Vedic Metre in its Historical Development c17.s2.28

c17.s2.28

(i) The best known of the dramatic myths of the Rigveda is the dialogue of Purūravas and Urvaśī (RV. x 95) on the interpretation of which much light has been thrown by Professor Karl Geldner (*Vedische Studien* i, pp. 243–295). The poem is of special interest to the folklorist, being based upon the marriage of a prince to a fairy maiden, and his subsequent desertion by her. Special attention may be called to the cynical reply of Urvaśī in stanza 15, when Purūravas threatens to die for love of her. *There is no truth in the friendship of women: they have the hearts of hyaenas.* However dramatically the sneer may suit the occasion in the mouth of Urvaśī, it reveals a bitter grudge in some poet’s mind against feminine influence.