Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s16.277

v1.c3.s16.277

Jāra, ‘lover,’ has no sinister sense in the early texts¹ generally, where the word applies to any lover. But it seems probable that the Jāra at the Puruṣamedha, or human sacrifice,² must be regarded as an illegitimate lover; this sense also appears in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad,³ and Indra is styled the lover of Ahalyā, wife of Gautama.⁴