Who are Kinnaras in Hinduism?

 

Who are Kinnaras in Hinduism?

In Hinduism, Kinnaras are tritiya-prakriti (third gender) members of a race of spirit beings. The males of this race are called Gandharvas and the females are called Apsaras. This race has a large population of tritiya-prakriti members, called Kinnaras or Kimpurushas. This race has far larger innate gender differences than humans, hence their use of different terms for each gender rather than even having a term for their race or “species” as a whole (or if they do have such a term, we humans don’t know it). Since this question only asks about Kinnaras, I will focus mainly just on them. For the females and males, see here:

Devala Rees

 · 6mo

How are apsaras described in Hindu folklore?

I suppose this will be a companion answer to one I just wrote. In Hindu folklore, Apsaras are the females of a race of spirit-beings. The males are called Gandharvas. There is also a large population of tritiya-prakriti (third gender) members of this race, called Kinnaras or Kimpurushas. This race has far larger innate gender differences than humans, hence their use of different terms for each gender rather than even having a term for their race or “species” as a whole (or if they do have such a term, we humans don’t know it). I just wrote these answer on the males and third-genders: So here I will cover the females. What all the genders of these beings have in common is that they are essentially spirits of Kama or sensory pleasure. Their Dharma, their innate sense of right-ness and fulfillment in life, comes primarily from causing other beings to experience sensory pleasure of some kind. When an Apsaras (technically Apsaras, not Apsara, is the singular form in Sanskrit) is currently giving sensory pleasure to someone, she is happy. This is just how Apsaras (and Gandharvas and Kinnaras) are wired; it fundamentally differs from humans’ way of experiencing life. The word Apsaras literally means “one who moves flowingly in the waters”. Many Apsaras are essentially water nymphs or cloud nymphs. Apsaras are categorized in Hindu folklore into two types: Daivika Apsaras and Laukika Apsaras. Daivika Apsaras are those who dwell with the Devas, usually in Svarga Loka, while Laukika (“worldly”) Apsaras, aka Kshiti Apsaras, are those who dwell in this world, for example as nymphs in earthly waters. Daivika Apsaras often reside in Devas’ palaces and entertain them as dancers, accompanied by Gandharvas’ music - though many Apsaras are themselves musicians and/or singers, for they are masters of the Sixty-Four Arts. Many Apsaras are described in Hindu folklore as capable of flight. The Atharva Veda discusses the association of Daivika Apsaras with clouds and rain. Rig Veda 9.78.3 mentions Apsaras who dwell in the waters of the sea, servants of the Deva Soma Pavamana. The Rig Veda also mentions Apsaras dwelling in forests, for example in passages like 10.136.6: “Treading the path of sylvan beasts, Gandharvas, and Apsaras, he, a sage with long locks, who knows the wishes of people’s hearts, is a sweet, most delightful friend.” Apsaras are described in Hindu folklore to be able to change their shape at will, but usually they choose beautiful, youthful, elegant, charming forms to bring pleasure to those who see them. The Shatapatha Brahmana of the Shukla Yajur Veda describes Apsaras as transforming themselves into a kind of marine bird or swimming about on a river in the shape of swans, and says that Apsaras are often seen in or near the woods and waters. They are known for their glamour and magical powers such as mesmerism and the ability to make people completely forget the passage of time, even for years. Some Hindu folklore describes them as able to transform into any animal or human appearance. They are superb dancers. The Atharva Veda says that Apsaras are fond of gambling games, and are capable of blessing gamblers with good luck, or cursing them with bad luck. Apsaras love trees and flowers, and the scents of bark, sap, and blossom. Some Apsaras are not water-nymphs, but tree-nymphs, called Vrikshakas or Vrikshaka Apsaras. These often live in banyan trees in particular, and are traditionally sought by women for fertility blessings. For this reason it is a Hindu tradition for wedding parties to pass banyan trees and ask the tree for blessings (namely, for children). Other favored trees of Vrikshaka Apsaras are banana and fig trees. At least one Apsaras, Lavangi, is specifically associated with clove trees - in fact her very name means Clove. Apsaras do not marry with any kind of formal rituals, but rather simply by having sex through mutual consent, out of desire - often essentially the “have sex in the woods and now we’re married” method. But Apsaras do not usually have permanent marriages; they usually have temporary relationships, and then move on to a new partner. They are very long-lived. Some Apsaras, like the exceptionally fertile Ghritachi, are described as having had at least 118 children (mostly daughters but some sons) with a wide variety of different fathers. Twenty-six Apsaras are said to perform at Indra’s court, each one a master of a different art. Indra has sometimes sent Daivika Apsaras to seduce people who were performing Tapas to distract them from their path and prevent them from gaining dangerous levels of power. The Atharva Veda speaks in a more mixed tone of Apsaras: “I came, I met these faultless, blameless beings. Among the Apsaras was one Gandharva. Their home is in the sea, so men have told me, whence they come quickly hitherward and then vanish… Haunters of darkness, high-voiced dice-lovers, maddeners of the mind - to these have I paid homage, the Gandharvas’ wives, the Apsaras.” - 2.2.3–5 The Atharva Veda even includes a charm to drive away Apsaras and Gandharvas - not harming them, but puffing them away as if on a wind, to restore the wits of one who was captivated by them. It gives the name of five Apsaras, banishing them in particular back to their river-ford home: Guggulu, Peela, Naladi, Aukshagandhi, and Pramandini. Certain rivers, especially the Ganga, are known for having many resident Apsaras. Some Apsaras are even described like mermaids in certain Hindu folklore. Frequent favored possessions of Apsaras in folklore include lotus buds, golden combs, mother-of-pearl mirrors, and magical knives. They adore jewels, mirrors, and shiny things in general. They also love saffron, and often they redden the soles of their feet with lac, leaving red footprints. Apsaras often love animals. One famous Apsaras, Urvashi, is well-known to have had two pet sheep whom she cared for more than anything in the world. She is also described as liking to eat ghee. It is said that Rambha is the Queen of Apsaras. Unusually she married not a Gandharva, but a Yaksha prince, Nalakuvara. In Hindu folklore it is said that she was once raped by the demon Ravana. Afterward she cursed him that if he ever tried to force himself on an unwilling woman again, his head would explode, and this is why he never raped Sita when he held her captive. This is not the only episode of Apsaras possessing curing powers; Urvashi, for example, was able to curse a man to become a eunuch. In the Mahabharata, Vana Parva, chapter 43, Daivika Apsaras in a court in Swarga Loka are described as follows: “Ghritachi, Menaka, Rambha, Purvachitti, Swayamprabha, Urvashi, Misrakeshi, Dandagauri, Varuthini, Gopali, Sahajanya, Kumbhayoni, Prajagara, Chitrasena, Chitralekha, Saha, Madhuraswana, these Apsaras and thousands more danced there with eyes like lotus leaves… With their slim waists and beautiful large hips, they began to perform various evolutions of dance, shaking their deep bosoms, and casting their glances around, and exhibiting other attractive attitudes capable of stealing the hearts, minds, and resolve of the spectators.” Some Apsaras have heroically saved the world, like Tilottama, who thwarted the rampaging demon brothers Sunda and Upasunda by inducing them to fight each other to the death over her. They both died at her feet, slain by one another while she looked on in triumph. She prides herself as the champion seductress of all Apsaras, and is one of the most important guards of Indra’s throne; she is also described as commanding Suparnas or bird-deities. She once thwarted Brahma himself. Several hundred more Apsaras are specifically named in Hindu folklore and described with various distinguishing individual attributes, such as their amazing thighs, their terrible power, their clairvoyant abilities, their keen intelligence, their floral aromas, their brilliant radiance, their expertise in music, etc. Their total population is well in the millions. I’ve also written several other answers about Apsaras, including this one about their origins:

Devala Rees

 · 9mo

What is the description of Gandharvas in Hinduism?

In Hinduism, Gandharvas are the males of a race of spirit-beings. The females are called Apsaras (though they are occasionally called Gandharvis). There is also a large population of tritiya-prakriti (third gender) members of this race, called Kinnaras or Kimpurushas. This race has far larger innate gender differences than humans, hence their use of different terms for each gender rather than even having a term for their race or “species” as a whole (or if they do have such a term, we humans don’t know it). Since this question only asks about Gandharvas, I will focus mainly just on the males. For the females and third-genders, see here: What all the genders of these beings have in common is that they are essentially spirits of Kama or sensory pleasure. Their Dharma, their innate sense of right-ness and fulfillment in life, comes almost exclusively from causing other beings to experience sensory pleasure of some kind. When a Gandharva is currently giving sensory pleasure to someone, he is happy. When not, he is usually either resting, drinking/eating, or seeking his next opportunity to cause pleasure (or indirectly preparing to do so, such as by practicing an art), with only rare exceptions to do anything else. This is just how Gandharvas (and Apsaras and Kinnaras) are wired; it fundamentally differs from humans’ way of experiencing life. However, in Brahma Mahapurana Saraswati does say that Gandharvas are madly passionate over women. Gandharvas differ from each other, and take their individual identities, primarily from what specific kinds of sensory pleasure they like to cause, and how. It may be through any senses - visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, etc., or a combination. So essentially, they are all totally dedicated lifelong artists, and are associated with creativity. As such, the Padma Mahapurana calls the Gandharvas children of Vach (Saraswati), Goddess of skillful speech, the voice, and the arts. Some Gandharvas are amazing healers, relieving pain and bringing the sensory pleasure of renewed physical wellbeing. Some common sources say that Gandharva literally means musician; however this is not exactly correct. Gandharva literally comes from the root “Gandha” meaning “scent”, referring to the heavenly perfumes they brew and wear. “Arva” may derive from “an-arva”, referring to something irresistible, or unrestrained, as in “irresistible fragrance” or “unrestrained fragrance”. Or it may mean “eater”, as in, “one who feeds on smells”, “scent-eaters”. (And this “scent-eaters” etymology may be supported by the fact that one Gandharva Raja, Dhritarashtra the White King of the East, is explicitly said to eat incense.) But other Gandharvas are so renowned for their music and singing - indeed song, music, and dance are said to be their inventions - that ancient Indian human musicians started being called “Gandharvas” as a complimentary comparison to these artistic spirits, and that’s how the word “Gandharva” came to mean musician (especially a classical Indian musician), and classical Indian music came to be called Gandharva Veda (“the knowledge of the Gandharvas”). This further derives from the tradition that Gandharvas (as in the spirits) are able to bestow beautiful singing voices upon humans as a supernatural gift. Many Gandharvas find employment as musicians, singers, dancers, poets, dramatists, and other entertainers in the courts of Devas (along with Apsaras). Many Gandharvas serve Indra. Vayu Deva is also specifically called Raja of Gandharvas, specifically in his heavenly city of Gandhavati according to the Kurma Mahapurana. Gandharvas also love the Sun and praise him. As such, many Gandharvas live in Swarga Loka, though the Gandharvas have their own native realm, Gandharvaloka (located in Bhuvar Loka among the fourteen Lokas). The Devas sometimes send Gandharvas and Apsaras to sing on dance on happy occasions such as births and weddings of humans particularly favored by the Devas. Many Gandharvas are adept in magic, and they are the great masters of the Sixty-Four Arts. Gandharvas are fundamentally mirthful, lighthearted, joyous beings, mischievous by nature. The Bhagavata Mahapurana expresses their essence by saying that they (along with Apsaras) were born from the mirthful appreciation of Brahma Prajapati upon looking at the firstborn Asuras striving to have sex with the Twilight. Though elsewhere it is said that the Gandharvas emerged from Brahma’s nose, emphasizing their link to the sense of smell. They have powers of illusion, and use these to create temporary pleasures. Some Gandharvas also serve the Yaksha Lord Kubera. Other Gandharvas wait not upon the Devas, but upon the lords of the children of Danu, the Asuras. The description of Gandharvas in Hinduism mentions that they smell like fragrant tree bark, blossoms, or sap. They make their perfumes from products that come from the earth, from milk, and in vessels made of lotus leaves. In addition to using these perfumes themselves, they also sell them. Their best customers are the Yakshas. Gandharvas are great appreciators of the beauty of the wilderness and nature, such as forest glades, ponds, and mountains, and often they wander there in groups. Many Gandharvas dwelt at the Saraswati River, the Iravati River, and the mouth of the Ganga. Some Gandharvas live (or used to live) at Kurukshetra. Gandharvas are known to sing on various mountains, including Mount Meru, and also in the sky and woods. But rarely does a Gandharva wander alone; they are fundamentally social creatures, for they need someone to whom to give pleasure. They are generally associated with the Eastern direction. The Gandharvas have their own beautiful cities in the foothills of Meru. Others dwelt in the Himalayan foothills during the time of the Mahabharata. While Gandharvas are not warlike and generally despise war, as it involves just the opposite of causing sensory pleasure to other beings, they are certainly capable of war in times of need, and indeed many Gandharvas have been formidable warriors. The Gandharvas possess the supernatural weapon Mohana Astra, which stupefies and infatuates the enemy with psychic effects. Gandharvas are also associated with fertility, virility, charm, sensuality, love, and lust. They do not marry with any kind of formal rituals, but rather simply by having sex through mutual consent, out of desire - often essentially the “have sex in the woods and now we’re married” method. But Gandharvas do not necessarily have permanent marriages; often they prefer more temporary relationships. Gandharvas are almost universally described as of handsome and attractive appearance, but their form varies. Sometimes they appear humanoid; other times as part animals, usually part bird (e.g. with wings - and they can indeed fly) and/or part horse (e.g. a centaur, or some are horse-headed). Gandharvas all have sweet voices, and they are radiant, graceful, and beautiful. The scriptures of Hinduism give a few different origins for the race of Gandharvas, and it may be that the different animal-types of Gandharvas are actually races of different origins who merged into one. Like Apsaras, some Gandharvas dwell in waters. Gandharvas have a spiritual connection with horses in general. Rig Veda 1.163.2 seems to say that a Gandharva was the first to use reins when riding a horse. The Rig Veda also refers to a Gandharva as “the Sun Steed”. The Rig Veda also calls Gandharvas the physicians of the Devas, which seems to associate them with the twin Ashwin Devas, the Devas’ head physicians; the Ashwinau are also Horse Gods, which would seem to further link them with Gandharvas. Though the Ashwinau are very much Devas and not Gandharvas themselves, the Gandharvas are strikingly similar to them and I imagine the Gandharvas of Swarga likely see the Ashwinau as great leaders and inspirations. Vishnu Mahapurana says that there are sixty million Gandharvas. Skanda Mahapurana once mentions eight million Gandharvas assembling at Skanda’s call. The Atharva Veda once mentions there being 6,333 Gandharvas, but it doesn’t necessarily say this is the total number of Gandharvas anywhere, just a specific group of them. Not all Gandharvas are always perfectly benevolent. Gandharvas may seek to give pleasure to a person here and now, without thought for their future - for example a Gandharva might visit Earth, have sex with a human woman, please her intensely that one time, and then vanish, most likely leaving her pregnant (due to Gandharvas’ superhuman fertility) and abandoned. Gandharvas are also capable of causing madness when they spiritually enter into a physical being’s body, though the Mahabharata seems to imply that this is most often accidental on the Gandharva’s part. Gandharvas can also blend their existence into the constitution of a human, imbuing the human with superatural skill in arts such as music, but this also tends to make the human go mad rather quickly. The scriptures of Hinduism mention many dozens of the most prominent Gandharvas by name, with various personal details about them, such as how handsome they are, their romantic conquests, children, where their groves and dwellings are, what Devas (or Asuras as the case may be) they’re friends with, which arts they are most learned in, their inventions, innate abilities, colors, distinctive dress, dietary habits (such as eating incense), etc. One of the foremost Gandharvas is named Tumburu, a member of Indra’s court, where he represents the Gandharva people. He is known as a horse-headed Gandharva and is specifically and individually worshipped in some temples. Another quick example: Krathana is a forest-dwelling Gandharva chief who lives on Mount Gandhamadana. He often dwells among the Golangula Vanaras (monkey-people) of Gandhamadana and commands them through their chief Gavaksha. Krathana was begotten by a fire Deva. He often competes in athletics in Kubera’s gardens further up the mountain. He has fought in wars before (and valiantly) but does not like to speak about them. It could turn into a very long list if I went on about various individual Gandharvas, but that’s a little sample. The Bhagavata Mahapurana says that in each month of the year, a different individual Gandharva travels with the Sun Chariot as part of the sun’s retinue (along with a large rotating cast of other types of beings). It gives the names of the Gandharvas for each month. The Rig Veda mentions a singular Gandharva who “dwells near the sun” - I personally suspect this is the sun-attending Gandharva described in further detail in the Bhagavata Purana. Rig Veda 9.113.3 says that this Gandharva receives the Soma essence from a daughter of Surya, and is tasked with putting this essence into the Soma plant. The Brahma Mahapurana (Gautami Mahatmya chapter 35) says that in ancient times Soma was taken away by Gandharvas and kept by them away from the Devas. Saraswati won it back through a ruse, saying she would trade herself to the Gandharvas in exchange for Soma, but then slipping away from them after they gave up the Soma. But she upheld her promise by remaining with the Gandharvas forever in the form of great powers of speech, voice, and inspired artistry. But even after this Gandharvas remain closely associated with Soma; the guards over the sacred Soma drink in Swarga Loka are Gandharvas, though they are forbidden from drinking it (a punishment from Indra due to their once failing to guard it properly, causing it to be stolen). The Gandharvas are intense rivals of Nagas. Once, in ancient times, an army of Gandharvas overthrew a Naga kingdom in Patala and stole the Nagas’ jewels, and Vishnu himself intervened on the Nagas’ behalf. Many Gandharvas worship the Shiva Linga, such as the Gandharvas of the ancient Mathura area. Some Gandharvas even dwell at Mount Kailasa. But in the Kurma Mahapurana, Brahmarishi Vashishtha says that the Gandharvas worship Chandra more than any other deity. In ancient times there was a region of Earth closely associated with Gandharvas, named Gandhara after them. Sadly these ancient cultural traditions of Gandhara were utterly destroyed by foreign invaders due to the region’s vulnerable geography. It is said to be fairly easy for a human with basic good karma to be reborn as a Gandharva.

What all the genders of these beings have in common is that they are essentially spirits of Kama or sensory pleasure. Their Dharma, their innate sense of right-ness and fulfillment in life, comes almost exclusively from causing other beings to experience sensory pleasure of some kind. When a Kinnara is currently giving sensory pleasure to someone, they are happy. When not, they are usually either resting, drinking/eating, or seeking their next opportunity to cause pleasure (or indirectly preparing to do so, such as by practicing an art), with only rare exceptions to do anything else. This is just how Kinnaras (and Apsaras and Gandharvas) are wired; it fundamentally differs from humans’ way of experiencing life.

Kinnaras differ from each other, and take their individual identities, primarily from what specific kinds of sensory pleasure they like to cause, and how. It may be through any senses - visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, etc., or a combination. So essentially, they are all highly accomplished and skilled lifelong artists, and are associated with creativity. Like Gandharvas and Apsaras, some Kinnaras give pleasure by playing beautiful music, dancing, singing, or composing and reciting poetry; others focus on giving sexual pleasures, etc.

They are mischievous and powerfully alluring, but most of them are tender and caring creatures at heart, and often watch over the wellbeing of humans (as well as their own kind and other living beings) in times of trouble or danger. People used to place Kinnara figurines at the corners of fields to guard the fields.

The etymology of “Kinnara” (essentially the same as that of their other name, “Kimpurusha”) is interesting and revealing. Literally translated, it is “what-man”; or the grammatically feminine version, “Kinnari”, is “what-woman”; or it could be rendered “Is it a man?” “Is it a woman?” But to render the essence of this word in Sanskrit, I would suggest that a better (though less exactly literal) translation is “gender?” as a question. Their name expresses their gender-fluid, tritiya-prakriti nature, neither straightforwardly man nor woman, but a different gender, a different kind of being. Some Kinnaras are said to be male for one month, female for another month, and so on.

Kinnaras form lifelong marriages more often than do Gandharvas or especially Apsaras, but perhaps counterintuitively, they have far fewer children. Most Kinnaras never have any children, specifically because they want more exclusive connections with their romantic mate. “We are everlasting lover and beloved. We never separate… No offspring is seen in our lap. We are lover and beloved ever-embracing. In between us we do not permit any third creature demanding affection. Our life is a life of perpetual pleasures,” explains a Kinnara in the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata. But they do have filial piety; the Brahmanda Mahapurana has at least seven separate mentions of Kinnaras worshipping the Pitris of their ancestors.

Kinnaras, like Gandharvas and Apsaras, often take forms that are part humanoid and part bird, and/or part horse (in pretty much any and all imaginable combinations and permutations). Also like Gandharvas and Apsaras, they are very long-lived. They are known for their androgynous, ethereal, otherworldly beauty.

The Brahmanda Mahapurana says that Kinnaras were born of Brahma’s shadow.

Many Kinnaras are said to dwell in the Himalayas and to the north of them, and in the great otherworldly forestland of Himavanta.

Specifically there was a Kinnara kingdom on Mount Mandara at the time of the Mahabharata. The Vayu Purana four times mentions Kinnaras dwelling within the Mahanila hill, famous for the Kamakhya Shakti Pitha. Other Kinnaras (specifically horse-faced ones) are attendants of Kubera, and dwell among the Yakshas of paradise on Mount Kailasa, according to the Manava Dharmashastra and the Shiva and Brahmanda Mahapuranas.

Kubera is so associated with Kinnaras that one of his titles is Kinnaresha, Lord of Kinnaras. Vayu Purana even twice mentions Kinnaras dwelling as servants in Shivapura itself, and separately says that there are a hundred cities of Kinnaras on Kailasa. Others serve Indra or Vishnu, according to the Bhagavata Mahapurana, or other Devas. Others still serve the Gandharva Raja Chitraratha.

Like Apsaras and Gandharvas, they love natural beauty and often play in lotus ponds and other such places. Kinnaras are sometimes described as wearing only flowers, and as eating flower pollen (which may relate to the etymology of Gandharvas, “scent-eaters”). Like Gandharvas and Apsaras (actually especially Gandharvas), Kinnaras use cosmetics made from flower perfumes. They are guardians of trees, especially holy trees like the Kalpavriksha/Kalpataru tree.

They also give praise to the Sun.

Bhagavata Mahapurana 11.14 praises Kinnaras as disciples of the Saptarishis, who taught them the Sanatana Dharma. Bhagavata Mahapurana 11.6.3 describes a visit by a group of Kinnaras to Dwaraka to see Krishna.

A particular variety of the vina instrument was invented by a Kinnari, and this instrument is to this day known as the Kinnari vina.

Now, there is another very important answer to the question “who are Kinnaras in Hinduism?” I have answered about the spirits. However, many tritiya-prakriti (third gender) Hindu humans have taken inspiration from the Kinnara spirits, identified with them, and taken to calling themselves Kinnaras in their honor. The transgender Hijra community of India actually mostly do not call themselves Hijra (that’s mostly an outsider term, though it does not seem to be taken as offensive); rather, they call themselves Kinnar. Indeed the Hindu scriptures’ sanction of the spiritual validity and value of these gender-fluid and non-conforming beings is a beautiful example to apply to humans as well, as the Hindu trans community has quite rightly been pointing out for centuries.