass our life happily in a sexual relationship.
Text 20: Urvaśī replied: O most handsome man, who is the woman whose mind and sight would not be attracted by you? If a woman takes shelter of your chest, she cannot refuse to enjoy with you in a sexual relationship.
Text 21: My dear King PurÅ«ravÄ, please give protection to these two lambs, who have fallen down with me. Although I belong to the heavenly planets and you belong to earth, I shall certainly enjoy sexual union with you. I have no objection to accepting you as my husband, for you are superior in every respect.
Text* 22: Urvaśī said: “My dear hero, only preparations made in ghee [clarified butter] will be my eatables, and I shall not want to see you naked at any time, except at the time of sexual intercourse.†The great-minded King PurÅ«ravÄ accepted these proposals.
Text 23: PurÅ«ravÄ replied: O beautiful one, your beauty is wonderful and your gestures are also wonderful. Indeed, you are attractive to all human society. Therefore, since you have come of your own accord from the heavenly planets, who on earth would not agree to serve a demigoddess such as you.
Text* 24: Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« continued: The best of human beings, PurÅ«ravÄ, began freely enjoying the company of Urvaśī, who engaged in sexual activities with him in many celestial places, such as Caitraratha and Nandana-kÄnana, where the demigods enjoy.
Text* 25: Urvaśī’s body was as fragrant as the saffron of a lotus. Being enlivened by the fragrance of her face and body, PurÅ«ravÄ enjoyed her company for many days with great jubilation.
Text* 26: Not seeing Urvaśī in his assembly, the King of heaven, Lord Indra, said, “Without Urvaśī my assembly is no longer beautiful.†Considering this, he requested the Gandharvas to bring her back to his heavenly planet.
Text 27: Thus the Gandharvas came to earth, and at midnight, when everything was dark, they appeared in the house of PurÅ«ravÄ and stole the two lambs entrusted to the King by his wife, Urvaśī.
Text* 28: Urvaśī treated the two lambs like her own sons. Therefore, when they were being taken by the Gandharvas and began crying, Urvaśī heard them and rebuked her husband. “Now I am being killed,†she said, “under the protection of an unworthy husband, who is a coward and a eunuch although he thinks himself a great hero.â€
Text* 29: “Because I depended on him, the plunderers have deprived me of my two sons the lambs, and therefore I am now lost. My husband lies down at night in fear, exactly like a woman, although he appears to be a man during the day.â€
Text* 30: PurÅ«ravÄ, stricken by the sharp words of Urvaśī like an elephant struck by its driver’s pointed rod, became very angry. Not even dressing himself properly, he took a sword in hand and went out naked into the night to follow the Gandharvas who had stolen the lambs.
Text* 31: After giving up the two lambs, the Gandharvas shone brightly like lightning, thus illuminating the house of PurÅ«ravÄ. Urvaśī then saw her husband returning with the lambs in hand, but he was naked, and therefore she left.
Text* 32: No longer seeing Urvaśī on his bed, PurÅ«ravÄ was most aggrieved. Because of his great attraction for her, he was very much disturbed. Thus, lamenting, he began traveling about the earth like a madman.
Text* 33: Once during his travels all over the world, PurÅ«ravÄ saw Urvaśī, accompanied by five companions, on the bank of the SarasvatÄ« at Kuruká¹£etra. With jubilation in his face, he then spoke to her in sweet words as follows.
Text* 34: O my dear wife, O most cruel one, kindly stay, kindly stay. I know that I have never made you happy until now, but you should not give me up for that reason. This is not proper for you. Even if you have decided to give up my company, let us nonetheless talk for some time.
Text* 35: O goddess, now that you have refused me, my beautiful body will fall down here, and because it is unsuitable for your pleasure, it will be eaten by foxes and vultures.
Text 36: Urvaśī said: My dear King, you are a man, a hero. Don’t be impatient and give up your life. Be sober and don’t allow the senses to overcome you like foxes. Don’t let the foxes eat you. In other words, you should not be controlled by your senses. Rather, you should know that the heart of a woman is like that of a fox. There is no use making friendship with women.
Text 37: Women as a class are merciless and cunning. They cannot tolerate even a slight offense. For their own pleasure they can do anything irreligious, and therefore they do not fear killing even a faithful husband or brother.
Text 38: Women are very easily seduced by men. Therefore, polluted women give up the friendship of a man who is their well-wisher and establish false friendship among fools. Indeed, they seek newer and newer friends, one after another.
Text 39: O my dear King, you will be able to enjoy with me as my husband at the end of every year, for one night only. In this way you will have other children, one after another.
Text* 40: Understanding that Urvaśī was pregnant, PurÅ«ravÄ returned to his palace. At the end of the year, there at Kuruká¹£etra, he again obtained the association of Urvaśī, who was then the mother of a heroic son.
Text* 41: Having regained Urvaśī at the end of the year, King PurÅ«ravÄ was most jubilant, and he enjoyed her company in sex for one night. But then he was very sorry at the thought of separation from her, so Urvaśī spoke to him as follows.
Text 42: Urvaśī said: “My dear King, seek shelter of the Gandharvas, for they will be able to deliver me to you again.†In accordance with these words, the King satisfied the Gandharvas by prayers, and the Gandharvas, being pleased with him, gave him an AgnisthÄlÄ« girl who looked exactly like Urvaśī. Thinking that the girl was Urvaśī, the King began walking with her in the forest, but later he could understand that she was not Urvaśī but AgnisthÄlÄ«.
Text 43: King PurÅ«ravÄ then left AgnisthÄlÄ« in the forest and returned home, where he meditated all night upon Urvaśī. In the course of his meditation, the TretÄ millennium began, and therefore the principles of the three Vedas, including the process of performing yajña to fulfill fruitive activities, appeared within his heart.
Text 44-45: When the process of fruitive yajña became manifest within his heart, King PurÅ«ravÄ went to the same spot where he had left AgnisthÄlÄ«. There he saw that from the womb of a Å›amÄ« tree, an aÅ›vattha tree had grown. He then took a piece of wood from that tree and made it into two araṇis. Desiring to go to the planet where Urvaśī resided, he chanted mantras, meditating upon the lower araṇi as Urvaśī, the upper one as himself, and the piece of wood between them as his son. In this way he began to ignite a fire.
Text 46: From PurÅ«ravÄ’s rubbing of the araṇis came a fire. By such a fire one can achieve all success in material enjoyment and be purified in seminal birth, initiation and in the performance of sacrifice, which are invoked with the combined letters a-u-m. Thus the fire was considered the son of King PurÅ«ravÄ.
Text 47: By means of that fire, PurÅ«ravÄ, who desired to go to the planet where Urvaśī resided, performed a sacrifice, by which he satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, the enjoyer of the results of sacrifice. Thus he worshiped the Lord, who is beyond the perception of the senses and is the reservoir of all the demigods.
Text 48: In the Satya-yuga, the first millennium, all the Vedic mantras were included in one mantra — praṇava, the root of all Vedic mantras. In other words, the Atharva Veda alone was the source of all Vedic knowledge. The Supreme Personality of Godhead NÄrÄyaṇa was the only worshipable Deity; there was no recommendation for worship of the demigods. Fire was one only, and the only order of life in human society was known as haá¹sa.
Text 49: O MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it, at the beginning of TretÄ-yuga, King PurÅ«ravÄ inaugurated a karma-kÄṇá¸a sacrifice. Thus PurÅ«ravÄ, who considered the yajñic fire his son, was able to go to Gandharvaloka as he desired.