Thursday . June 11, 2009 .
Mid Day, Bangalore
FREE SPiRIT
Take it easy, Urvasi!
Stories that we find in mythology may guide us towards the light
BALAJI NARASIMHAN
balaji.narasimhan@
mid-day.com
any of my friends ask
M me if I believe in the
stories that feature in
the Ramayana and the
Mahabharata. Do they have
any link with life as we lead it
IF MY LOVE SHOULD LEAVE ME: This painted by Raja Ravi Varma shows
Urvasi leaving Pururavas because he broke the conditions that bound
them together PIC/WIKIPEDIA
today?
Before I answer this ques-
tion, let me ask you
another—what is the link
between SR Ramakrishna, the
resident editor of MiD DAY
Bangalore and Ayus?
Who is Ayus, you ask? Well,
Ayus is the founder of the city
of Matura, a city that is today
MEENA 4 MESHA 5 VRISHABH 6 MITHUNA 7
Chandra
KUMBHA 3 KATAKA 8
SR Ramakrishna
Rahu
Guru 16 November 1962 Kuja
famous as the birth place of ing girls during IPL matches
Lord Krishna. are new, well Indra has had 09:00 AM
them all along—the dancing MAKARA 2 SIMHA 9
Who was Ayus? girls, not the IPL). So, they Bangalore
Ayus was actually the son hatched a low plot to get Ketu
Pururavas and the celestial Urvasi back (and you thought
nymph Urvasi. Pururavas was that only our politicians can
smitten by Urvasi and asked stoop so low?)
Sani
DHANUS 1
12n59, 77e35
VRISCHIK 12 THULA 11 KANYA 10
her to marry him. Since Urvasi So, one fine night, after Sukra
is immortal and Pururavas Pururavas and Urvasi were
was a mortal, she came up lying in bed after an intense Buddha
with three conditions that bout of lovemaking, some of Lagna Surya
bound them together (was the devas came and stole the
this the world’s first pre-nup- rams. Pururavas would have Pururavas, knowing that writes Ayyo Rama.
tial contract? Who knows!) followed and fought manfully, Urvasi would never come
Even if one of these conditions but since he was naked, he back, said to her, ‘Give me my Seriously funny
was broken, Urvasi would couldn’t rise to the occasion Ayus’. Now, you may want to ask
leave Pururavas. (pun unintended). This irked Here, note the double me—why didn’t Ram become
The conditions were: Urvasi, who hurled nasty pun—ayus means life, and it is a pure comedy writer? Why
• Urvasi would only consume words at him (yes, wives used also the name of their son. did he become an editor, who
ghee that was offered to the to harangue husbands even in Pururavas made this pun has to also write a lot of serious
sacrificial fire (don’t ask me those days) and so he chased because he hails from the stuff? One reason could be
how she stayed slim on a the devas in the nude. Chandra Vamsam and his because, in his chart, Budha is
diet like that) ancestors include Budha in Anuradha, a star owned by
• Pururavas was to guard Contract revoked (Mercury, who rules intelli- Sani. Sani is an extremely seri-
Urvasi’s two rams, which The devas pretended to be gence and more importantly, ous graha and is associated
she claimed were like chil- scared and left the rams and in this context, humour). with stuff like discipline,
dren to her (why should a ran away. When Pururavas Ok, so I have taken a long patience, persistence, respon-
king stoop to guarding picked them up and time to tell you people that sibility, and seriousness,
rams? Hey Ram!) approached Urvasi, the wily Budha is associated with among others—stuff that edi-
• Except while making love, devas set fire to a stack of hay humour and double enten- tors need to possess (especially
Urvasi should never see nearby—and this meant that dres. And this is the link the patience part when they
Pururavas naked (And you Urvasi saw Pururavas in the between our resident editor, are dealing with writers like
though that ancient nude while they were not who writes ‘Ayyo Rama’ every me who take three months to
mythology was only about making love. And so she left day, and Ayus—humour. write stories like this one).
pious stories?) him. So, now, let’s look at his So, now you know why
Of course, this went on fine Pururavas however caught chart. Why did Ram have a Ram is an editor and a person
for a while, but the devas of up with her later and after dis- career in writing? It is because who writes humorous stuff.
heaven wanted Urvasi back (it cussing their lives Sani the lord of the 3rd house, Now, there is only one
has been reliably learnt that together—with a strong focus which rules written communi- thing to address, the question
Indra feels rather sad when the on their amorous pursuits, cations, aspects Budha, the I asked in the beginning—and
gang of four—Urvasi, Menka, which would have left lord of the 10th house of if you still want to ask me the
Rambha and Tillottama—are Casanova feeling like a nice, careers. And since Budha is question, then you probably
missing. If you think that danc- innocent school kid— responsible for humour, Ram need to read this article again!