Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s19.93

v1.c3.s19.93

(c) That prostitution existed in Rigvedic times is certain, but its extent is disputed. Brotherless girls were frequently reduced to becoming prostitutes;³⁹ the putting away of an illegitimate child is referred to in the Rigveda;⁴⁰ besides the terms *pumścalī*⁴¹ and *mahānagnī*,⁴² which undoubtedly mean ‘harlot,’ there are other clear references to prostitution;⁴³ and expressions like *kumārī-putra*, ‘son of a maiden,’⁴⁴ and the ‘son of an unmarried girl’ (*agrū*), spoken of in the Rigveda⁴⁵ as exposed and attacked by animals, point in the same direction. The Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā⁴⁶ seems to recognize prostitution as a profession. Pischel⁴⁷ sees many references to Hetairai in the Rigveda, which as Geldner⁴⁸ insists reflects in its imagery the court life of Indian princes. But the correctness of the view of these two scholars on this point is not by any means certain.⁴⁹