Māṇḍakarṇi (Sanskrit माण्डकर्णि) is a sage mentioned in book III (Aranya Kanda) of the

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

. His story is told to

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

by Sage Dharmabhrit during the prince's journey through the

Dandaka forest Dandakaranya (), also rendered Dandaka (, IAST: ), is a historical region and the name of a forest mentioned in the ancient Indian epic ''Ramayana''. It covers about of land, which includes the Abujhmar Hills in the west and borders the Easte ...

, when Rama, standing on the bank of the forest lake, asks about the origin of wondrous music coming from an unknown source.

Legend

Māṇḍakarṇi is said to have performed austere rites by staying in a stream and feeding on nothing but air for ten thousand years. Through these rites he gained great power, which alarmed the

devas Devas may refer to: * Devas Club, a club in south London * Anthony Devas (1911–1958), British portrait painter * Charles Stanton Devas (1848–1906), political economist * Jocelyn Devas (died 1886), founder of the Devas Club * Devas (band), ...

. Frightened by his

tapas Tapas () are appetisers or snacks in Spanish cuisine. They can be combined to make a full meal and are served cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or hot (such as , which are battered, fried baby squid; or , spicy potatoes). In some bars ...

, they sent five lovely

apsara Apsaras (, , Khmer language, Khmer: អប្សរា are a class of celestial beings in Hinduism, Hindu and Culture of Buddhism, Buddhist culture. They were originally a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters, but, later play ...

s to beguile him and seduce him from his vows. They succeeded in their mission, and became bound to Māṇḍakarṇi as his wives. Through his holy power, he created a wondrous palace under the lake for the heavenly dames to enjoy. The lake is called

Panchāpsaras Panchāpsaras () is a lake mentioned in Book III of the ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana. Its name means (the lake of) the five apsaras, the celestial nymphs of Hindu mythology. This lake is visited by Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu in ...

( he lake offive

s). When wanderers come to the bank of the lake, they sometimes hear heavenly strains and charming music coming from beneath the water. This, Ramayana tells, is the sound of apsaras playing with their zones and bracelets for Māṇḍakarṇi's pleasure, who also restored his youth through his exceptional penance.Lonar Crater Lake (Special Volume No.1) Proceedings: Symposium on Multi Disciplinary Approach to Understand the Lonar Lake (12–14 December 2008)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mandakarni Characters in the Ramayana Sages in the Ramayana