An Apsara is a celestial and/or a water nymph who serves gods by entertaining them with her dance and sometimes using her charm and beauty to break the penance of ascetics who might have an intention to conquer heaven. Apsaras are so beautiful and voluptuous that even staunch ascetics, as well as gods, fall for them. They are extremely good at dance and singing. They are often mentioned as the lovers or wives of Gandharvas and live in heaven and possess many divine powers. Urvashi, Menaka, Rambha, Tilottama, and Ghritichi are the most famous of them.

The Meaning of the Word Apsara:

The word is derived from the original word Apsaras (ap+saras). “Apa” means water, and “saras” means pond, lake, or one full of love and desire. Therefore, the word Apsara literally means “the one from water and full of desire and love.” According to Yaska’s Nirukta, it means “moving in the waters”.

In general, the word means a celestial nymph or an exceedingly beautiful woman.

Apsaras in the Vedas:

In the Rig Veda:

The first mention of Apsaras is found in the Rig Veda, which is the world’s oldest book. Although it mentions only one Apsara (Urvashi), it also seems to allow the existence of more than one. There is an entire hymn dedicated to her and her husband, Pururava.

They appear a total of five times in the Rig Veda.

1. The Apsaras, the Lady, sweetly smiling, supports her Lover (Gandharva) in sublimest heaven – (RV 10.123.5).

2. Apsarases who dwell in waters of the sea, sitting within, have flowed to Soma wise of heart. They urge the master of the house upon his way, and to the Eternal, Pavamana prays for bliss – (RV 9.78.3).

3. Treading the path of sylvan beasts, Gandharvas, and Apsarases. He (a sage) with long locks, who knows the wish, is a sweet most delightful friend – (RV 10. 136.6).

4. Shall we do now what we never did aforetime? We who spake righteously now talk impurely? Gandharva in the floods, the Dame of Waters-such is our bond, such our most lofty kinship – (RV 10.103.4).

5. Story of Urvashi and Pururava – Rig Veda (10.95).

In the Atharva Veda:

In the Atharva Veda, they are mentioned as the wives of Gandharvas. There is also a charm mentioned to drive away Apsaras and Gandharvas.

1. I came, I met these faultless, blameless beings: among the Apsarases was the Gandharva. Their home is in the sea—so men have told me,—whence they come quickly hitherward and vanish – (AV 2.2.3).

2. Haunters of darkness, shrill in voice, dice-lovers, maddeners of the mind. To these have I paid homage, the Gandharva’s wives, Apsarases – (AV 2.2.5).

3. Let the Apsarases, puffed away, go to the river, to the ford, – Guggulū, Pīlā, Naladi, Aukshagandhi, Pramandini. Ye have become attentive since the Apsarases have past away – (AV 4.37.3).

In the Shathpath Brahmana:

He (Pururava) walked along its bank; and there nymphs were swimming about in the shape of swans – (Kanda XI, Adhyaya 5, Brahmana 1).

Types of Apsaras:

There are two types of Apsaras, viz. Laukika (worldly) of whom 34 are specified and Alaukika (divine) of whom 10 are specified.

Birth or Origin of Apsaras:

The origin of Apsaras can be found in the Vedas as mentioned above. Initially, they were mostly associated with water, but in the Puranas, they are mentioned as mainly celestial nymphs. It could be because Urvashi left Pururava and ascended to heaven. There are different stories in the different Puranas about their births.

1. Most of the Puranas indicate that they were born during the Samudra Manthan (the churning of the sea). They selected Gandharvas as their consorts.

2. The sages Nara and Narayana created Apsara Urvashi from their thighs when Indra tried to break their penance.

3. Lord Vishwakarma created Apsara Tilotamma at Lord Brahma’s request to get rid of the two Asuras named Sunda and Upasunda.

4. According to Natya Shastra, they were created by Lord Brahma from his mind, and he gave them over to Bharata in performance – (NS. 1, 46-47).

5. Thirteen of the Apsaras were born to Kashyapa Muni and his wife Arishta.

6. The Vayu Purana also credits Lord Brahma for their creation. The ones born from yajna are called Subha. The ones born from water and nectar are known as Amrita. Those born from the wind are called Suddha, the lightning-born Richa, and the death-born Bhairava – (VP 69.56).

7. Vayu Purana mentions a metaphorical verse in which one Apsara, called Vedavati, is born from the altar of Brahma’s mental sphere bearing a great bright halo (VP. 69.60).

Stories of Apsaras:

There are hundreds of stories about them, but it is not possible to cover all of them in an article. So I am mentioning only important stories here.

1. Urvashi and Pururava:

Pururava was a very noble and brave king. He possessed all the qualities that an ideal king would have. His extraordinary beauty and qualities, liberality, good nature, his unbounded wealth, and prowess made the Apsara Urvashi think of him often, and she wanted him to satisfy her. After some time, when Urvashi had to descend on the Earth due to a curse of a Brahmin, she chose him as her husband.

But before accepting him as her husband, she put forth the following conditions before him:

1. He has to take care of her two sheep assiduously.

2. She would eat only ghee and nothing else for her food.

3. She would never see him naked except during sexual intercourse.

Mesmerized by her beauty, Pururava accepted all her conditions. Soon he fell deeply in love with her and forgot all his duties and remained long for many, many years in enjoying her.

After many years, Indra started missing Urvashi. So he asked Gandharvas to steal her two sheep when she and her husband were intimate with each other. Visvavasu and other Devas went to Pururava’s palace; and when it was dark in the night, and when Pururava was holding sexual intercourse with Urvashi, stole away the two young sheep. When Urvashi heard the cries of her beloved sheep, she reminded Pururava of his promise. In a hurry, Pururava started running after the Gandharvas. At the same time, the Gandharvas produced lightning so that Urvashi could see him naked. Seeing him naked, Urvashi ascended to heaven.

2. Vishwamitra and Menaka:

Once Sage Vishwamitra agreed to perform the rituals to ascend Trishanku to heaven with his physical body, but no human beings are allowed to enter heaven in their physical bodies. Hence, Indra sent him back. The upset Vishwamitra started severe penance to create parallel heaven. Therefore, to break his penance, Indra sent Menaka to lure him. After tedious efforts, Menaka successfully lured the sage. They then married and had a baby girl named Shakuntala, who was the mother of King Bharat. After a few years, Menaka returned to heaven leaving Vishwamitra heartbroken.

3. Sunda and Upasunda:

These were two Asura brothers who undertook severe penance. Gods tried to distract them but failed. Then Lord Brahma gave them a boon of immortality except that they can be killed by each other.

Sunda and Upasunda then conquered the Earth and heaven and drove out gods. Then, Lord Brahma created a very beautiful Apsara named Tilottama. She went where the brothers were enjoying themselves. They both were intoxicated, and each sought her for himself. They soon broke out into a fight and killed each other.

4. The Birth of Agastya and Vashishtha:

Once gods Mitra and Varuna were doing a yajna where Apsara Urvashi appeared. Seeing her celestial beauty, they both ejaculated. Their combined semen fell in a jar that fell from heaven. From the jar, two infants named Agastya and Vashishtha were born.

5. Rambha’s Curse saved Goddess Sita:

Apsara Rambha was the wife of Nalakuvara, who was the son of Ravana’s stepbrother, Kubera. Once she went to Kailasha to see her husband. When Ravana saw her, he was captivated by her beauty, and he dragged her into bushes and raped her. Later, when her husband came to know about this incident, he cursed Ravana that if he would ever attempt to force a woman into a physical relationship, his head would explode into seven pieces. Other versions of the story say that Rambha cursed Ravana. Because of this curse, Ravana could not do anything wrong with Goddess Sita when he abducted her.

6. Lord Hanuman’s mother was an Apsara.

Punjikasthala was a very beautiful Apsara in the court of Indra. She was very proud of her beauty. Once when Sage Durvasa came to visit Indra, she laughed at him because he was not good-looking. The infuriated sage cursed her to be born as a monkey on the Earth. After recognizing her mistake, she pleaded for mercy. Then, sage Durvasa modified the curse and said that she would be the wife of a monkey king and would give birth to a divine child. She was then born as a monkey princess, Anjani, and gave birth to Lord Hanuman.

7. Urvashi Cursed Arjuna to be a Eunuch:

During the exile of Pandavas, Indra invited Arjuna to heaven. Apsara Urvashi was very impressed by his valor and beauty. Therefore, she expressed her sexual desire to him. But Urvashi was the wife of Pururava at one time, who was the ancestor of Arjuna. Therefore, he called her mother and expressed his inability to do so. Urvashi considered it as her insult and cursed him to be a eunuch. When Indra came to know about it, he ordered her to mitigate the curse and limit it to a year only. The curse helped Arjuna to live in the disguise of Brihannada in the Matsya Kingdom in the last year of exile.

8. The Birth of Rishyasringa:

Vibhandaka was a great sage like his father, Kashyapa. One day he was in a holy place, Mahahrada, taking his bath when he saw Urvashi. Seeing her beauty, he could not control his sexual desire and ejaculated in water. His semen was then swallowed by a deer who was a cursed celestial nymph. She gave birth to Rishyasringa, who had horns on his head. Rishyasringa played an important role in the birth of Lord Rama.

Divine Powers of Apsaras:

1. Apsaras never get old. They are always young, beautiful, and charming.

2. They regain their virginity.

3. They can transform into any animal or human.

4. They can mesmerize people.

5. They are nearly immortal. There is no incidence of death of any Apsara in the Puranas.

6. If propitiated, they can fulfill many desires of a devotee.

7. They can fly.

8. They are skillfully versed in sixty-four ways to please the senses.

Children of Apsaras:

Many stories mention that from time to time, they visited the Earth and married some men. They also delivered babies like normal human beings and went back to heaven. Sometimes they incarnated on the Earth because of curses and gave birth to children.

1. Shakuntala:

She was the daughter of Vishwamitra and Menaka, who later married King Dushyanta. Dushyanta and Shakuntala were the parents of King Bharat after whom India got its original name Bharat.

2. Lord Hanuman:

As mentioned above, he is the son of Anjani, who was an Apsara originally.

3. Manu, Maya, Tweshta, Shilpi, and Devagya:

Apsara Ghritachi and Vishwakarma incarnated on the Earth as a cowherd girl and a Brahmin respectively and parented five sons named Manu, Maya, Tweshta, Shilpi, and Devagya.

4. Nala:

He was the architect of Rama Setu. According to the Valmiki Ramayana, he was the son of Ghritachi and Vishwakarma. Vishwakarma had turned into a monkey because of a curse. His curse was lifted when he had intercourse with her.

Husbands of Apsaras:

Atharva Veda mentions them as wives of Gandharvas, but the rules that apply to human females do not seem to apply to them. Sometimes they marry some males but leave them afterward and have physical relationships with others.

1. Pururava:

He was a noble and pious king who fell for Urvashi. He married her and spent a few years with her, but she left him heartbroken and went back to heaven.

2. Kesari:

The father of Lord Hanuman was the husband of Anjani, who was an incarnation of Apsara Punjikasthala.

3. Rudrasva:

He was the descendant of Pururava. He had ten sons with Apsara Ghritachi. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, 9.20.4-5)

4. Pramati:

He was the grandson of Sage Bhrigu. He married Ghritachi and had a son named Ruru. (The Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 5 Verse 7)

5. Kushanabha:

Kushanabha was the King of the Amavasu dynasty. He fell in love with Ghritachi and had 100 daughters and a son from her – (Ramayana – Bala Kanda)

What do Apsaras Look Like:

There is nobody living on the Earth who has seen a real Apsara, but we can find their description in the Puranas, and also from the sculptures, we can imagine how do they look like.

These celestial nymphs are extremely beautiful and have curvy bodies. They have big eyes, fair skin, long hair, big hips, and they walk in a manner so as to seduce others. They wear only a blouse on their upper body exposing their stomach and a saree-like cloth from the waist downwards. This cloth has stripes on it. They also wear many golden ornaments. Their description can be found in some religious Hindu books.

1. Next, there appeared the Apsarās [who are used as prostitutes on the heavenly planets]. They were fully decorated with golden ornaments and lockets and were dressed in fine and attractive clothing. The Apsarās move very slowly in an attractive style that bewilders the inhabitants of the heavenly planets. (Bhagavata Purana 8.8.7)

2. And when the twilight had deepened and the moon was up, that Apsara of high hips sent out for the mansions of Arjuna. (Mahabharat, Book 3, Vana Parva)

3. In grace and beauty grew the maid as if Lakshmi’s own self had taken woman’s form. And when swift years her gracious youth made ripe, Like to an image of dark gold she seemed Gleaming, with a waist so fine, and breasts so deep, And limbs so rounded. When she moved, all eyes Gazed after her, as though an Apsara Had lighted out of Swarga (Mahabharata, Mahaprasthanika Parva).

Who is the Most Beautiful Apsara?

In different stories, different Apsaras are mentioned as the most beautiful, but in general, Urvashi is considered to be the most beautiful of them.

Are Apsaras Prostitutes of Gods?

In some Hindu scriptures, they are addressed as prostitutes.

“Then those prostitutes of the Devas, dressed with their heavenly ornaments and the heavenly flowers, appeared before the Munis and bowed down their heads on the ground” – (Devi Purana, Book 4, 6.29).

What I have heard or read somewhere is that only Lord Indra can have sex with any Apsara he wants because they are obliged to obey his orders. They are generally addressed as Indra’s Apsaras. But they are free to have sex with any person other than him at their will as is mentioned in the stories of Urvashi and Pururava and Urvashi and Arjuna. So, it is possible that they might be having physical relationships with gods and Gandharvas.

When we call them prostitutes, we apply the rules of our world to them, but we should keep in mind that they are not humans, and our rules do not apply to them. Besides, prostitutes do sex for money, which they don’t. Mostly, they do it on the orders of Indra to save heaven or to carry out missions of gods. In doing so, they risk themselves greatly. E.g., Apsara Rambha was turned into a statue by Sage Vishwamitra for trying to break his penance.

Their bodies are different than those of human females. They are designed especially for entertainment and seduction. Therefore, it is their “dharma” even if it appears unscrupulous to us.

How many Apsaras are there?

This answer varies from book to book, but the number is definitely in the thousands.

According to the Devi Bhagavata Purana (Book 4, 6.28), Indra had sent 8500 Apsaras to lure Nara and Narayana. Then, they created the same number of Apsaras and gifted them to Indra. Therefore, the number comes to 17,000.

Names of Apsaras of Indra:

Although there are thousands of them, not all are mentioned in the scriptures. I was able to collect names of a few hundred.

Adrika.

Adrikritasthali.

Alambusa.

Ambika.

Anavadya.

Anuchana.

Anuga.

Anuka.

Anumlocha.

Anuna.

Arjuni.

Aruna.

Arunapriya.

Arupa.

Asita.

Asura.

Aukshagandhi.

Bhashi.

Bhavachandra.

Bhima.

Budbuda (Vudvuda).

Budha.

Chandraprabha.

Chandrarekha.

Chandravaktra.

Chandravali.

Charuhasini – the expert in music.

Charumadhya.

Charunetra.

Chasi.

Chitragandha.

Chitralekha.

Chitrasena.

Chitrasena.

Chitrini.

Dandagauri.

Danta.

Devadatta.

Devasakha.

Devasena.

Devi.

Dhanarupa.

Dhriti.

Divya.

Gandhakali.

Gandhari.

Gauri.

Ghritachi.

Ghṛitasthala.

Gopali.

Guggulu.

Guṇamukhya.

Guṇavara.

Hamsapada.

Hasini.

Hema.

Hemadanta.

Hima.

Ira.

Jagandha.

Janapadi.

Jaya.

Kalabha.

Kamya.

Kanchanamalini.

Karṇika.

Karpuramanjari.

Kerala.

Keshini.

Kṣhema.

Kumbhayoni.

Lakshana.

Lakshmana.

Lata.

Madhurasvara.

Magadhi.

Mahabhaga.

Mahashveta.

Malavi.

Malini.

Manahamsa.

Manavi.

Manjughosha.

Manjukeshi.

Manobhava.

Manohara.

Manorama.

Manovati.

Manu.

Margaṇapriya.

Mariachi.

Marichi.

Marichika.

Menaka.

Misrakesi.

Mitra.

Mrigakshi.

Nagadanta.

Naladi.

Nanda.

Padmanetra.

Padmini.

Panchachuḍa.

Parnika.

Parnini.

Pila.

Prabha.

Prajagara.

Pramandini.

Pramathini.

Pramlocha.

Pramodvara.

Prasami.

Priyamnkhya.

Puṇḍarika.

Punjikasthala.

Purnita.

Purvachitti.

Pushpagandha.

Putravallabha.

Putribha.

Putrika.

Rakshita.

Rambha.

Rati.

Ṛtusthala.

Ruchi.

Saha.

Sahajanya.

Samichi.

Sanrabheyi.

Santati.

Sarala.

Sarvakala.

Saudamini.

Sharadvati.

Shatrumardini.

Shravishtha.

Soma – the lotus eyed

Subahu.

Subha.

Subhaga.

Subhuja.

Suchibha.

Suchika.

Suchismita.

Sudali.

Sudanta .

Sudati.

Sugandha.

Sugrivi.

Sukeshi.

Sulochana.

Sumadhya.

Sumala.

Sumukhi.

Sunanda.

Sundari.

Supratisthita.

Supriya.

Supuskala.

Supuspamala.

Suraja.

Surama.

Surasa.

Surata.

Surottama.

Surupa.

Suvara.

Suvrata.

Svabhava.

Svayamprabha.

Tilottama.

Umlocha.

Urvara.

Urvashi.

Vamana.

Vamsha.

Vapus.

Varanana.

Varga.

Varnini.

Varuthani.

Vedavati.

Vidhichitra.

Vidyanta.

Vidyota.

Vidyunmala.

Vidyutparna.

Vigagdha.

Viprachitti.

Vishvachi.

Vividha.

Yami.

Significance of Apsaras:

No doubt, they played a vital role in shaping the world what it is today. They helped Indra protect heaven many times from Asuras risking their lives. It was an Apsara (in the form of a monkey) who gave birth to Lord Hanuman. It was Urvashi who was responsible for the birth of the sage who presided over the yajna to help Dasharatha become a father. Ravana could not touch Goddess Sita because of the curse of Rambha. But very few people appreciate what they have done for us. Most of them think they are some kind of characterless women. We should not judge them from our value system. Our rules and value system do not apply to them.