Atharva-veda speaks of “the 6333 Gandharvas

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Excerpted from; http://www.mypurohith.com/Encyclopedia/EnclopG.asp

GANDHARVA The `heavenly Gandharva’ of the Veda was a deity who knew and revealed

the secrets of heaven and divine truths in general. He is thought by Goldstucker

to have been a personification of the fire of the sun. The Gandharvas generally

had their dwelling in the sky or atmosphere, and one of their offices was to

prepare the heavenly soma juice for the gods. They had a great partiality for

women, and had a mystic power over them. The Atharva-veda speaks of “the 6333

Gandharvas.” The Gandharvas of later times are similar in character; they have

charge of the soma, are skilled in medicine, regulate the asterisms, and are

fond of women. Those of Indra’s heaven are generally intended by the term, and

they are singers and musicians who attend the banquets of the gods. The Puranas

give contradictory accounts of the origin of the Gandharvas. The Vishnu Purana

says, in one place, that they were born from Brahma, “imbibing melody. Drinking

of the goddess of speech (gam dhayantah), they were born, and thence their

appellation.” Later on it says that they were the offspring of Kasyapa and his

wife Arishta. The Hari-vansa states that they sprang from Brahma’s nose, and

also that they were descended from Muni, another of Kasyapa’s wives.

Chitra-ratha was chief of the Gandharvas; and the Apsarases were their wives or

mistresses. The “cities of the Gandharvas” are often referred to as being very

splendid. The Vishnu Purana has a legend of the Gandharvas fighting with the

Nagas in the infernal regions, whose dominions they seized and whose treasures

they plundered. The Naga chiefs appealed to Vishnu for relief, and he promised

to appear in the person of Purukutsa to help them. Thereupon the Nagas sent

their sister Narmada (the Nerbudda river) to this Purukutsa, and she conducted

him to the regions below, where he destroyed the Gandharvas. They are sometimes

called Gatus and Pulakas. In the Maha-bharata, apparently, a race of people

dwelling in the hills and wilds is so called.

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