Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s17.146

v1.c3.s17.146

Tāyu was another name for thief, perhaps of a less distinguished and more domestic character than the highwayman, for though he is referred to as a cattle-thief,¹³ he is also alluded to as a stealer of clothes (*vastra-mathi*)¹⁴ and as a debtor.¹⁵ In one passage the Tāyus are said to disappear at the coming of dawn (which is elsewhere called *yāvayad-dveṣas*, ‘driving away hostile beings,’ and *ṛta-pā*, ‘guardian of order’), like the stars of heaven (*nakṣatra*).¹⁶