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गन्धर्व m. m. a गन्धर्व [though in later times the गन्धर्वs are regarded as a class, yet in [RV.] rarely more than one is mentioned; he is designated as the heavenly गन्धर्व (दिव्य॑ ग्°, ix, 86, 36 and x, 139, 5">[RV. ix, 86, 36 and x, 139, 5] ), and is also called विश्वा-वसु (85, 21 and 22; 139, 4 and 5">[RV. x, 85, 21 and 22; 139, 4 and 5] ) and वायु-केश (in pl. iii, 38, 6">[RV. iii, 38, 6] ); his habitation is the sky, or the region of the air and the heavenly waters (22, 14; viii, 77, 5; ix, 85, 12; 86, 36; x, 10, 4">[RV. i, 22, 14; viii, 77, 5; ix, 85, 12; 86, 36; x, 10, 4] ; ii, 2, 3">[AV. ii, 2, 3] ); his especial duty is to guard the heavenly सोम (ix, 83, 4 and 85, 12">[RV. ix, 83, 4 and 85, 12] ), which the gods obtain through his intervention ([RV.] ; vii, 73, 3">[AV. vii, 73, 3] ; cf. 22, 14">[RV. i, 22, 14] ); it is obtained for the human race by इन्द्र, who conquers the गन्धर्व and takes it by force (viii, 1, 11 and 77, 5">---10--- ); the heavenly गन्धर्व is supposed to be a good physician, because the सोम is considered as the best medicine; possibly, however, the word सोम originally denoted not the beverage so called, but the moon, and the heavenly गन्धर्व may have been the genius or tutelary deity of the moon; in one passage (ix, 86, 36">---11--- ) the heavenly गन्धर्व and the सोम 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; ii, 1, 2; xx, 128, 3">---12--- ; xi, 1; xxxii, 9">[VS. xi, 1; xxxii, 9] ); he is the parent of the first pair of human beings, यम and यमी (10, 4">---14--- ), and has a peculiar mystical power over women and a right to possess them (85, 21 and 22; 40 and 41">[RV. x, 85, 21 and 22; 40 and 41] ); for this reason he is invoked in marriage ceremonies (xiv, 2, 35 and 36">[AV. xiv, 2, 35 and 36] ); ecstatic states of mind and possession by evil spirits are supposed to be derived from the heavenly गन्धर्व (cf. -गृहीत, -ग्रह); the गन्धर्वs as a class have the same characteristic features as the one गन्धर्व; they live in the sky ([RV.] ; [AV.] ; ---19--- ), guard the सोम (ix, 113, 3">[RV. ix, 113, 3] ; ---21--- ; ---22--- ), are governed by वरुण (just as the अप्सरसs are governed by सोम), ---23--- ; [ĀśvŚr. x, 7, 3] , know the best medicines (viii, 7, 23">---25--- ; xii, 98">---26--- ), regulate the course of the asterisms (xiii, 1, 23">---27--- ; iv, 29, 21">[BhP. iv, 29, 21] ; hence twenty-seven are mentioned, ix, 7">---29--- ), follow after women and are desirous of intercourse with them (---30--- ; ---31--- ); as soon as a girl becomes marriageable, she belongs to सोम, the गन्धर्वs, and अग्नि (ii, 19 f.">[Gṛhyās. ii, 19 f.] ; ---33--- ; [Suśr.] ); the wives of the गन्धर्वs are the अप्सरसs (cf. गन्धर्वा-प्सर॑स्), and like them the गन्धर्वs are invoked in gambling with dice (vii, 109, 5">---35--- ); they are also feared as evil beings together with the राक्षसs, किमीदिन्s, पिशाचs, &c., amulets being worn as a protection against them (---36--- ; ---37--- ); they are said to have revealed the वेदs to वाच् (---38--- ; cf. ii, 12, 2">[PārGṛ. ii, 12, 2] ), and are called the preceptors of the ऋषिs (---40--- ); पुरूरवस् is called among them (same place or book or text' as the preceding">ib.); in epic poetry the गन्धर्वs are the celestial musicians or heavenly singers (cf. ---41--- ) who form the orchestra at the banquets of the gods, and they belong together with the अप्सरसs to इन्द्र's heaven, sharing also in his battles ([Yājñ. i, 71] ; [MBh.] ; [Hariv.] &c.; cf. [RTL. p.238] ); in the more systematic mythology the गन्धर्वs constitute one of the classes into which the higher creation is divided (i.e. gods, manes, गन्धर्वs, xi, 5, 2">[AV. xi, 5, 2] ; or gods, असुरs, गन्धर्वs, men, vii, 8, 25, 2">---47--- ; cf. [ŚBr. x] ; or gods, men, गन्धर्वs, अप्सरसs, सर्पs, and manes, iii, 31, 5">[AitBr. iii, 31, 5] ; for other enumerations cf. iii, 8">[Nir. iii, 8] ; [Mn. i, 37] [[RTL. p.237] ] iii, 196; vii, 23; xii, 47">&iii, 196; vii, 23; xii, 47; [Nal.] &c.); divine and human गन्धर्वs are distinguished (ii, 8">[TUp. ii, 8] ; the divine or देव-गन्धर्वs are enumerated, [MBh. i, 2550 ff. and 4810 ff.] ); another passage names 11 classes of गन्धर्वs ([TĀr. i, 9, 3] ); the chief or leader of the गन्धर्वs is named चित्र-रथ ([Bhag. x, 26] ); they are called the creatures of प्रजापति ([Mn. i, 37] ) or of ब्रह्मा ([Hariv. 11793] ) or of कश्यप (11850) or of the मुनिs ([MBh. i, 2550] ; [Hariv. 11553] ) or of प्राधा ([MBh. i, 2556] ) or of अरिष्टा ([Hariv. 234] ; [VP. i, 21] ) or of वाच् ([PadmaP.] ); with जैनs the गन्धर्वs constitute one of the eight classes of the व्यन्तरs]
also title or epithet).">N. of the attendant of the 17th अर्हत् of the present अवसर्पिणी, [L.]
a singer, lxxxvii, 33">[VarBṛS. lxxxvii, 33] ; 11, 21">[BhP. i, 11, 21]
the Koïl or black cuckoo, [L.]
a sage, pious man, [Mahīdh.] on xxxii, 9">---71---
a horse, iii, 11762">[MBh. iii, 11762]
cf. ii, 1043
गन्ध the musk deer (derived fr. ), ---73---
the soul after death and previous to its being born again (corresponding in some respects to the western notion of a ghost), [L.]
also title or epithet).">N. of the 14th कल्प or period of the world, 21, 30">[VāyuP. i, 21, 30]
of the 21st मुहूर्त, [Sūryapr.]
गान्धार of a स्वर or tone (for ?), ii, 120, 4">---77---
गन्धर्व m. m. pl. the गन्धर्वs (see above)
गन्धर्व m. m.also title or epithet).">N. of a people (named together with the गान्धारs), vii, 100, 10 f. and 101, 2 ff. and 11">[R. vii, 100, 10 f. and 101, 2 ff. and 11] ; xiv, 31">[VarBṛS. xiv, 31]
गन्धर्व ([cf. Gk. κένταυροςfr. κενθαρϝο-ς.])
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