The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c17.60

v1.c17.60

Like the aborigines, the Vedic Indians were primarily pastoral: the stress laid by the poets on the possession of cows is almost pathetic. The name of the sacrificial fee, *dakshiṇā*, is explained as referring originally to a cow placed ‘on the right hand’ of the singer for his reward. The singers delight to compare their songs to Indra with the lowing of cows to their calves. At night and in the heat of the day the cows seem to have been kept in the fold, while for the rest of the day they were allowed to wander at will, being thrice milked¹. Bulls and oxen on the other hand regularly served for ploughing and drawing carts, a purpose for which horses were not much used. Second to cattle came horses, which the Indian required both for bearing his chariot into the battle and for the horse-race, one of his favourite sports. Other domesticated animals were sheep, goats, asses, and dogs, the last being used for hunting, for guarding and tracking cattle, and for keeping watch at night. On the other hand, the cat had not been domesticated.