Canto 9: Liberation
SB9.14

Canto 9 · Chapter 14 · 49 verses · 1 story

King Purūravā Enchanted by Urvaśī

Soma’s descendants include Purūravā, whose attachment to Urvaśī brings joy and grief.

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Connected storiesMahārāja PriyavrataAmbarīṣa Mahārāja
Who is speakingSūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitEvery voice in this chapter ›

What this chapter speaks about · the ten subjects

Chapter summary

The summary of this Fourteenth Chapter is given as follows. This chapter describes Soma and how he kidnapped the wife of Bṛhaspati and begot in her womb a son named Budha. Budha begot Purūravā, who begot six sons, headed by Āyu, in the womb of Urvaśī.

Lord Brahmā was born from the lotus that sprouted from the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Brahmā had a son named Atri, and Atri’s son was Soma, the king of all drugs and stars. Soma became the conqueror of the entire universe, and, being inflated with pride, he kidnapped Tārā, who was the wife of Bṛhaspati, the spiritual master of the demigods. A great fight ensued between the demigods and the asuras, but Brahmā rescued Bṛhaspati’s wife from the clutches of Soma and returned her to her husband, thus stopping the fighting. In the womb of Tārā, Soma begot a son named Budha, who later begot in the womb of Ilā a son named Aila, or Purūravā. Urvaśī was captivated by Purūravā’s beauty, and therefore she lived with him for some time, but when she left his company he became almost like a madman. While traveling all over the world, he met Urvaśī again at Kurukṣetra, but she agreed to join with him for only one night in a year.

One year later, Purūravā saw Urvaśī at Kurukṣetra and was glad to be with her for one night, but when he thought of her leaving him again, he was overwhelmed by grief. Urvaśī then advised Purūravā to worship the Gandharvas. Being satisfied with Purūravā, the Gandharvas gave him a woman known as Agnisthālī. Purūravā mistook Agnisthālī for Urvaśī, but while he was wandering in the forest his misunderstanding was cleared, and he immediately gave up her company. After returning home and meditating upon Urvaśī all night, he wanted to perform a Vedic ritualistic ceremony to satisfy his desire. Thereafter he went to the same place where he had left Agnisthālī, and there he saw that from the womb of a śamī tree had come an aśvattha tree. Purūravā made two sticks from this tree and thus produced a fire. By such a fire one can satisfy all lusty desires. The fire was considered the son of Purūravā. In Satya-yuga there was only one social division, called haṁsa; there were no divisions of varṇa like brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra. The Veda was the oṁkāra. The various demigods were not worshiped, for only the Supreme Personality of Godhead was the worshipable Deity.

In this chapter

Who · Purūravā, Urvaśī, Indra, the Gandharvas

The story · Urvaśī was captivated by Purūravā’s beauty and lived with him for some time. Missing her presence in heaven, Indra asked the Gandharvas to bring her back. When Urvaśī left Purūravā, he became almost like a madman and traveled throughout the world. He met her again at Kurukṣetra, where she agreed to join him for only one night each year. Their reunion brought him joy, but the thought of another separation filled him with grief.

What it teaches · Purūravā’s experience shows how attachment to a loved companion can bring both delight and intense sorrow at separation.

Beyond this chapter

Connected stories across the Bhāgavatam

Stories told in other chapters that this chapter's verses or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purports bring in, the other Bhāgavatam verses the purports quote, and stories in other cantos with the same themes. Each link shows the sentence it comes from.

What it teaches · Śukadeva Gosvāmī explains that devotional service is transcendental to material influences. A devotee who takes shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet can overcome material distress and conquer the mind and senses.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that in Tretā-yuga, beginning in the Svāyambhuva-manvantara, ritualistic fruitive activities were similarly manifested from Priyavrata, etc.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport · SB 9.14.49 (Text 49)
Read the story in SB 5.1

What it teaches · A devotee finds happiness in serving Kṛṣṇa rather than in wealth or mystic achievements. Ambarīṣa’s humility and compassion extended even to the person who had offended him.

This verse describes that Anasūyā, the wife of Atri Ṛṣi, bore three sons — Soma, Durvāsā and Dattātreya.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport · SB 9.14.3 (Text 3)
Read the story in SB 9.4–5

Same themes in another canto

Both chapters carry these themes strongly in the themes map, an editorial reading of each chapter's story.