• DOI:10.1007/978-3-030-73165-6_12
• Corpus ID: 236730753

Urvashi: Celestial Women and Earthly Heroes

@article{Vemsani2021UrvashiCW,
  title={Urvashi: Celestial Women and Earthly Heroes},
  author={Lavanya Vemsani},
  journal={Feminine Journeys of the Mahabharata},
  year={2021}
}

• Lavanya Vemsani
• Published 2021
• Art
• Feminine Journeys of the Mahabharata

As a woman who undertakes multiple journeys between the world of Gods and humans, Urvashi’s story preserves important information on a woman’s life in ancient India. Her story from the Rigveda, Mahabharata, and Kalidasa’s Vikramorvashiyam are examined. Urvashi is an apsara, a divine nymph, frequently portrayed with intermittent short liaisons with mortals on the Earth. One of her relationships leaves an indelible imprint on the story of the Mahabharata. Her relationships and actions depict the life of women not involved in any longstanding personal relations. Her story is important to understand not only the contradictory aspects of domesticity and the independent life of women but also the nascent nature of evolving women’s social roles in classical India.