Apsara Sadhana

Apsara Sadhana is a tantric spiritual practice meant to invoke the divine presence and blessings of celestial nymphs called Apsaras, aiming for youthfulness, beauty, artistic mastery, and worldly pleasures, but also has deeper spiritual significance if approached with devotion and restraint.

## Significance and Benefits

- Apsaras are supernatural female beings known for extraordinary beauty, artistic skills, and power related to pleasure and vibrancy.

- Tradition holds that practitioners may experience rejuvenation, increased charisma, mastery over arts like music and dance, and emotional liberation.

- Both men and women may practice Apsara Sadhana; women reportedly gain radiant beauty and artistic talent, while men achieve detachment from ordinary attractions and enhanced spiritual stamina.

## Procedure and Core Mantra

- Most traditions recommend a period of concentrated practice, such as the popular 11-day Sadhana requiring nightly sessions with rituals involving rose flowers, incense, and strict solitude.

- One core mantra used is:

  ॐ ह्रीं ऐं अप्सरा प्रत्यक्ष आगच्छ आगच्छ ह्रीं ऐं नमः

  (Om Hreem Aing Apsara Pratyaksh Aagach Aagach Hreeng Aing Namah).

### Key Steps:

- Start on a Friday night for maximal results.

- Use a sphatik rosary (crystal mala) for japa, perform 11 mala (rounds) each night, with rose petals and rose attar (perfume) present.

- Maintain secrecy, emotional restraint, and complete faith for full success.

## Risks and Precautions

- Apsara Sadhana is not for casual pleasure seeking; if misused for mere physical or material gain, it may have negative effects and lead to emotional or spiritual disturbance.

- Serious practitioners emphasize respect towards the invoked energies and caution against using the Sadhana merely to fulfill lustful desires.

- The presence may be experienced as visions, sensations, or subtle forms, rather than physical manifestation.

## Materials and Further Resources

- Required items typically include a sadhana kit: rose petals, attar, yantra, mala, and possibly a guide from an accomplished guru for correct ritual procedures.

This practice is deeply rooted in tantric traditions and should be approached with reverence, caution, and ideally under the guidance of a knowledgeable teacher.

Some of the most commonly mentioned Apsaras in Hindu texts and later tradition include:

## Well-known Apsaras

- Urvaśī (Urvashi)

- Menakā (Menaka)

- Rambhā (Rambha)

- Tilottamā (Tilottama)

- Ghṛtācī (Ghritachi)

These five are often singled out as the most famous Apsaras in Purāṇic and epic literature.

## Other frequently listed Apsaras

A few more names that appear often across Purāṇas and later compilations include:

- Miśrakeśī / Miśrakeśi  

- Alambuṣā / Alamvusha  

- Punjikasthalā / Puñjikasthalā  

- Swayamprabhā / Swayamprabha  

- Purvacitti / Pūrvacitti  

- Sahajanyā / Sahajanya  

- Kumbhayoni  

- Gopālī / Gopali  

- Adrikā / Adrika  

- Ambikā / Ambika  

- Anavadyā / Anavadya  

- Marīci / Marichi  

- Manoramā / Manorama  

- Subāhu / Suvahu  

- Supriyā / Supriya  

- Surajā / Suraja  

- Suratā / Surata  

- Vapu  

- Vidyutparṇā / Vidyutparna  

- Viśvāchī / Vishvachi  

- Anumlocā / Anumlocha  

- Pramlocā / Pramlocha  

## Notes for sādhana use

- Different lineages may focus only on a small set of Apsaras (often the “big five” above) for sādhanā purposes.

- Purāṇic lists are very long (dozens of names), so practitioners usually select according to guru-paramparā and specific goals (śṛṅgāra, kāvya-śakti, nṛtya, etc.)

What are traditional mantras used in Apsara Sadhana

Traditional apsara-sadhana uses many different mantras depending on lineage and on which apsara (Urvashi, Rambha, Menaka, Tilottama, Naabhidarshana etc.) is invoked, and these are generally treated as guhyamantra that should be given directly by a competent guru rather than copied from public sources.Modern publications and websites circulating “ready-made” apsara mantras (including shabar forms and so‑called 11‑day or 14‑day siddhi mantras) explicitly carry cautions that they are advanced practices, should be attempted only after prior mantra-siddhi, and must not be misused for mere lust or manipulation.

## Types of mantras in apsara sadhana

Traditionally, apsara-mantras fall into a few recognizable types: classic Sanskrit mantras built around seed syllables and the apsara’s name, shabar mantras with a mixed Hindi/Punjabi/Rajasthani style, and composite vidyas that combine mantra, yantra and kavach for a specific apsara like Naabhidarshana or Urvashi. Certain lineages describe “one mantra for many apsaras” approaches and “manovanchhit apsara siddhi” formulas, but even there, the full text, nyasas and prayogas are framed as parampara-secrets, not for casual sharing.

## Examples without reproducing text

Open sources mention, for example, a Naabhidarshana Apsara mantra using the bija-s “om aim shrim … phat” and instruct 21 malas in one night with a special “apsara mala,” yet the exact compound is traditionally taught orally to avoid distortion and misuse.