India as Known to Panini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashtadhyayi c12.s6.12

c12.s6.12

VRĀTAS=VRĀTYAS—The *Vrātas* seem to have been the same as *Vrātyas* (cf. Sāyaṇa explaining *vrāta* of *Tāṇḍya* XVII.1.5; as *vrātya-samudāya*). The *Śrautasūtras* give details regarding *Vrātyas* as to their modes of life, belongings and dress. They are said to have used a kind of very small wagon covered with a plank for seat and useful for driving along trackless paths (*vipatha*; also *phalakāstīrṇa*, from which Hindi *phirak* a dialectical word still current), a stringless bow not using arrows but probably sling balls or pellets, bellow-like skin quivers (*bhastrā* or *kalāpa*) as used by the Sakas, a silver disc round neck, goat-skin or *postīn* (*āvika*), tilted cornate turban, and a kind of cloth woven with black thread (*vāsaḥ kṛishṇa-daśaṁ kadru Kātyāyana Śr.*, XXI.134), or of a different colour, but fringed with streaks of strong block colour (XXI.135) and called *kadru* (*kṛishṇa-sūtrotaṁ tat-kadrvākhyam*, com.) Pāṇini's reference to *Taitila-kadrū* (VI.2.42) is very likely to the *kadru* cloth of the Taitila country. Kauṭilya mentions Taitila as a breed of horses which from its association with other names of north-western countries as Kambhoja, Sindhu, Bāhlīka, Sauvīra and Vānāyu (Wana Valley) should be taken as being imported from north-west India (*Arth*, II.30, p. 133). This gives an indication of the place of origin of the *Taitila-kadrū*, if the rendering of *kadrū* as the name of a fabric in use amongst the Vrātyas be correct.