Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s12.317

v1.c3.s12.317

Large herds of cattle were well-known, as is shown by the Dānastutis, or ‘praises of gifts,’ in the Rigveda,¹² even when allowances are made for the exaggeration of priestly gratitude. The importance attached to the possession of cattle is shown¹³ by the numerous passages in which the gods are asked to prosper them, and by the repeated prayers¹⁴ for wealth in kine. Hence, too, forays for cattle (Gaviṣṭi) were well known; the Bharata host is called the ‘horde desiring cows’ (gavyan grāmaḥ) in the Rigveda;¹⁵ and a verbal root gup,¹⁶ ‘to protect,’ was evolved as early as the Rigveda from the denominative go-pāya, ‘to guard cows.’ The Vedic poets¹⁷ do not hesitate to compare their songs with the lowing of cows, or to liken the choir of the singing Apsarases to cows.¹⁸