Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c16.61

c16.61

Again, women had the same names as stars or constellations; thus there were two Rohiṇīs (one wife of Vasudeva,⁸ and the other wife of Kṛṣṇa⁹), several Revatīs (Balarāma's wife and others), a Citrā,¹⁰ and Rādhā; hence Arundhatī,¹¹ wife of a Vasiṣṭha,¹² may not perhaps be mythical. Moreover, women had the same names as mythological persons, such as apsarases; thus Vadhryaśva's queen in the North Pañcāla dynasty was Menakā,¹³ the queen of Tṛṇabindu of the Vaiśāla dynasty was Alambuṣā,¹⁴ and the Paurava Raudrāśva's queen was Ghṛtācī.¹⁵ The last two are called apsarases, but Vadhryaśva’s queen was certainly not an apsaras, and the sameness of name no doubt suggested that Ghṛtācī and Alambuṣā were apsarases.¹