Apsara Urvashi is a celestial nymph in the court of the king of gods, Indra. She is considered to be the most beautiful of all Apsaras. Apsaras are the voluptuous females in the court of Indra who entertain gods with their dancing and singing skills. They also help him retain the kingdom of heaven by alluring the persons who try to win over heaven by austerity.
The Meanings of the Name Urvashi:
1. The name Urvashi is made up of two words, viz. Uru and Vashi, which means “born from the thigh”. Uru means “thigh” and Vashi means “born from”.
2. The second meaning of the name Urvashi is “she who controls the heart”. “Ur” means heart and “Vash” means to control. This meaning is not very accurate. The first meaning is commonly accepted.
3. According to Monier Monier-Williams, it means “widely pervasive”.
Urvashi in the Rig Veda:
There is a separate hymn dedicated to Urvashi and Pururava in the Rig Veda (10.95). In it, she is addressed as his lover and a celestial nymph.
“She who flashed brilliantly as the falling lightning brought me delicious presents from the waters. Now from the flood be born a strong young hero May Uruvasi prolong her life forever.” (Verse 10)
“I, her best love, call Urvasi to meet me, her who fills air and measures out the region. Let the gift brought by piety approach thee. Turn thou to me again: my heart is troubled.” (Verse 17)
Apart from the Rig Veda, Apsara Urvashi is also mentioned in the Shathpath Brahmanas (11.5.1), Matsya Purana, Vishnu Purana, Mahabharata, Harivamsha, and Bhagavata Purana. The poet Kalidasa has written a drama about the love story of Urvashi and Pururava.
The Story of Birth of Urvashi:
Devi Bhagavata Purana Book 4, Chapter 5 and 6:
Nara and Narayana were the sons of Dharma and Moorti. They both were incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Since their childhood, they were attracted to asceticism. Soon they grow out to be great ascetics. The whole universe became hot because of the power of their asceticism.
Seeing this, Indra became anxious and thought that these two might overtake heaven in the future with their powers. Therefore, he decided to break their Tapasya.
After exhausting all the measures, he resorted to Apsaras. He ordered Kamadeva to make the hearts of Nara and Narayana extremely lustful. He asked him to take the Apsaras for assistance. Kamadeva started the spring season when they reached the mountain where the sages were meditating. The Apsaras started singing sweet songs and dancing to lure the sages.
The sages understood that it was an evil deed by Indra to break their penance. Therefore, to show the power of their austerity, they created a very beautiful Apsara just by striking their thighs. She was more beautiful than the Apsaras of Indra. She was named Urvashi because she was produced from the thighs. All other Apsaras were thunderstruck by seeing her beauty. Then the sages created as many Apsaras as Indra had sent there.
They presented all those Apsaras to the nymphs of Indra and asked them to gift them to their king and not to disturb them again in the future.
Stories of Apsara Urvashi:
Urvashi played a very important role in history. When she reached heaven, Indra used her many times to fulfill his tasks.
The Story of Apsara Urvashi and Pururava:
Pururava was a very noble and brave king. He possessed all the qualities that an ideal king would have. His extraordinary beauty and qualities, liberality and good nature, his unbounded wealth and prowess made the Apsara Urvashi think of him often, and she wanted him to satisfy her. After some time when Urvashi had to descend on the Earth due to a curse of a Brahmin, and she chose the king Pururava as her husband.
But before accepting him as her husband, she put forth the following conditions before him:
1. He has to take care of her two sheep assiduously.
2. She would eat only ghee and nothing else for her food.
3. She would never see him naked except during sexual intercourse.
Mesmerized by her beauty, Pururava accepted all her conditions. Soon he fell deeply in love with her and forgot all his duties and remained long for many, many years in enjoying Urvashi.
After many years, Indra started missing Urvashi. So he asked Gandharvas to steal her two sheep when she and her husband were intimate with each other. Viśvāvasu and other Devas went to Pururava’s palace; and when it was dark in the night, and when Pururava was holding sexual intercourse with Urvashi, stole away the two young sheep. When Urvashi heard the cries of her beloved sheep, she reminded Pururava of his promise. In a hurry, Pururava started running after the Gandharvas. At the same time, the Gandharvas produced lightning so that Urvashi could see him naked. Seeing him naked, Urvashi ascended to heaven.
(I think Indra planned to send her to Pururava. He might have feared that Pururava being a very pious king, might overtake heaven. So to divert him from the path of dharma, he might have sent her.)
READ THE STORY IN DETAIL: Urvashi and Pururava
The Birth of Agastya and Vashishtha:
Once gods Mitra and Varuna were doing a yajna where Apsara Urvashi appeared. Seeing her celestial beauty, they both ejaculated. Their combined semen fell in a jar that fell from heaven. From the jar, two infants named Agastya and Vashishtha were born.
Apsara Urvashi Cursed Arjuna to be a Eunuch:
During the exile of Pandavas, Indra invited Arjuna to heaven. Apsara Urvashi was very impressed by his valor and beauty. Therefore, she expressed her sexual desire to him. But Urvashi was the wife of Pururava at one time, who was the ancestor of Arjuna. Therefore, he called her mother and expressed his inability to do so. Urvashi considered it as her insult and cursed him to be a eunuch. When Indra came to know about it, he ordered her to mitigate the curse and limit it to a year only. The curse helped Arjuna to live in the disguise of Brihannada in the Matsya Kingdom in the last year of exile.
The Birth of Rishyasringa:
Vibhandaka was a great sage like his father Kashyapa. One day he was in a holy place, Mahahrada, taking his bath when he saw Urvashi. Seeing her beauty, he could not control his sexual desire and ejaculated in water. His semen was then swallowed by a deer who was a cursed celestial nymph. She gave birth to Rishyasringa, who had horns on his head. Rishyasringa played an important role in the birth of Lord Rama.
Significance of Urvashi:
Apsaras have always played an important role in history. If you read the above stories, you would understand this. Urvashi’s curse helped Arjuna during exile. She also played an important role in the birth of Rishyasring, who helped Dasharatha to father Lord Rama by performing a very important yajna. She was also responsible for the birth of Sage Agastya, who drank the ocean and revealed the demons hidden inside.
Apsara Urvashi Sadhana:
Apsaras are divine beings who possess special powers. Hence, they are worshipped by many Hindus, although their worship is not very common. Being one of the most prominent Apsaras, many people pray to her for worldly benefits.
This sadhana needs proper guidance and cannot be done just by reading information on the Internet. If you want to do it, you need to find a person who is an expert in this field.
Apsara Urvashi Mantra:
ॐ श्रीं उर्वशी आगच्छ आगच्छ स्वाहा |
Om Shreem Urvashi Aagachha Aagachha Swaha |
The benefit of chanting the mantra is to win the heart of people and control them. It helps to gain external beauty, wealth, health, and many of the worldly things that you desire.