The World of Courtesans c4.12

c4.12

Then with the chanting of the *Mahavrata Saman*, there began the playing of instruments, the beating of drums and the uttering of loud cries. Maidens with water pitchers danced and sang joyfully. From the chariot the king shot the three arrows at the hide. At the end the drums were split up. The maidens put down the jars on the altar and the ceremony came to an end. Keith has analyzed the symbolism of the *Mahavrata*. The ceremony according to him is a solar symbol and this premise is supported by the sun-bird-shaped altar and the chariot, both signifying the sun. The drums, the other musical instruments, and the dance express the popular nature of the ritual. The performance was accompanied by a running commentary of praise and criticism by two persons selected for that purpose This was probably a priestly refinement as all the versions call it a dialogue between a Brahmacharin and a prostitute. This was calculated to promote the fertility of beings and the earth and is referred to in the *Aitareya Aranyaka* as the sexual union of beings (*bhutanam cha maithunam*). The presence of the horn also supports this view. The women dancing and then pouring water into the fire perform a rite which is essentially a rain-spell, and the king shooting arrows at the dried skin symbolizes the piercing of the sky to bring down rain. Sarkar suggests that the *Mahavrata* may have been the prototype of the *hallisaka* and *latarasaka* which were suited for courtship in polite circles, and of the more vulgar Holi and Rasa. But he thinks that the inclusion of martial features of the *Mahavrata* and the sort of drumming and dancing described point to some Dravido-Kolarian affinities to seasonal orgies and licentiousness.