Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s21.968

v1.c3.s21.968

Pipīlikā in the Atharvaveda¹ and later² denotes an ‘ant,’ the form of the word referring doubtless not so much to the small species of ant, as it is taken in the later lexicons,³ but rather to the insect’s tiny size, which would naturally be expressed by a diminutive formation of the name. The form Pipīlaka⁴ is found in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad.⁵