Divine Beings
Janapadi
जनपदी
The Apsara Sent Against a Sage
Who was Janapadi?
Janapadi (जनपदी): The Apsara Sent Against a Sage, one of the divine beings in the Mahabharata. A celestial damsel of Indra's court, sent down to break the austerities of Sharadvan, son of Gautama, whose mastery of weapons had begun to frighten the king of the gods.
Quick Facts
| Sanskrit name | जनपदी |
|---|---|
| Title / Epithet | The Apsara Sent Against a Sage |
| Faction | Divine Beings |
| Key traits | alluring, obedient, celestial, disruptive |
| Notable relationships | Sent by: Indra, Ascetic she tempted: Sharadvan, Occasion of his birth: Kripa, Occasion of her birth: Kripi |
| Featured in | 1 story |
About Janapadi
A celestial damsel of Indra's court, sent down to break the austerities of Sharadvan, son of Gautama, whose mastery of weapons had begun to frighten the king of the gods. Coming on her alone in the woods in a single piece of cloth, the ascetic held his mind but not his body: his bow and arrows slipped from his hands and the seed he lost fell on a clump of heath and split into twins. She is never named again, and out of her one errand the Kuru house got its first master of arms.
In Their Words
The lord of heaven sent me, and heaven's errands are not refused.
Janapadi
Traits
- alluring
- obedient
- celestial
- disruptive
Story Appearances
Character Arc
- The ErrandIndra sends her against an ascetic he has come to fear
- The Dropped BowSharadvan flees, and twins are born where the seed fell
Key Relationships
Places in Janapadi's Story
Drawn from the story Janapadi appears in.
Related Characters
Others counted among the Divine Beings.