One of the apsarās (apsaras) born of Prajāpati Kaśyapa (Prajapati Kashyapa) to Dakṣa’s (Daksha’s) daughter Muni.

• It is known that when King Uparicara (Uparichara) Vasu used to reside in the divine seven storied abode given to him by Indra, Adrikā, the apsarā, used to live there with him. One day, while King Uparicaravasu (Amāvasu or Amavasu, according to Purāṇas or Puranas) was strolling with Adrikā in the interiors of his celestial palace, Acchodā (Achchhoda), the daughter of the heavenly sages known as Ājyapā (Ajyapa), arrived there. Acchodā was the spiritual daughter of the heavenly sages, her fathers were formless. That is why her heart had always craved the love of parents. When she saw Uparicaravasu and Adrikā, she addressed them as father and mother. For this transgression the heavenly sages placed a curse upon her, “You shall be born in the mortal realm to King Uparicara and Adrikā.”

Sometime after this, the apsarā Adrikā caused disruption to a sage engaged in evening prayers in the waters of Yamunā (Yamuna), and he cursed her to be born as a fish. When an accursed and remorseful Adrikā begged him to lift his curse, the benevolent brāhmaṇa (brahmana) told her that if she could give birth to two human offsprings while in her fish form, she would be freed from the curse.

Adrikā began to reside in the Yamunā river as a fish. In Purāṇas, however, her abode has been referred to as Achhoda (Achchhoda) Sarovara. One day, while swimming in the waters of Yamunā, Adrikā ate a banyan leaf. Preserved on this leaf was King Uparicaravasu’s semen/seed/core. [See Uparicara Vasu, Satyavatī or Satyavati]. Consequently, Adrikā, was impregnated at once. Ten months after this incident, Adrikā, the fish, was captured by some fishermen on the banks of Yamunā. A fisherman dissected/ cut open the belly of the fish and found inside two infants— a boy and a girl. The male child he took to King Uparicara who accepted him as his own. The fisherman kept the infant girl with himself and brought her up. Adrikā was freed from her curse, regained once more her apsarā form, and returned to heaven. According to Nīlakaṇṭha, the annotator, by the similarity of names, King Uparicara’s wife Girikā (Girika) and Adrikā were perhaps two forms of the same entity.

Fish-formed Adrikā’s son and daughter became renowned as Matsyarāja (Matsyaraja) and Matsyagandhā (Matsyagandha) Satyavatī respectively.

• After this the next reference to Adrikā is at the celebration of Arjuna’s birth, where she participated in dance along with other apsarās.

• It is described in Brahmapurāṇa (Brahmapurana) that once Adrikā, under the influence of a curse, took birth on the Añjana (Anjana) mountain as Mārjārī (Marjari). She was one of the wives of the monkey king Keśarī (Keshari). A piśāca (pishacha) known as Adri was born of the god named Nirṛti (Nirriti) to her. After this Adrikā bathed in Gautamī Gaṅga (Gautami Ganga), regained her previous apsarā form and returned to heaven.