Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s11.772

v1.c3.s11.772

The Rigveda leaves us in doubt as to the kind of grain grown, for Yava is a word of doubtful signification, and Dhānā is also vague. In the later Saṃhitās¹⁷ things are different. Rice (Vrīhi) appears, Yava means barley, with a species styled Upavāka. Beans (Mudga, Māṣa), sesamum (Tila), and other grains (Aṇu, Khalva, Godhūma, Nīvāra, Priyaṅgu, Masūra, Śyāmāka) are mentioned, while cucumbers (Urvārū, Urvārūka) were known. It is uncertain whether fruit trees (Vṛkṣa) were cultivated, or merely grew wild;¹⁸ but frequent mention is made of the jujube (Karkandhu, Kuvala, Badara).