Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.2586.1

c9.2586.1

2) Love story. Once the sage Bhr̥gu lived in the valley of Mandara mountain, performing austere tapas. Śukra who was then a boy, used to attend on his father. One day when Bhr̥gu was absorbed in “Nirvikalpasamādhi” (deep meditation) the lonely Śukra was appreciating the beauty of the sky above him. There was no one else by his side. At that time he happened to see an exceptionally beautiful Apsarā woman passing across the sky. His heart was filled with delight at the sight. All his thoughts were centred on her and he sat absorbed in her bewitching charm. In his imagination he followed Indra and reached Indraloka. Indra greeted him with honour. After that Śukra, attended by the heavenly beings went about sight-seeing in Heaven. There he unexpectedly came across the Apsarā beauty whom he had seen earlier, in the midst of several other women. They fell in love at first sight. To fulfil his desire Śukra enveloped the whole place in darkness. The other women left the place. The Apsarā beauty approached Śukra and both of them entered a hut formed by the thick foliage of creeping plants and indulged in sensual pleasures. Since Śukra spent a period of eight Catur yugas like this in her company, he became weak in his virtue and descended to the earth. Then he became conscious of his physical being. His depraved soul was stopped at the moon. It reached the earth through mist and grew up as paddy plants.