κενθαργγος

gandharvá

he is designated as the heavenly Gandharva ( divyág- RV. IX, 86, 36 and X, 139, 5),
andﾠ is alsoﾠ called Viṡvā-vasu ( RV. X, 85, 21 and 22;139, 4 and 5) andﾠ Vāyu-keṡa (in pl. RV. III, 38, 6);
his habitation is the sky, orﾠ the region of the air andﾠ the heavenly waters
( RV. I, 22, 14; VIII, 77, 5; IX, 85, 12; 86, 36; X, 10, 4 AV. II, 2, 3);
his especial duty is to guard the heavenly Soma RV. IX, 83, 4 and 85, 12,
which the gods obtain through his intervention RV. AV. VII, 73, 3 ; cf. RV. I, 22, 14 ;
it is obtained for the human race by Indra, who conquers the Gandharva andﾠ takes it by force ( RV. VIII, 1, 11 and 77, 5);
the heavenly Gandharva is supposed to be a good physician, because the Soma is considered as the best medicine;
possibly, however, the word Soma originally denoted not the beverage so called, but the moon, andﾠ the heavenly Gandharva may have been the genius orﾠ tutelary deity of the moon;
in one passage RV. IX, 86, 36 the heavenly Gandharva andﾠ the Soma are identified;
he is alsoﾠ regarded as one of the genii who regulate the course of the Sun's horses
i, 163, 2; X, 177, 2; cf. 135, 5 ;
he knows andﾠ makes known the secrets of heaven andﾠ divine truths generally
( X, 139, 5 and 6 AV. II, 1, 2; XX, 128, 3 VS. XI, 1; XXXII, 9);
he is the parent of the first pair of human beings, Yama andﾠ Yamī RV. X, 10, 4),
andﾠ has a peculiar mystical power over women andﾠ a right to possess them RV. X, 85, 21 and 22; 40 and 41 ;
for this reason he is invoked in marriage ceremonies AV. XIV, 2, 35 and 36 ;
ecstatic states of mind andﾠ possession by evil spirits are supposed to be derived from the heavenly Gandharva (cf. - gṛihīta, - graha);
the Gandharvas as a class have the same characteristic features as the one Gandharva;
they live in the sky RV. AV. ṠBr. XIV,
guard the Soma RV. IX, 113, 3 ṠBr. III AitBr. I, 27,
are governed by Varuṇa (just as the Apsarasas are governed by Soma) ṠBr. XIII ĀṡvṠr. X, 7, 3,
know the best medicines AV. VIII, 7, 23 VS. XII, 98,
regulate the course of the asterisms ( AV. XIII, 1, 23 BhP. IV, 29, 21 ;
hence twenty-seven are mentioned VS. IX, 7),
follow after women andﾠ are desirous of intercourse with them (AV. ṠBr. III) ;
as soon as a girl becomes marriageable, she belongs to Soma, the Gandharvas, andﾠ Agni Gṛihyās. II, 19 f. Pañcat. Suṡr. ;
the wives of the Gandharvas are the Apsarasas
(cf. gandharvâ̱psarás),
andﾠ like them the Gandharvas are invoked in gambling with dice AV. VII, 109, 5 ;
they are alsoﾠ feared as evil beings together with the Rākshasas, Kimīdins, Piṡācas, etc., amulets being worn as a protection against them ( AV. Suṡr.);
they are said to have revealed the Vedas to Vāc
( ṠBr. III ; cf. PārGṛ. II, 12, 2),
andﾠ are called the preceptors of the Ṛishis ṠBr. XI ;
Purūravas is called among them ( ib.);
in epic poetry the Gandharvas are the celestial musicians orﾠ heavenly singers (cf. RV. X, 177, 2)
who form the orchestra at the banquets of the gods, andﾠ they belong together with the Apsarasas to Indra's heaven, sharing alsoﾠ in his battles;
Yājñ. I, 71 MBh. Hariv. etc..; cf. RTL. p. 238 ;
in the more systematic mythology the Gandharvas constitute one of the classes into which the higher creation is divided
(i.e. gods, manes, Gandharvas AV. XI, 5, 2 ;
orﾠ gods, Asuras, Gandharvas, men TS. VII, 8, 25, 2 ;
cf. ṠBr. X ;
orﾠ gods, men, Gandharvas, Apsarasas, Sarpas, andﾠ manes AitBr. III, 31, 5 ;
for other enumerations cf. Nir. III, 8 Mn. I, 37 RTL. p. 237 ;
III, 196; VII, 23; XII, 47 Nal. etc..);
divine andﾠ human Gandharvas are distinguished
( TUp. II, 8 the divine orﾠ Deva-Gandharvas are enumerated MBh. I, 2550 ff. and 4810 ff.);
another passage names 11 classes of Gandharvas (TĀr. I, 9, 3) ;
the chief orﾠ leader of the Gandharvas is named Citra-ratha Bhag. X, 26 ;
they are called the creatures of Prajāpati Mn. I, 37 ;
orﾠ of Brahmā. Hariv. 11793 orﾠ of Kaṡyapa 11850 ;
orﾠ of the Munis MBh. I, 2550 Hariv. 11553 ;
orﾠ of Prādhā MBh. I, 2556 ;
orﾠ of Arishṭā Hariv. 234 VP. I, 21 orﾠ of Vāc ( PadmaP.);
with Jainas the Gandharvas constitute one of the eight classes of the Vyantaras>;
N. of the attendant of the 17th Arhat of the present Avasarpiṇī L. ;
a singer VarBṛS. LXXXVII, 33 BhP. I, 11, 21 ;
the Koïl orﾠ black cuckoo L. ;
a sage, pious man Mahīdh. on VS. XXXII, 9 ;
a horse MBh. III, 11762 ;
cf. II, 1043 ;
the musk deer (derived fr. gandha) L. ;
the soul after death andﾠ previous to its being born again (corresponding in some respects to the western notion of a ghost) L. ;
N. of the 14th Kalpa orﾠ period of the world VāyuP. I, 21, 30 ;
of the 21st Muhūrta Sūryapr. ;
of a Svara orﾠ tone (for gāndhāra?) Hariv. II, 120, 4 ;
m. pl. the Gandharvas ( seeﾠ above);
N. of a people (named together with the Gāndhāras) R. VII, 100, 10 f. and 101, 2 ff. and 11 VarBṛS. XIV, 31 ;
(ā) f. Durgā Hariv. II, 120, 4 (v.l. gāndharvī);
(ī́) f. Gandharvī (daughter of Surabhi andﾠ mother of the race of horses MBh. I, 2631 f. R. III, 20, 28 f. VāyuP.)
RV. X, 11, 2 R. ;
night BhP. IV, 29, 21 ;
+ cf. Gk. κένταυρος fr. κενθαργγος
- गन्धर्वकन्या
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