Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.145

v1.c3.145

Aghā.—In the wedding hymn of the Rigveda¹ it is said that cows are slain in the Aghās, and the wedding takes place at the Arjunīs (dual). The Atharvaveda² has the ordinary Maghās instead. It is impossible to resist the conclusion that the reading of the Rigveda was deliberately altered because of the connection of the slaughter of kine with sin (*agha*)—possibly, too, with a further desire to emphasize the contrast with *aghnyā*, a name for ‘cow.’ Moreover, in the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa³ occurs the formula ‘Svāhā to the Maghās, Svāhā to the Anaghās.’ See also Nakṣatra.