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ganadhara See JAINISM.

gandharvas

The gandharvas are celestial singers and musi-

cians. They are mentioned in the VEDAS and also

play a minor role in the epics (RAMAYANA; MAHAB-

HARATA) and PURANAS. They are minor but ubiqui-

tous characters in Indian mythology.

KUBERA, the god of wealth, is considered the

lord of the gandharvas. Etymologists have traced

the word gandharva to gandha, or “scent.” Perhaps

this is why the gandharvas are sometimes said to

have emerged from the creator god’s nose. Other

sources say their father is the rishi Kashyapa and

their mothers are the daughters of another rishi,

DAKSHA. Gandharvas are all said to have sweet

voices, and they are seen as radiant, graceful,

and beautiful. They are known to sing on various

mountains including MERU, the central mountain

of the earthly portion of the cosmos, but they are

also heard in the sky and woods. They usually

live in a sky world. The kinnaras, another class of

beings who are sometimes considered the best of

musicians, are also classified as gandharvas. The

gandharvas are known to Buddhist and Jain tradi-

tions (see JAINISM) as well as to Hinduism.

Further reading: Cornelia Dimmitt and J. A. B. van

Buitenen, Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the

Sanskrit Puranas (Philadelphia: Temple University

Press, 1978); E. Washburn Hopkins, Epic Mythology

(Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1986).

Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand

(Mahatma) (1869–1948) leader of the Indian

independence struggle

Mahatma Gandhi was the greatest political leader

in 20th-century India. He led the Indian indepen-

dence movement to success and fought for reli-

gious and social reforms as well as restoration of

preindustrial cultural traditions. His philosophy

of nonviolent political action has been considered

an inspiration for various opposition movements

around the world.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on

October 2, 1869, in the village of Porbandar in

Gujarat, into a Hindu merchant family. As a young

man of 13, he was married, as was the custom, to

Kasturba Makharji, who was then 12 years of age.

Their first son, however, was not born until 1888.

He and Kasturba had three more sons.

Gandhi was considered a somewhat medio-

cre student; he barely won admission into the

G