History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.479

v6.c81.479

How and when serpent worship arose in India is a difficult problem The Ṛgveda contains no reference to snake worship On the contrary the Vedic god Indra is said to be the killer of *ahi* (a serpent) in Ṛg. II. 30. 1, II. 19. 3 and the slaughter of *ahi* is frequently mentioned as in Ṛg. I. 165. 6, III. 47 4. That *ahi* meant a serpent with a hood is clear from Ṛg. VI. 75 14 (ahiriva bhogaiḥ paryeti bāhum). In Bṛ. Up IV. 4. 7 and Praśna IV. 5 there are references to the cast-off slough of serpents (mentioned as 'pādodara' whose feet are inside its body) and in Ṛg IX. 86 44 (ahir na jīrṇāmati sarpati tvacam) also. But in many passages of the Ṛgveda (such as I. 32 11) *ahi* appears to have a metaphorical sense and refers to a demon like Vṛtra that prevented waters from flowing down. In the Tai. S IV. 2. 8. 3. and Vāj S. (XIII. 6-8) there are three verses that contain salutations to serpents. In the Atharvaveda (VIII. 14. 13-15) there is a reference to serpents some of which like Takṣaka and Dhṛtarāṣṭra are named The Kāṭhaka S V. 6 enumerates the pitṛs, sarpas, gandharvas, waters and herbs as pañcajana, and the Ait Br. XIII. 7 asserts that gods, men, gandharvas, apsarases, snakes and pitṛs were pañcajana. This cannot be the meaning of 'pañcajanāḥ' in Ṛg. X. 53 4. The above passages show that sarpas had come to be a clan like gandharvas in late vedic times