Urvashi () is the most prominent apsara (celestial nymph) in Hindu mythology, considered to be the most beautiful of all the apsaras, and an expert dancer. She is mentioned in the Vedas, Itihasa and Puranas. She is often portrayed as a 'swan maiden'. Urvashi is described to be born out of the thigh of sage Narayana and occupies a special place in the court of Indra, the king of the gods and ruler of svarga (heaven). She is famous for her marriage to Pururavas, a mortal king, whom she later abandons. Urvashi is also regarded as the mother of sages Vashishtha and Agastya. Etymology The Sanskrit name "Urvaśī" can have multiple meanings. It is derived from rootsuru and aś. Some believe that the name has a non-Aryan origin. According to the scripture Devi Bhagavata Purana, the apsara is known as Urvashi because she is born from the uru—'thigh'—of the divine-sage Narayana. Indologist Monier Monier-Williams proposes a different etymology in which the name means 'widely pervasive' and he suggests that in its first appearances in Vedic texts Urvashi was a personification of dawn. Textual sources Urvashi is the apsara to be specially named in the Rigveda. A dialogue between her and her husband Pururavas is mentioned in Rigveda Mandala 10. In the dialogue, Pururavas requests Urvashi not to leave him. The legend of Urvashi is retold and expanded in many later Hindu scriptures, including the Shatapatha Brahmana, Brihaddevata, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Harivamsa, Vayu Purana, Vishnu Purana, Matsya Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Devi-Bhagavata Purana, Padma Purana and Skanda Purana. Urvashi has been dramatized and adapted by many poets and authors. Among these, the most popular one is the Vikramorvashiyam by the Sanskrit poet Kalidasa. The drama depicts the love of Urvashi and Pururavas. Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) has also written a poem about Urvashi. Legends Birth Urvashi's birth is narrated in the Devi-Bhagavata Purana. In the legend, the brothers Nara and Narayana are performing penance to please the creator god Brahma, but this makes Indra (the king of the devas) insecure about his throne and he does not want the sage to acquire divine powers. As a result, he creates multiple illusions to break their penance, but all of his tricks fail. Finally, he orders the apsaras of his court, including Rambha, Menaka, and Tilottama, to go to Nara-Narayana and distract them through seduction. Accompanied by the god of love, Kama, and his