Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s11.26

v1.c3.s11.26

Kakṣīvant is the name of a Ṛṣi mentioned frequently in the Rigveda,¹ and occasionally elsewhere.² He appears to have been a descendant of a female slave named Uśij.³ He must have been a Pajra by family, as he bears the epithet Pajriya.⁴ and his descendants are called Pajras.⁵ In a hymn of the Rigveda⁶ he celebrates the prince Svanaya Bhāvya, who dwelt on the Sindhu (Indus), as having bestowed magnificent gifts on him; and the list of Nārāśamsas (‘Praises of Heroes’) in the Śāṅkhāyana Śrauta Sūtra⁷ mentions one by Kakṣīvant Auśija in honour of Svanaya Bhāvayavya. In his old age he obtained as a wife the maiden Vṛcayā.⁸ He appears to have lived to be a hundred,⁹ the typical length of life in the Vedas. He seems always to be thought of as belonging to the past, and in a hymn of the fourth book of the Rigveda¹⁰ he is mentioned with the semi-mythical Kutsa and Kavi Uśanas. Later, also, he is a teacher of bygone days.¹¹