Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v2.c4.58

v2.c4.58

Purū-ravas is the name of a hero in a hymn of the Rigveda¹ containing a curious dialogue between him and a nymph, Urvaśī, an Apsaras. He is also mentioned in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa,² where several verses of the Rigvedic dialogue find a setting in a continuous story. In the later literature he is recognized as a king.³ His name is perhaps intended in one other passage of the Rigveda.⁴ It is impossible to say whether he is a mythical figure pure and simple, or really an ancient king. His epithet, Aila,⁵ ‘descendant of Iḍā’ (a sacrificial goddess), is certainly in favour of the former alternative.