Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s21.383

v1.c3.s21.383

Parasvant denotes a large wild animal which Roth¹ conjectures to be the wild ass. It is mentioned in the Vṛṣākapi hymn² of the Rigveda, twice in the Atharvaveda,³ and in the list of victims at the Aśvamedha (‘horse sacrifice’) in the Yajurveda Saṃhitās,⁴ in all of which passages the sense of ‘wild ass’ is satisfactory. More doubtful is the meaning of the word paraśvā(n) in the Kauṣītaki Upaniṣad,⁵ where the commentator explains it as ‘serpent.’ It is, of course, quite possible that the word has nothing to do with parasvant. Bühler⁶ suggests connexion with the Pāli palāsāda, ‘rhinoceros.’