Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s12.136

v1.c3.s12.136

Gardabha, ‘the ass,’ is mentioned in the Rigveda¹ as inferior to the horse. In the Taittirīya Saṃhitā he again appears as inferior to the horse,² but at the same time as the best bearer of burdens (bhāra-bhāritama) among animals.³ The same authority styles the ass dvi-retas, ‘having double seed,’⁴ in allusion to his breeding with the mare as well as the she-ass. The smallness of the young of the ass, and his capacity for eating, are both referred to.⁵ The disagreeable cry of the animal is mentioned in the Atharvaveda,⁶ and in allusion to this the term ‘ass’ is applied opprobriously to a singer in the Rigveda.⁷ A hundred asses are spoken of as a gift to a singer in a Vālakhilya hymn.⁸ The mule (aśvatara) is the offspring of an ass and a mare, the latter, like the ass, being called dvi-retas,⁹ ‘receiving double seed,’ for similar reasons. The male ass is often also termed Rāsabha. The female ass, Gardabhī, is mentioned in the Atharvaveda¹⁰ and the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad.¹¹