Rambhā

Rambhā is an apsarā (a celestial woman) of the highest rank in the court of Indra. The Purāṇas praise her as the most beautiful of all the apsarās.

The Bhūmi Khaṇḍa of the Padma Mahā Purāṇa shows her in two roles. First, Indra uses her to seduce and weaken Vṛtrāsura before he is killed (Chapters 24–25). Second, she is one of the forest-dwelling apsarā companions of Sunīdhā, the daughter of Mṛtyu. There she advises Sunīdhā to approach the brāhmaṇa Aṅga for marriage, and she serves as Sunīdhā’s dūtī (messenger) in that alliance (Chapters 33–36). The Mahābhārata also names her in one short episode, where Viśvāmitra turns her to stone.

Seduction of Vṛtrāsura

Indra could find no honest way to kill Vṛtrāsura. Vṛtrāsura had been formed to be Indra’s enemy, and his tapas (austerity) and brahmacarya (self-control) had made him invulnerable. So Indra called Rambhā and ordered her to go to Vṛtrāsura, seduce him and disturb his tapas. That would open a gap in his protection.

Rambhā went to the beautiful forest where Vṛtrāsura was staying. She used the full power of her celestial beauty, music and charm.

She succeeded. Vṛtrāsura lost his watchfulness and his tapas was broken. This gave Indra the moment to strike. He used the foam of the ocean waves as his weapon. The foam is neither wet nor dry, so it stayed within the words of his oath. Vṛtrāsura was killed. Rambhā was thus the near cause of his fall, since Indra used her beauty as a weapon. The Padma Mahā Purāṇa tells this in the Bhūmi Khaṇḍa, Chapters 24–25.

Companion and counsellor of Sunīdhā

In another part of the Bhūmi Khaṇḍa, Rambhā is one of the tāpasī (ascetic) apsarā companions who gathered around Sunīdhā in the forest. Suśaṃkha had laid a śāpa (a curse) on Sunīdhā, and because of what the śāpa meant, no suitable man would accept her. Sunīdhā fell into deep grief. Her companions, and Rambhā above all, gave her advice.

Rambhā named Aṅga, the son of Atri, as the right husband for Sunīdhā. Aṅga was a brāhmaṇa of great tapas and tejas (spiritual radiance). Bhagavān Vishṇu had given him a vara (a boon) that he would have a righteous son with the qualities of Indra. Rambhā explained that Aṅga’s virtue would cancel Suśaṃkha’s śāpa. A strong and righteous seed in a pure field, she said, gives only pure fruit. She also offered to act as Sunīdhā’s dūtī when Sunīdhā approached Aṅga.

Rambhā then gave Sunīdhā a vidyā (a knowledge) for winning the mind of anyone one chooses. With it, the approach to Aṅga was made easy. This is told in the Bhūmi Khaṇḍa, Chapters 33–36.

Turned to stone by Viśvāmitra’s śāpa

The Anuśāsana Parva of the Mahābhārata, in Chapter 3, lists the deeds of Viśvāmitra. One of them is a separate episode about Rambhā. She was a favourite of the devas, and she wore five bracelets. She disturbed one of Viśvāmitra’s yajñas (fire rituals). In his anger, Viśvāmitra laid a śāpa (a curse) on her, and she became a stone. The Anuśāsana Parva tells this only briefly, as one item in a longer list of Viśvāmitra’s feats born of tapas.

Sources

• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Bhūmi Khaṇḍa, Chapters 24–25 and 33–36
• Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 3