Urvashi
Urvashi is an excerpt from Kalidas' play Vikramorvashiyam.
The performance begins with portraying the dancing and merry-making of the celestial dancer Urvashi and her friends. The Demon Keshi abducts Urvashi and her friend Chitralekha. The other damsels cry out for help. King Pururavas hears this call for help while he is travelling by chariot. King Pururavas rescues Urvashi and her friend from the Demon.
After returning to her senses, Urvashi asks- ” Oh! Friend, tell me who rescued us. Was it Indra?” Her friend replies- “It was not Indra but a human king who is equally powerful as Indra.” The moment Urvashi sees King Pururavas, she falls in love with the majestic form standing before her, and the King cannot take his eyes off the maiden Urvashi.
Pururavas is so impressed with the beauty of Urvashi that he wonders who created this maiden. He is sure it cannot be Lord Brahma as; he is so free of emotions that Brahma cannot create such beauty. He wonders if the moon or the lord of love- the Madana or the season Spring- created this maiden. Their passion increases as they travel by chariot. While so charmed with the King, Urvashi is reminded by Chitralekha about her celestial duties, such as performing in Indra’s court. And she, with her friends, leave for Heaven.
During a performance in Heaven, by a slip of the tongue, Urvashi pronounces “Pururavas” instead of “Purushottama”, and an enraged Saint Bharata curses her to lead a mortal life on Earth with Pururavas after losing her celestial status as the damsel. The choreography continues with Urvashi coming to Earth to live with King Pururavas. After the passing of a few happy years of Urvashi and King Pururavas, one day, while King Pururavas and Urvashi are sporting in the Gandhamadana Mountain, King Pururavas sees another Damsel and takes his time to enjoy her beauty which annoys Urvashi. She refuses to listen to his explanations and walks away into the Kumaravana, which is forbidden for women. Urvashi enters the Kumaravana and turns into a creeper.