Urvashi, a celestial nymph (apsara), was attracted to Arjuna when he was in Indraloka (heaven) during his exile. When Arjuna rejected her advances, citing that she was like a mother figure to him (as she had been married to his ancestor Pururava), she cursed him to become a eunuch for a year. This curse later became useful during the Pandavas' final year of incognito exile, as Arjuna lived as a eunuch dance teacher.