Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v2.c5.37

v2.c5.37

Camū.—Oldenberg¹ considers that even in the dual the word denotes two vessels into which the Soma, often mixed with water in the Kośa and purified with the sieve, was poured, and that, in the plural, reference is made to these and other vessels into which the Soma was put at the various stages of the process. Kalaśa similarly denoted either one (sing.) or several (plur.) of the vessels, the dual not being used, since the dual of Camū was reserved for the two vessels par excellence. In the later ritual the Camūs are replaced by the Droṇa-Kalaśa and the Pūtabhṛt, which was, however, assimilated in form and material (being made of clay, not of wood) to the Ādhāvanīya, the later name of the Kośa. The main difficulty of this theory is that it is hard to explain why Kalaśa never occurs in the dual. Geldner² falls back on the older view that in Camū (dual) the two boards of the Soma press are meant.