Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c8.2820

c8.2820

2) Testing Purūravas and the curse. Purūravas by his brilliance performed a hundred Aśvamedhayāgas and lived in glory at Himādriśṛṅga. Great demons like Keśī became his servants. Urvaśī attracted by his beauty became his wife. While he was living like that Dharma, Artha and Kāma went in disguise to his palace to test him. He received them all well but paid more attention to Dharma. Artha and Kāma got angry and cursed him. Artha cursed him saying that he would be ruined by his greed and Kāma cursed him saying he would go mad by being separated from Urvaśī. Hearing that Dharma blessed him thus: “You will live leading a virtuous life. Your race will increase and remain in glory till the end of the moon and the stars. The insanity caused by your passion for Urvaśī would end by the end of sixty years. That celestial maiden would remain then with you for one Manvantara.” (Chapter 12, Bhāga 3, Padma Purāṇa). Purūravas used to visit Indra daily. One day while he was going through air wellarmed with a bow and arrows he saw a demon named Keśī carrying away by force Urvaśī and Citralekhā and after defeating Keśī in a fight recovered the nymphs and gave them back to Indra. Indra praised Purūravas and in his honour a drama, Lakṣmisvayaṃvara, was enacted by Urvaśī, Menakā and others. Urvaśī taking the part of Lakṣmī started to dance but seeing Purūravas before her she became lustful and made wrong steps. Nārada who was present at the function got angry and cursed her “You will forget all you have learnt. Not only that, you will live as a creeper separated from Purūravas for a period of sixty years.” (For details see under Urvaśī). Padma Purāṇa says that it was Bharata who cursed Urvaśī. This story is slightly different from that found in the other Purāṇas.