Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s11.585

v1.c3.s11.585

Kula, Kula-pā.—As an uncompounded word, Kula does not occur before the period of the Brāhmaṇas.¹ It denotes the ‘home’ or ‘house of the family,’ and by metonymy the family itself, as connected with the home. The Kula-pā (lit. ‘house protector’), or chief of the family, is mentioned in the Rigveda² as inferior to and attendant on the Vrājapati in war, the latter being perhaps the leader of the village contingent of the clan. In the Atharvaveda³ a girl is ironically called Kulapā, because she is left without a husband in the world, and has only Yama (the god of death) for a spouse.