Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s1.38

v1.c3.s1.38

(Akṣa). The racecourse, called Kāṣṭhā³ or Āji⁴ itself, appears from the Atharvaveda⁵ to have been a quasi-circular one to a mark (kārṣman⁶) and back again. In the Rigveda the course is described as broad (urvī), and the distance as measured out (apāvṛtā aratnayaḥ).⁷ Prizes (dhana) were offered (dhā),⁸ and eagerly competed for. Other words for victory and the prize are kāra⁹ and bhara;¹⁰ and to ‘run a race’ is described by the expressions ājim aj, i, dhāv, sṛ.¹¹ The person who instituted a race is referred to as āji-sṛt,¹² and Indra is called āji-kṛt¹³ (‘race-maker’), and āji-pati¹⁴ (‘lord of the race’).