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(Urvashi: Wikimedia Commons)
Arjuna arrived to Swarga, upon Indra's request. The land was ethereal with abundance of vibrant wildlife, the air was filled with the sounds of angelic music, and the city just glowed with a golden-like aura. One of the first things Arjuna did was explore the city. He had never been to Swarga, so he was quite excited to find lively areas filled with new people. Arjuna first went to a beautiful garden filled with every kind of flower imaginable. Arjuna began his tour of this exhibit, fascinated with every color and every shape of the flowers. Suddenly, he heard a women giggle in the distance and began to lift his head. And there she was.
Standing there was a beautiful young lady, with youthful eyes. As soon as Arjuna laid eyes on her, her gazed moved and met his. Arjuna felt something pulling him to her, and he began walking toward her. He introduced himself and learned that her name was Urvashi. From there, they exchanged some words and walked through the garden together, exchanging stories while looking at the flowers that guided their walking path.
Arjuna had told Urvashi that this was his first time in Swarga, and he wanted to travel through the entire city. Urvashi offered her expertise of Swarga, and from there, she became his tour guide for the day. They went to all sorts of places: the town square, the capitol, and even her favorite coffee shop. By the end of the day, the pair was tired but fulfilled. Arjuna walked Urvashi home, expressed his enjoyment of her company, and asked to see her again. At first, Urvashi's eyes lit up with happiness, but then she replied that she knew where this interaction was going to lead to. Then, she proceeded to say that they would never work out because he had no knowledge of the culture in Swarga, and that ignorance would become a hindrance in their relationship in the future. Arjuna did not know how to respond to such a profound and forward-thinking comment, but he did know this.
This disparity was not going to stop him, so all Arjuna did was smirk at Urvashi and whispered, "We will see about that."
With these last words, Arjuna ran home, and the very next day, he started his studies in music, dance, song because, boy, did he have a lot of work to do.
Author's Note
In the story about Arjuna and Indra, a short story regarding Urvashi was included, but there was not much background or detail. I decided to dedicate a whole story to Arjuna and Urvashi and decided to change the dynamic of their relationship. In the original story, I believe Arjuna is the one that rejects Urvashi, so she set a curse on him to live among women as a dancer and musician, and that is how he became skilled in song, dance, and celestial weapons. However, in my story, I wanted Arjuna to be the one yearning for Swarga and have him learn all those things in hopes of gaining Urvashi's interest in him.
Bibliography
Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie
Nice work Elena! You definitely gave the story a good twist. Your descriptive language was very intriguing. It is funny that in that place and as a celestial being she has a favorite coffee shop. It was interesting that she knew where the interaction was leading but she did not even give him the chance to prove himself. I liked that he took it upon himself this challenge to learn as much as he can so he can be with her.
ReplyDeleteHi Elena,
ReplyDeleteI love your creative take on this story. I like that you chose to write this story since in the readings there wasn't much information on this story. I like that you made Urvashi the strong woman who denied Arjuna and it was he who longed for her not the other way around which was a 360 take from the original. Go Girl Power! I also sense a bit of your personality in this story base don the writing and reading your introduction prior. Overall great story! It was really fun to read!
Hi Elena! I enjoyed reading your story. One specific thing I liked was your well-articulated descriptions, it really helped to visualize the story. I also liked your twist (a common theme among the other comments lol). Maybe it is just me, but I feel like a lot of media (modern even) kind of shame women for having unrequited feelings, specifically to men. It is annoying because on one hand, women are supposed to be attractive and pine after men. But, if a guy is not interested, she is a "psycho". This story kind of plays into that with the curse. However, if it were a man to be into a woman not interested, she is rude. I know this idea might be a reach and not a topic you intended to cover, but I liked it because I think there is already so much crap women have to put up with and are not cherished.
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