The World of Courtesans c4.9

c4.9

[^asterisk]: *Vajasaneya Samhita* *Pumshchali* was a whore who enticed men. In this connection the opinion of J. W. Hauer is worth noting. The central point of his thesis is that in the conception of the *Vratyas* in A.V. XV, the ascetic element of Yoga is emphasized. He maintains that they were not outcastes or one of the robber tribes. A *Vratya* was connected in ancient lists with *pumshchali* and *magadha*. *Pumshchali* according to Hauer is not an ordinary whore but a sacred prostitute. In the *Vratya* ceremony, music played an important part and, therefore, *magadha* would stand for a holy wandering musician and *pumshchali* is the forerunner of the later *devadasi*. The obscure dialogue in the *Mahavrata* ceremony between a prostitute and a Brahmacharin shows a religio-mythical tendency. The *Jaimini Brahmana* II, 404, ff., speaks of the pairing of a *magadha* and *pumshchali*.