अप्सरस्

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

अप्सरा (apsarā́)

Alternative scripts

অপ্সৰস্ (Assamese script)
ᬅᬧ᭄ᬲᬭᬲ᭄ (Balinese script)
অপ্সরস্ (Bengali script)
𑰀𑰢𑰿𑰭𑰨𑰭𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀅𑀧𑁆𑀲𑀭𑀲𑁆 (Brahmi script)
အပ္သရသ် (Burmese script)
અપ્સરસ્ (Gujarati script)
ਅਪ੍ਸਰਸ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌅𑌪𑍍𑌸𑌰𑌸𑍍 (Grantha script)
ꦄꦥ꧀ꦱꦫꦱ꧀ (Javanese script)
𑂃𑂣𑂹𑂮𑂩𑂮𑂹 (Kaithi script)
ಅಪ್ಸರಸ್ (Kannada script)
អប្សរស៑ (Khmer script)
ອປ຺ສຣສ຺ (Lao script)
അപ്സരസ് (Malayalam script)
ᠠᢒᠰ᠌ᠠᡵᠠᠰ᠌ (Manchu script)
𑘀𑘢𑘿𑘭𑘨𑘭𑘿 (Modi script)
ᠠᢒᠰᠠᠷᠠᠰ (Mongolian script)
𑦠𑧂𑧠𑧍𑧈𑧍𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
𑐀𑐥𑑂𑐳𑐬𑐳𑑂 (Newa script)
ଅପ୍ସରସ୍ (Odia script)
ꢂꢦ꣄ꢱꢬꢱ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
𑆃𑆥𑇀𑆱𑆫𑆱𑇀 (Sharada script)
𑖀𑖢𑖿𑖭𑖨𑖭𑖿 (Siddham script)
අප‍්සරස් (Sinhalese script)
𑩐𑩰 𑪙𑪁𑩼𑪁 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
𑚀𑚞𑚶𑚨𑚤𑚨𑚶 (Takri script)
அப்ஸரஸ் (Tamil script)
అప్సరస్ (Telugu script)
อปฺสรสฺ (Thai script)
ཨ་པྶ་ར་ས྄ (Tibetan script)
𑒁𑒣𑓂𑒮𑒩𑒮𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
𑨀𑨞𑩇𑨰𑨫𑨰𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Compound of अप् (ap, “water”) +‎ सरस् (saras, “*flowing, gliding”), the second component being from the root सृ (sṛ, “to flow, glide”) +‎ -अस् (-as).

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɐp.sɐ.ɾɐ́s/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ɐp.s̪ɐ.ɾɐs̪/

Noun

अप्सरस् • (apsarás) stem, f

an apsara, a member of a class of female divinities or water nymphs; serving in the court of Indra
- c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 9.78.3:
  स॒मु॒द्रिया॑ अप्स॒रसो॑ मनी॒षिण॒मासी॑ना अ॒न्तर॒भि सोम॑मक्षरन् ।
  ता ईं॑ हिन्वन्ति ह॒र्म्यस्य॑ स॒क्षणिं॒ याच॑न्ते सु॒म्नं पव॑मान॒मक्षि॑तम् ॥
  samudríyā apsaráso manīṣíṇamā́sīnā antárabhí sómamakṣaran.
  tā́ īṃ hinvanti harmyásya sakṣáṇiṃ yā́cante sumnáṃ pávamānamákṣitam.
  The nymphs who dwell in waters of the sea, sitting within, have flowed to Soma wise of heart.
  They urge the Master of the house upon his way, and to the Eternal Pavamana pray for bliss.
- c. 500 BCE – 100 BCE, Rāmāyaṇa 1.63.12:
  विनिश्श्वसन् मुनिवरः पश्चात्तापेन दुःखित ।
  भीताम् अप्सरसं दृष्ट्वा वेपन्तीं प्राञ्जलिं स्थिताम् ॥
  viniśśvasan munivaraḥ paścāttāpena duḥkhita.
  bhītām apsarasaṃ dṛṣṭvā vepantīṃ prāñjaliṃ sthitām.
  On seeing the apsara trembling with fear, with folded hands, the great ascetic sighed and was filled with regret.

Declension

Feminine as-stem declension of अप्सरस्
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	अप्सराः (apsarā́ḥ)	अप्सरसौ (apsarásau) अप्सरसा¹ (apsarásā¹)	अप्सरसः (apsarásaḥ) अप्सराः¹ (apsarā́ḥ¹)
vocative	अप्सरः (ápsaraḥ)	अप्सरसौ (ápsarasau) अप्सरसा¹ (ápsarasā¹)	अप्सरसः (ápsarasaḥ) अप्सराः¹ (ápsarāḥ¹)
accusative	अप्सरसम् (apsarásam) अप्सराम्¹ (apsarā́m¹)	अप्सरसौ (apsarásau) अप्सरसा¹ (apsarásā¹)	अप्सरसः (apsarásaḥ) अप्सराः¹ (apsarā́ḥ¹)
instrumental	अप्सरसा (apsarásā)	अप्सरोभ्याम् (apsaróbhyām)	अप्सरोभिः (apsaróbhiḥ)
dative	अप्सरसे (apsaráse)	अप्सरोभ्याम् (apsaróbhyām)	अप्सरोभ्यः (apsaróbhyaḥ)
ablative	अप्सरसः (apsarásaḥ)	अप्सरोभ्याम् (apsaróbhyām)	अप्सरोभ्यः (apsaróbhyaḥ)
genitive	अप्सरसः (apsarásaḥ)	अप्सरसोः (apsarásoḥ)	अप्सरसाम् (apsarásām)
locative	अप्सरसि (apsarási)	अप्सरसोः (apsarásoḥ)	अप्सरःसु (apsaráḥsu)

¹Vedic

Descendants

Pali: accharā
- → Khmer: អច្ឆរា (ʼacchaʼraa)
Prakrit: 𑀅𑀘𑁆𑀙𑀭𑀸 (accharā), 𑀅𑀘𑁆𑀙𑀭𑀲𑀸 (accharasā), 𑀅𑀘𑁆𑀙𑀭𑀆 (accharaā)
- Central:
  - Awadhi: आछरि (āchri, “nymph”)
- Northern:
  - Kumaoni: आंचरी (ā̃carī, “a kind of fairy”)
- Northwestern:
  - Punjabi: ਅਛਰਾਂ (acharā̃), ਅਛਰੀ (acharī)
- Southern:
  - Marathi: आसरे m (āsre, “water demons”, pl.)
  - Sinhalese: අසර (asara, “goddess”)
→ Bengali: অপ্সরা (opśora)
→ Hindi: अप्सरा (apsarā)
- → English: apsara
→ Indonesian: apsara
→ Kannada: ಅಪ್ಸರೆ (apsare)
→ Khmer: អប្សរា (ʼappsaʼraa)
→ Malayalam: അപ്സരസ്സ് (apsarassŭ)
→ Marathi: अप्सरा (apsarā)
→ Odia: ଅପ୍ସରା (apsarā)
→ Telugu: అప్సరస (apsarasa)
→ Thai: อัปสร

References

Monier Williams (1899) “अप्सरस्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 59, column 3.
Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “अप्सरस्”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 165
Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “apsaras”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “apsarás”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 23