Pramadvara

DR MASTI VENKATESA IYENGAR

Ruru, a grandson of the great Bhrigu–
This Bhrigu was reputed as a son
Born of the mind of Brahma–spent long Years
In strict observance of the stringent vows
Of youthful chastity. While in this stage
One day he wandered on the wooded bank
Of Oorjaswati’s lucent stream which ran
In the vicinity of the hermitage
Of Sthoolakesa chief of ascetics,
And saw Pramadvara the sage’s daughter
A maid whose beauty all who saw her praised.

A foster-child of Sthoolakesa she.
The great Visvavasu, Gandharva chief,
Some sixteen years before this, here had met
Celestial dancer Menaka and craved
Her company. She granted it to him
And bore this child. All offspring of the love
Of such celestials taking life are left
To be the foster-children of our earth.

Born in the wood on Oorjaswati’s bank
The child was left beneath a shrub beside
The stream and lay as though it were a flower
Dropped from the bush. The hermit carne that way
For bathing in the river, and saw the child,
and simply out of pity took it up
And had it carried to the hermitage,
And brought it up. Born of the Union
Of beauty and desire, the child had grown
As if a sapling of desire and beauty
Had journeyed from the garden of the Gods
men know as Nandana, and come to earth
To have its rearing here. For sixteen years
The child had grown as Sthoolkesa’s own,
Taking him for her father. Beautiful
Exceedingly and graceful; and her mind
Worthy of both that beauty and that grace.

When Ruru saw the maid she was engaged
In play with her companions in the grounds
Of Sthoolakesa’s hermitage, beneath
A Bakul tree. No sooner did he see
The beauty than he lost his heart to her.

Forthwith he came and enquired of her friends
Who and what she was, and spoke to her
And told her who he was, and begged of her
That she become his wife. Young Ruru was
A handsome youth and wondrous bright-looking.

The maiden fell in love with him and said
Most modestly that he should come and ask
Her father for her hand. Ruru returned
To his own hermitage and told his father
Of his desire to wed Pramadvara.

The father started on that very day
For Sthoolakesa’s hermitage and saw
That sage and settled that their children should
Be married on a very near day
That was deemed auspicious.

What need to say
How happy Ruru and Pramadvara
Were made by this? Even before the day
Fixed for the wedding, Ruru visited Sthoolakesa’s hermitage as if
To settle some details but really
To meet Pramadvara and see the form
He loved so much from far and near; and spoke
and jested with her; made her laugh and laughed
Himself, and drank as with his eyes and ears
The beauty of her face, her graceful walk,
and mellifluous speech. Experiencing
at heart the manner of the happiness
That was approaching him, he moved with her
Without transgressing virtue, in such way
That she could also feel her side of it;
and so he touched her heart even before
He touched her person after wedding her.

This child of Gandharva and Apsara
Compounded in a strange way all the good
Of the Gandharva and Apsara clans
In her own proper person and displayed 

In speech and ways and indescribable charm

and fascinating grace. The way she laughed.
Or talked or stood was every time her own.

Having thus won the heart of her he loved,
The young Ruru looked forward eagerly
To the auspicious day on which he would marry
and call her wife.

The day approached.
The bridegroom’s party had arrived in straight
In Sthoolakesa’s hermitage. The next day
The marriage should take place. That previous day
While walking by a flower-shrub the bride
was bitten by a serpent; and before
Her father and her people understood
The tragedy she fell into a swoon and died.

The crowd of friends and relatives,
all gathered for her marriage, shocked and stunned, or
Cried, “What a thing to happen”, “What a thing
Has happened,” “Did a thing like this ever happen;”
and said, “What choice have men but to accept
Whatever fate ordains;” and spoke some words
Of comfort to the dead girl’s foster-father;
And went their several ways. That foster father
Sat in a place apart and wondered why
The will of God had decreed this for him.

He answered friends who came to comfort him,
With some few words expressing gratitude
And conducted himself as should a man
So wise. Ruru, unable to believe
That his loved one was dead, and when he saw
That she was dead unwilling to accept
The fact of death, made violent outcry,
His hair all dishevelled, beside the corpse.

The elders of the groups of ascetics,
Kushika, Svethakethu, Gautama,
Bharadwaja, Kara, Uddalaka,
Kouna-kuthsa, Arshinisena and
Swasthyathraya and Shankhamedha, came
And tried to comfort him. All that they said
Failed of the purpose as one pot of water
To quell a raging fire. The youth walked out
From them and stood alone. His father came
To where he stood and spoke to him, “My child,
Why do you come away and stand alone
And grieve? Come, sit in company and learn
To bear your sorrow.” Ruru made reply:
“I came to marry my Pramadvara
And married grief instead. I have retired
To this secluded spot to spend sometime
With my new wedded wife. You elders all,
I pray you, stand away and leave us two
Together.” With this bitterness he moved
Still farther off. The father, Pramatha,
An understanding man, knew that this grief
Would not subside before it raged some more
And left him to himself and come away.

Young Ruru shouted more and cried some more
And addressed God: “If this is true that I,
Since childhood without any intermission,
Have served my elders well; and it is true
That by observing vows and sacrifice
And gift performed with unswerving faith
I have in truth acquired spiritual power:
Let this my loved one who is dead return
From death, and let her, as if not bitten
By serpent, and as if waking from sleep.
Open her eyes and come to live with me
As she that day agreed to do. This is
A challenge.”

Ruru was no doubt quite young
But equally a powerful ascetic.
The power of his spirit was not less
Than that which Bhrigu his grandfather could
claim to be his. When such a man threw out
A challenge making all his high penance
A gauge, the Gods were bound to think of him.

Indra, their Lord, summoned messenger
And ordered him to go to young Ruru
And comfort him. This messenger arrived
On earth and sat with young Ruru and spoke
These words to him: “Ruru, great ascetic,
The high Gods are fully aware of what
Intolerable grief this is which has
O’ercome you in this death of her you loved.

If there had been some way by which they could
Reverse this fate, your challenge and your gauge
Were sure to make them grant you what you wish.

But there is no such way. What can they do?
Each has a length of life meted to him
Or her. Pramadvara has lived the life
That had been meted out to her. She must
perforce end when she did. There is nothing
That anyone can do when this is so.
You must give up the thought of making her
Return to life. The Gods earnestly beg
This from you as a favour.”

Ruru said:
“I will not speak with you. Let Indra come
And tell me that there is no power can grant
The thing I wish.” The messenger went .

And Indra himself came and stood in front
Of Ruru. “O! greatest of ascetics,”
He said, “Ruru, should men like you do that
Which you are doing now? You do not live
Your lives for pleasure. There is grief in life
To teach the spirit how to feel pity.

You know this truth. Now grief has come to you.
Feel pain and bear the pain. And bearing pain
Strengthen the heart. For this and this alone
Is worthy of ascetic life. Pray you,
Arise and end this grieving. What? Think you
The beauty of Pramadvara so great?
You will in due course, if you wish, enjoy
The Company of Apsaras whose beauty
Is full one hundred times as great, and quench
The lust for beauty that Your soul may have.

Your mother was an Apsara, you know.
Your father Pramatha lived for sometime
With Apsara Ghritachi. She it was
That gave you birth. Your father then resumed
His austerities. Rise, do as he did.
Listen to me.”
Immediately he saw
The Lord of Gods, Ruru had started up
And stood with folded hands and given ear
To all that Indra said. When Indira stopped,
Ruru, with great respect, thus made reply:
“That I was born of an Apsara
I have been told. My mother left this world
Immediately on giving birth to me
And left for hers. What mother’s love may be
I have not known. It is my earnest wish
My children should be brought up by their mother,
and that is why I wished to have for wife Pramadvara.”
“Ruru, if you would have
a human mother for your children, seek
another woman. We can bring you one
who looks as though she were this very one.”
“You can perhaps. But that is not my wish.”
“Well then, an Apsara will come to you
In this same shape and live with you and bear
Your children. Have a happy life with her.
She will not leave you having given birth
To children. She will stay with you. Agree.”
“Great King of Gods, I cannot tell you why,
But this also my heart refuses. I
Did not alone desire Pramadvara.
Pramadvara desired me e’en as I
Desired her. It is not enough if I
Have my desire. She must have hers as well.
I pray you consider how this may be.”

“Ruru, the lady in the love she felt
For you attained the result that herself
Required from feeling love and closed her eyes.
There is no result for acquiring which
She must live as your wife. You must know this.”

The young man still persisted: “King of Gods,
I myself do not know what makes me ask
For this particular wife. If this same self
Came in another body as my wife
I would not know her so. What I desire
Is this self in this body.” “What is this
strange taste from which you suffer? What is it
Of grace and beauty that Tilottama
Or Oorvasi or Rambha have not got
And this young woman has that impels you
To ask for her alone? Suppose she stood
With four others whose features are the same
Think you that you can spot her out?” “I think
I can.”

“Well then. If you agree to give
a half of what of life remains to you
To this your love, I shall arrange that she
Shall stand before you in the company
Of nymphs of heaven looking just like her.
If you do spot her, she will take the half
Of life that you do give her and return
And live with you. Are you willing to give
A half out of your life?” “Indeed, I am.”

With this the young man, in a joy that knew
no bounds, saluted Indra.
One moment:

And there before them stood five figures. all

Alike Ruru’s Pramadvara. Indra
Addressed them: “This great ascetic, Ruru,
Has said that he will spot the one of you
Who is his own Pramadvara; and I
Have agreed, if he does so, to return
His love to him. The one of you who is
In fact Pramadvara should not help him
In any way to spot you: by a look
Or sign or other means. I f she does so
Our co-pact is annulled. Pramadvara
Should bear herself with care remembering
This Warning.” Then he bade Ruru to spot
The true Pramadvara. The young man looked
At the five figures which stood in front of him.

 

Most perfect copies of a single form,

Five copies of Pramadvara. Of them

Four were celestial nymphs who only wore

The form of Pramadvara; one his love.

Yes, one. Which was that one? Ruru noticed
That when God Indra spoke his words of warning
The eyes of one of them grew just a little,
A very little, wider than before
And in their look the shadow of the thought
That what he thus prescribed as conditions
Was heartless cruelty took shape and sank.

Upon this figure Ruru fixed his eyes
To see if it was his Pramadvara.

It was, it seemed. Ruru then fixed his eyes
Upon the figure to the right of her
And thought that it too was his own true love.

He then appealed to Indra, King of Gods:
“Five masks exactly like to each other
Are standing in my presence asking me,
‘Which one of us is yours?’ O Great One,
The thing I loved was not a mere shape.
It had a breath in it, a mind, a soul.
I loved that form with those things in it.

I do admit that if my love should make
Some sign by which I recognise her, that
Would not be truly recognition: but
I must have permission to speak and act
Before these figures in a way that will
Evoke in them some feeling. She in whom
The feeling proper in my love would appear
Would be my lady. Give me permission
To do this.”
Indra said, “That is quite fair.
She should however make no overt sign
To show that it is she.” Ruru gave thanks
And spoke to all the five figures in front.

“My love, Pramadvara, it is to you
That I address these words. Whatever I do,
I pray you, keep just looking on without
Movement of any sort, and satisfy
The conditions the Great God has prescribed,
So you shall come to me again and we
Shall live together happily. Pray you,
Forget not this.” While saying this he watched
The eyes of all the figures. One of them
Seemed by its look to give assent. Now too
It was the fourth among the five figures.

The lover noticed it. A moment later
He cried: “O look, the parrot has come out.
Who has opened the cage?” The five figures
Stood motionless but in so standing, one
Had obviously to make a great effort.

The head would turn to see the bird she loved,
But she restrains herself. Ruru could see
The effort and restraint. A moment more
And Ruru imitating the pet ape
Of Sthoolakesa’s hermitage held out
His hand and made the funny sounds with which
The creature begged the inmates for a share
Of what they might be eating. The figures
Are all quite still but in the eyes of one
A look of laughing rose and sank again.

Again, a moment later, Ruru stretched
His arm and pointing at the ground in front
Cried, ‘Serpent!’ Four among the five figures
Were quite unmoved; one only looked startled.
Restrained itself from starting and kept up
The eyes from looking at the ground, but showed
In look quite helplessly the fear it felt
and then suppressed. Ruru knew this was
His Love. Desiring to be doubly sure
He said to Indra “Great King of the Gods,
The conditions laid down by you are hard;
and I have not the skill to know my love
For certain and declare ‘this one is she’,
Great is my misfortune. If I can show
My loved one she will come to me, and yet
I cannot show her. O my love, my all,
The skill and privilege of saving you
Have been denied to me; and thus, alas,
I now have lost you finally.” With this
He wailed in sorrow and while wailing watched
The figures. It was clear that four of them
Commiserated him. But one did more.

Its heart was wailing even as his voice:
The face in pain, the eyes hard put to it
To keep the tears : tears which seemed
To gather in the eyes and wet their marge:
And on the face and cheeks and neck a sign
Of perspiration from the strain to cheek
all show of feeling. Ruru felt quite sure
and said to Indra: “I believe that this
The fourth among them is Pramadvara.
I shall be glad if my surmise is right.”

The other figures vanished. This remained.

And Indra said to Ruru: “My young friend,
Take this your loved one by the land. She is
Alive and yours. In unselfishness,
Based on selfishness, you have shared with her
One half of your life’s hours. Wives are called
The halves of husband’s bodies, this your wife
Is more: she is a half of all your life:
A half of soul and spirit. Go you now
And live the time that you have left to you
In happiness.” After these words he passed
From Ruru’s vision. Holding his love by hand
The young sage brought her to her father’s home
And made obeisance with her to his father
And hers. Who can describe the joy of these
Or the wonder of the entire hermitage?

That day spent thus, Ruru wedded his love
The next day as it had been fixed before,
and got the blessings of the Company
For happy life thereafter. Happy end.

To story of true love. A few words more.
One result of the fact that Ruru gave
His beloved a half of his own life
Was that throughout the time that the two lived
They felt like one life living in two bodies.
Each equal with the other, each prepared
To wait upon the other and to yield
At need, and each loving the other ever.

Another result, that when they had done
The days they had to stay on earth, they closed
Their eyes together. On that closing day,
Sensing within his self the approaching end,
Ruru, after a bath, took by her hand
Pramadvara who too had bathed, and went
Into the place of worship in their home
And conducted the service and sat down,
With her he side him, with her hand in his,
His eyes looking at hers full steadily.

The body with the body through the hand,
The spirit with the spirit through the eyes,
Made one, they sat and spent the time in joy
Of love and perfect peace As they thus sat
Death took their lives in one same single instant
As might one puff of wind come through a window
A pair of shining altar lights. Thus they
Journeyed to heaven. Saunaka who heard
The story of the Mahabharata
From Suta was the grandson of this pair
By Saunaka their son. In Naimisha,
The hermits’ wood, Suta the narrator
Retailed this tale to Saunaka himself
And those who sat with him when he began
The Bharata narration. So the tale
Is made immortal in the great epic.