Hearing the anguished cries of his queen, the king hesitated, troubled by the thought, “If I go now, the queen will see me without garments.” Out of modesty, he did not approach her. Meanwhile, the Gandharvas, who had come to take away a sacred drum, seized another and departed. As they carried off this second drum, the queen, hearing its sound, cried out once more in distress, “I am helpless, without a husband, seeking shelter among the unmanly!” Her lament grew even more desperate and piercing. Overcome by anger at her words, the king thought, “This is darkness!” Seizing his sword, he rushed forward, shouting, “Wicked! Wicked! You are slain!” intent on confronting the Gandharvas. At that very moment, the Gandharvas shone forth with dazzling brilliance, like lightning itself. Bathed in their radiance, Urvashi saw the king standing there, bereft of his garments. Realizing that the time destined for their union had now passed, she vanished from sight in an instant. The Gandharvas abandoned both drums and returned to the celestial realms of the gods. The king, gathering up the two lambs, returned to his bed, his heart filled with joy—yet Urvashi was nowhere to be seen. Bereft, he wandered in a state of madness, having seen her, too, without garments. His search led him to Kurukshetra, to a lake adorned with lotuses, where he at last beheld Urvashi in the company of four other Apsaras. In his delirium, he called out to her in many verses: “O wife, stay! Stay in your fierce mind! Stay in your deceitful speech! Stay!” Confused and bewildered, his actions lacking discernment, the great king pleaded for her presence. Urvashi then spoke to him gently: “At the end of the year, you must come to me in the inner chamber; your son will be born. And I will spend one night with you.” Comforted by her words, the king joyfully returned to his city. Meanwhile, Urvashi spoke among the Apsaras: “This is the distinguished man with whom, drawn by affection, I have lived for so long.” The Apsaras replied, “May this form of virtue and fearlessness always remain with us as well, together with him, at all times.” When the year had passed, the king returned as promised. Urvashi bestowed upon him a son and the gift of long life. That night, she stayed with the king, and through their union, she conceived five sons. Out of affection for the king, Urvashi said, “All the Gandharvas have become grantors of boons to you, O great king. Let a boon be chosen.” The king replied, “Having conquered all enemies, with unobstructed senses and power, blessed with relatives, immeasurable strength and wealth, I desire nothing else but to spend time with Urvashi in her world.” Hearing this, the Gandharvas presented the king with a sacred fire vessel. They instructed him, “Following the injunctions of the scriptures, perform a proper sacrifice with this fire vessel, dividing it into three, with the desire for union with Urvashi in her world. Then you will surely obtain what you desire.” Taking the fire vessel, the king departed. Yet, as he journeyed through the forest, he was suddenly struck by regret. “Alas, how foolish I have been! What have I done? I have brought this fire vessel, not Urvashi.” In his sorrow, he left the fire vessel there in the forest and returned to his city. Restless and sleepless past midnight, the king reflected: “The Gandharvas gave me the fire vessel for the sake of attaining Urvashi’s world, but I abandoned it in the forest.” Resolving to retrieve it, he returned to the spot, but the fire vessel was gone. Instead, he found a Sami tree and a fig tree, and pondered, “Here I placed the fire vessel, but now the fig tree has become the embryo of the Sami tree.” He decided, “I will take this very form of fire, bring it to my city, make it into an arani (fire-stick), and worship the fire thus produced.” Returning to his city, he fashioned the arani. Measuring it with his fingers, he recited the Gayatri hymn; as he counted the syllables, his fingers themselves became as the forest. There, generating fire by friction, and following the prescribed tradition of the three sacred fires, he offered oblations, setting his heart on the reward of beholding Urvashi again. Through these many sacrifices, the king attained the worlds of the Gandharvas, and, reunited with Urvashi, was freed from all separation. Thus, in the beginning, there was one fire; but in this Manvantara, it was established in three forms. The king and Urvashi had sons named Dhiman, Avasu, Vishvavasu, Shatayu, and Shrutayu (or Ayutayu), continuing the noble lineage.