gandharva as, m. a Gandharva [though in later times the Gandharvas are regarded as a class, yet in RV. rarely more than one is mentioned; he is designated as the heavenly Gandharva (divya g˚, RV. ix, 86, 36 and x, 139, 5), and is also called Viśvā-vasu (RV. x, 85, 21 and 22; 139, 4 and 5) and Vāyu-keśa (in pl. RV. iii, 38, 6); his habitation is the sky, or the region of the air and 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 and 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, and the heavenly Gandharva may have been the genius or tutelary deity of the moon; in one passage (RV. ix, 86, 36) the heavenly Gandharva and the Soma are identified; he is also 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 and makes known the secrets of heaven and 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 and Yamī (RV. x, 10, 4), and has a peculiar mystical power over women and 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 and possession by evil spirits are supposed to be derived from the heavenly Gandharva (cf. -gṛhīta, -graha); the Gandharvas as a class have the same characteristic features as the one Gandharva; they live in the sky (RV.; AV.; ŚBr. xiv), guard the Soma (RV. ix, 113, 3; ŚBr. iii; AitBr. i, 27), are governed by Varuṇa (just as the Apsarasas are governed by Soma), ŚBr. xiii; ĀśvŚr. 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 and are desirous of intercourse with them (AV.; ŚBr. iii); as soon as a girl becomes marriageable, she belongs to Soma, the Gandharvas, and Agni (Gṛhyās. ii, 19 f.; Pañcat.; Suśr.); the wives of the Gandharvas are the Apsarasas (cf. gandharvāpsaras), and like them the Gandharvas are invoked in gambling with dice (AV. vii, 109, 5); they are also feared as evil beings together with the Rākṣasas, Kimīdins, Piśācas, &c., amulets being worn as a protection against them (AV.; Suśr.); they are said to have revealed the Vedas to Vāc (ŚBr. iii; cf. PārGṛ. ii, 12, 2), and are called the preceptors of the Ṛṣis (ŚBr. xi); Purūravas is called among them (ib.); in epic poetry the Gandharvas are the celestial musicians or heavenly singers (cf. RV. x, 177, 2) who form the orchestra at the banquets of the gods, and they belong together with the Apsarasas to Indra's heaven, sharing also in his battles (Yājñ. i, 71; MBh.; Hariv. &c.; 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; or gods, Asuras, Gandharvas, men, TS. vii, 8, 25, 2; cf. ŚBr. x; or gods, men, Gandharvas, Apsarasas, Sarpas, and 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. &c.); divine and human Gandharvas are distinguished (TUp. ii, 8; the divine or Deva-Gandharvas are enumerated, MBh. i, 2550 ff. and 4810 ff.); another passage names 11 classes of Gandharvas (TĀr. i, 9, 3); the chief or leader of the Gandharvas is named Citra-ratha (Bhag. x, 26); they are called the creatures of Prajāpati (Mn. i, 37) or of Brahmā (Hariv. 11793) or of Kaśyapa (11850) or of the Munis (MBh. i, 2550; Hariv. 11553) or of Prādhā (MBh. i, 2556) or of Ariṣṭā (Hariv. 234; VP. i, 21) or 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.