Apsaras?

[Tirisilex 0]

I've been reading and came across a story about an Apsaras. This made me do a bit of searching online to get more info as to what they are. There was one site in particular that stated that Apsaras are very beautiful and have lured men to their death. I was wondering if somone could direct me to stories of such occurances. Are Apsaras malicious in intent and deliberatly lead men to their deaths or are these accidents?

[maadhav 0]

The beautiful girls who sing and dance in the court of Indra dev are apasras. They do not live with us on this earth, and the vedic people respect them for they are the entertainers of the devas. Sometimes some come to this earth for a small mission, like testing a brahmachari (how strong and committed he is). To the Vedic people they are like mothers.

 

 

[Guest guest]

I've heard that the Gandharvas, while celestial beings in Vedic texts, are actually people from Kandahar, Afghanistan.

 

 

[jayan008 0]

The Gandharvas are spirits of the air, forests, and mountains; they are the mates of the Apsaras. They are all male, and had differing descriptions. Sometimes they were seen as shaggy, damp, and dirty creatures who were part man and part animal; other times they are men with birds' legs and wings; the could be centaur-like, half man and half horse; or they sometimes are seen as fair men who had effeminate features. They were known for their musical skills, their power to cast illusions, and their skill with horses. They sometimes are the attendants of the devas, and would often combat human heroes. If the hero was victorious, the Gandharva would help the hero on his quest, but if the hero lost, he would be carried away, never to be heard from again.

 

Gandharvas being from a specific place - Kandahar, Afghanistan, is not known though. Kandahar (or Gandhaar as earlier known), now in Afghanisatan, was initially a small kingdom during the Mahabharata era, ruled by Shakuni (better known as Gandhaar-Naresh [King]) whose sister (Gaandhari) married Dhridharashtra (father of the kauravas).

 

[maadhav 0]

no.

 

that confusion has arisen from teh similarity of words gandharva and gaandhaar.

 

like apsaras, gandharva do not live here, but they do visit occasionally. duryodhan was caught prisonr by a gandharva.

 

the vedic singers and artists within us usually identify themselves as gandharvas, but no hindu woman would identify herself as an apsaraa.

 

[Guest guest]

Apsaras are Nymphs. There are beautiful and talented in dancing, lureing, intimidating. They live in Indra-loka to entertain Indra. But sometimes when there are rishis who are meditaing or praying for long time to acheive some greatness, Indra gets jelous and send his Apsaras to disturb or divert the attention of the Rishis, from their meditation.

 

One time Arjuna was there in Indra-loka to obtain a powerful Astra for the Kurukshetra war, and one of the Apsaras fell in love with him immidiately since arjuna is Indra's son so he as as handsome as his father. The Apsara tried seduce Arjuna, but he showed no interest. She asked why, But for Arjuna she is like a mother since the Apsaras are Indras. But the Apsara was dissappointed how Arjuna refused her, so she cursed him to be an Enuch for rest of his life. But Indra interviened and shortened the curse for an year.

 

So the Apsaras do cause a lot of havoc and misdemanors.