Menaka
| Menaka | |
|---|---|
 Menaka seducesVishvamitra,painting byRaja Ravi Varma | |
| Affiliation | Apsara |
| Abode | Svarga |
| Genealogy | |
| Children |
|
Menaka(Sanskrit:मेनका,lit. 'incomparable',IAST:Menakā)[2]is aapsara(heavenly nymph) inHindu literature.[3]
Legends
[edit]Menaka was born during thechurning of the oceanby thedevasandasuras.She is one of the most mesmerisingapsaras(celestial nymphs) in the three worlds, with quick intelligence and innate talent, but desired a family.
Vishvamitra,a prominent Hindu sage, frightened the devas and even tried to create another heaven -Indra,frightened by his powers, sent Menaka from heaven to earth to lure him and break his meditation. Menaka successfully incited Vishvamitra's lust and passion when he saw her beauty. She succeeded in breaking the meditation of Vishvamitra. However, she fell in love with him and a baby was born to them, who later grew in Sage Kanva's ashram and came to be calledShakuntala.Later, Shakuntala falls in love with KingDushyantaand gives birth to a child calledBharata,who inHindutradition, lent his name to the country.[4]
When Vishvamitra realized that he had been tricked by Indra, he was enraged. But he merely cursed Menaka to be separated from him forever, for he loved her as well and knew that she had lost all devious intentions towards him long ago.
In theMahabharata's Pauloma Parva, it is stated that Menaka had a daughter with thegandharvaVishvavasu. She was ashamed of giving birth to the child, so she left her in front of sage Sthulakesha's hermitage. The sage adopted the child and named her Pramadvara, who later married Ruru, a descendant ofBhrigu.[5]
References
[edit]- ^PC Roy Mahabharata link:http://www.holybooks.com/mahabharata-all-volumes-in-12-pdf-files/
- ^www.wisdomlib.org (16 June 2012)."Menaka, Menakā, Menake: 19 definitions".www.wisdomlib.org.Retrieved2 November2022.
- ^Devdutt Pattanaik (2000).The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine.Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. p. 67.
- ^Sattar, Arshia (22 June 2017)."The ultimate male fantasy".The Hindu.ISSN0971-751X.Retrieved5 September2020.
- ^Pauloma Parva, Section VIII, PC Roy Mahabharata link:http://www.holybooks.com/mahabharata-all-volumes-in-12-pdf-files
External links
[edit]
Quotations related toMenakaat Wikiquote
| Apsaras |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Associated concepts | ||