Text 21
etāv uraṇakau rājan
nyāsau rakṣasva mānada
saṁraṁsye bhavatā sākaṁ
ślāghyaḥ strīṇāṁ varaḥ smṛtaḥ
etau — to these two; uraṇakau — lambs; rājan — O King Purūravā; nyāsau — who have fallen down; rakṣasva — please give protection; māna-da — O one who gives all honor to a guest or visitor; saṁraṁsye — I shall enjoy sexual union; bhavatā sākam — in your company; ślāghyaḥ — superior; strīṇām — of a woman; varaḥ — husband; smṛtaḥ — it is said.
My dear King Purūravā, please give protection to these two lambs, who have fallen down with me. Although I belong to the heavenly planets and you belong to earth, I shall certainly enjoy sexual union with you. I have no objection to accepting you as my husband, for you are superior in every respect.
As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.40), yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam. There are various planets and various atmospheres within this universe. The atmosphere of the heavenly planet from which Urvaśī descended after being cursed by Mitra and Varuṇa was different from the atmosphere of this earth. Indeed, the inhabitants of the heavenly planets are certainly far superior to the inhabitants of earth. Nonetheless, Urvaśī agreed to remain the consort of Purūravā, although she belonged to a superior community. A woman who finds a man with superior qualities may accept such a man as her husband. Similarly, if a man finds a woman who is from an inferior family but who has good qualities, he can accept such a brilliant wife, as advised by Śrī Cāṇakya Paṇḍita (strī-ratnaṁ duṣkulād api). The combination of male and female is worthwhile if the qualities of both are on an equal level.