In the Satapatha Brahmana is a story, which has been copied into the Puranas, concerning Pururavas and the Apsaras Urvasi which will give some idea of the character of these beings. Owing to the imprecation of Indra and Varuna, Urvasi was compelled to leave heaven. Pururavas, son of Budha and a daughter of Manu, fell deeply in love with her; and she agreed, on certain conditions, to live with him. She said, "I have two rams which must always remain with me, both by day and night; you must never be seen by me undressed; and I must eat only ghi, or clarified butter." The inhabitants of heaven being anxious for her return, the Gandharvas came at night and carried off her rams. Pururavas, in order to rescue them, rushed into her room hurriedly, without being dressed, trusting to the

darkness to hide him. Unfortunately a flash of lightning revealed him to her gaze, and, the condition of her remaining with him being broken, she returned to her celestial home. Pururavas was distracted at his loss, and wandered from place to place searching for her. At length he was successful in his quest, and obtained a promise that she would meet him yearly and present him with a son. After five visits, she assured him that if he offered a sacrifice with the express object of gaining her, he would succeed. He followed her advice, became a Gandharva, and so obtained eternal possession of his strange bride.

The Gandharvas, according to the Vishnu Purana, were sons of Brahma. "The Gandharvas were next born, imbibing melody; drinking of the goddess of speech, they were born, and thence their appellation. (gam dhayantah, 'drinking speech')." [**] In another place the same Purana [*+] makes them the offspring of Kasyapa and Arishta, and therefore grandchildren of Brahma. The Padma Purana speaks of them as the children of Vach. They are said to be sixty millions in number. They defeated the Nagas, or snake-gods, seized their jewels, and usurped their kingdom. In their distress the snakes resorted to Vishnu, who promised to enter into Purukutsa and destroy them. The Nagas sent their sister Narmada (the river Nerbudda) to ask the help of Purukutsa, who consented to do her bidding. As a reward the Nagas gave this power to their sister, that whoever worshipped her and repeated her name should be safe not only from the poison of snakes, but other poison too.

It would appear from the earlier books that the

Gandharvas were assistants of Indra, the Storm King,

and were rewarded by the later writers with a place in his heaven. And as the deities were all provided with a wife or wives, the Gandharvas were not neglected in this respect. The beautiful though frail Apsaras were allotted to them, and when Indra was in danger of losing his throne, or the other gods were in a similar plight through the austerity of the devout, some of the more attractive were commissioned to visit them and distract their minds.