Some have a story where
they leave the world for somebody and then that ‘somebody’ leaves them.
When you go back in time, you see the same happening in Mahabharata too
and the victims such tragedies are mostly the kings. Would you really be
that interested if it were to happen to a commoner anyway?!
Pururava
was a young and handsome king. When I say young and handsome, it means
that practicing warrior-skills, hunting and partying were his major
hobbies. Administration of kingdom, for such kings, was usually the
second priority. There are a very few examples of kings who were young
and handsome and capable at the same time. Unfortunately, Pururava was
not. And before he could make his transition from young and handsome to
capable, something happened!
Once
when he was out hunting in a forest, he came across the apsara
(river-nymph) Urvashi. The sight of the scantily dressed apsara, who was
a favourite even among the Devas, was definitely the most enthralling
sight of Pururava’s youth.
With
the confidence characteristic of kings and attitude characteristic of
self-proclaimed handsome men, Pururava went to Urvashi and asked her
out.
Pururava:
The Almighty must have exhausted all his creativity in carving a beauty
like you. What would it take of me to make you mine? I want you to
marry me and be my queen.
Urvashi:
No ordinary man can ask me out in this fashion. Your confidence and
your flashy attire indicate that you are from the royal bloodline. But
are you worthy enough for the beautiful creation of the Almighty like
you just said?
Pururava:
There is no feat in this world impossible for me to perform as long as I
possess my bow and arrows. You can be sure about me.
Urvashi:
I would rather marry a lover than a warrior. I don’t seek the power of
your weapons, I only seek the power of your words. You will have to
promise me that you will take care of my pet goats. They are very dear
to me. Also, promise me that except for me you will never appear naked
in front of anybody. If you are willing to make these two promises, I
will marry you.
Pururava:
I am a Kshatriya, to protect the helpless is my Dharma. Will I not
protect your goats? I promise I will. And I will protect your second
promise too. My Kshatriya instincts are not limited to people alone!
These
promises were perhaps Urvashi’s ways of ensuring that her husband
remains loyal to her concerns and never brings in a second wife that
decreases her importance. Pururava didn’t think much before making the
promises either. The Kshatriya factor often deluded the decision making
powers of the kings. Anyway, they both got married and lived happily for
some time, increasing the prospective candidates for the royal
inheritance and inspiring stories that would be carved out later in
Indian temples meant for selective visitors.
Indra,
the original boss of apsaras, could not bear this long separation from
the apple of his eye, Urvashi. He wanted her back at any cost, so he
ordered the gandharvas to bring Urvashi back. The gandharvas stole the
pet goats of Urvashi one day when Pururava was busy making love to her.
Urvashi, on realizing that her goats had been stolen, requested Pururava
to rescue them. He hurried out without bothering to cover himself keen
to keep the first promise he made to his wife while forgetting the
second one. At that moment, Indra launched a thunder in the sky causing a
public display of the king’s private properties.
In
spite of his best efforts, Pururava could not keep both his promises.
Urvashi decided to leave Pururava the way he was, not continuing her
stay with the husband king since the promises that were the basis of
their marriage were broken.
Pururava and Urvashi
The
separation left Pururava devastated and he lost all sense. He isolated
himself from his kingdom and became mad, not being able to rule the
kingdom anymore. Had India had access to Italian Marble in those days, a
Taj Mahal would have come into existence much before in Indian History
than when it actually did. Pururava was replaced by one of his more
capable sons.
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