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| An '''Apsaras''' is a female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.
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| [[Image:Apsara relief.jpg|thumb|right|An apsaras relief from Angkor Wat, Cambodia]]
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| =Nature=
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| ==Etymology==
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| Sanskrit: '''apsarāḥ'', plural '''apsarasaḥ''', stem '''apsaras-''', a feminine consonant stem or '''Accharā''' (Pāli). Despite ending in -s, "apsaras" is to be construed as singular. The English plural is "apsarases".
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| ==Family==
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| In the Rig-Veda there is one Apsaras, wife of Gandharva; in the later scriptures there are many apsarases, created by Lord Brahma, who act as the handmaidens of Indra or the celestial damsels of his court who dance before his throne.
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| The total number of Apsarases at Indra's court is 26, each representing a distinct aspect of the performing arts. They can be compared with the Culture of Ancient Greece muse.
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| Natya Shastra lists the following apsarases: Manjukesi, Sukesi, Misrakesi, Sulochana, Saudamini, Devadatta, Devasena, Manorama, Sudati, Sundari, Vigagdha, Vividha, Budha, Sumala, Santati, Sunanda, Sumukhi, Magadhi, Arjuni, Sarala, Kerala, Dhrti, Nanda, Supuskala, Supuspamala and Kalabha.
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| ==Element==
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| Water. They may also, in their "Nature" capacity, be rendered comparable to the Greek nymphs, dryads, naiads, etc.
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| ==Powers/Weaknesses==
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| Apsarases are said to be able to change their shapes at will, and specially rule over the fortunes of gaming and gambling.
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| One of their duties is to guide to paradise the heroes who fall in battle, whose wives they then become. They are distinguished as ''daivika'' ("divine") or ''laukika'' ("worldly").
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| The Apsaras was associated with fertility rites. In Hinduism, the lower '''Apsarases''' (also '''Vṛkṣakas''', dryads or tree-fairies) are sometimes referred to as nature spirits, who sometimes lured men to their deaths; cf. the Slavic Rusalki.
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| ==Behavior==
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| Apsarases are the wives of the Gandharvas, court servants of Indra. They danced to the music made by their husbands, usually in the various gods' palaces.
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| ==Famous==
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| Urvasi, Menaka, Rambha and Tilottama are the most famous among Apsarases who are well versed in the arts of music and dancing.
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| =Art / Fiction=
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| Apsarases are often depicted in Buddhist art as far afield as Cambodia and China, however. They are a common motif in the decorations of the Angkor temples.
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| ==See also==
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| [[Tennins]], a Japanese development of the Indian ''apsaras''
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| [[Category:Fairy creatures]]
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| [[Category:Nymphs]]
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| [[Category:Asian mythology]]
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