Studies in Ancient Hindu Polity (Based on the Arthashastra of Kautilya), Vol. I c8.5

c8.5

The need for the presence of elephant trainers (हस्तिक), mentioned last in the above list, was owing to the fact that they alone could readily ascertain those elephants that were fit for capture; for certain classes of elephants were exempted from capture, viz. those that had small tusks like those of female elephants (मूड़),¹ diseased (व्याधित) or pregnant elephants as well as those that suckled their young (गर्भिनी and धेनुका), and elephants below twenty years of age or without tusks (मदच); young elephants (बभ्रु) were as a rule allowed to remain at large, and only a few were captured to train for sports.