Part 14 - Asvanamani (Ashva Nama)

The following twenty six words are listed as synonyms of horse. Yaska states that the last eight are always used in the plural number. Asva is so called because it trots on the road, or it eats too much. 2 1. Atyah: The word occurs in sixty eight places. In fifty six places it is used in the sense of horse. In twelve places it is used as adjective to kavi, aditya etc (atana- $11 ah) •_ sayana explains it in I. 163.10, Yaska explains atyah as racers (atanah), as they make efforts like swans in rows (atyan, atanah, hansa iva Sroniso yatante 3 Niru. 4.13). 1. 2. 1 1. atyeh 2• haryah haityah | 3. ava 4. vaji 5. saptih [ 6. vahine 7. dudhikah • 8 dadhikravo 9 etegvah 1 gva 12. dorgrahah 13. occaisravasahh 15. asuh 16:07: 10. etesah 11. pedrah 14. tarksyah 17. arusah 18. mamtvah 1 19. avyayayah | vyathayah 8 20. syenasah 21. suparnah 23. nareh 22 patangah 24. varyanam varyanam 25. hamsah 26. asvah | nirukta 8 2.27. 8 asavanamanyuttarani saivimsatih | tesamasta uttarani bahuvat | asvah kasmat | asnute dhvanam | mahasano bhavatiti va | 3. atanasilah | yadyapyayamasvanama tathapyasvasabdasya vaksyamanatvajna ayam yaugiko'vagantavyah | 1

243 2. Hayah: The word and its forms hayah and hayebhith occur in three places (each in one place). In two places it is used in the sense assigned. explained as gantarah by Sayana. In IX.107.25 hayah is 1 3. Arva: The word and its forms occur in twenty four places. In ten places it is interpreted as horse. In rest of the places it is used as adjective (aranakusalah) to Vayu, Aditya, Soma etc. 4. Vail: To avoid confusion, only the following forms are considered here on the basis of their interpretation by Sayana. The other forms occur in various lists of synonyms as shown below. 5 4 4. vaji, vajinah, vajinam, vajinah, vamjina, vajina, vajina, vajibhih, vajinani vajinam, vajinesu • 5 i 18 vajah = annanamani 2.7.2. nigha . " 2 vajinah padani 5.6.30..' 38 vajini usonamani 1.8.7. 48 vajinivati usonamani 1.8.8." ' 58 vaje samgramanamani 2.17.42. ' *

244 In one hundred and seventy six places the word occurs, in thirty places it is used in the sense of horse. In forty four places it is used in the sense of anna (including havirlaksananna). In rest of the places it is interpreted as adjective ii.e. balavan, vegavan etc. Yaska interpretes the word as "swift runner; he trots on the road with speed" (Niru.2.28). 5. Saptih: The word with its forms occurs in twenty two places. It is used in the sense assigned, In some places it is used as adjective to horse. Yaska explains the form sapteh as racer (saranasya) (Niru.9.3). 1 6. Vahnih: The word with its forms occurs in sixty six places. In six places it is used in the sense of hors, including the three which are used as adjectives to horse: vahanasilah (asvah) (1.3.9; VII.73.4; IX.64,19). In rest of the places it is interpreted as vodharah. Sayana quotes Yaska (Niru,8.3) while explaining the Rk.II.37.3 "vahrayo vodhara iti. Yasken uktatvat" (the team of horses which draws the chariot). 6. vaji vaijanavan | ksapanamantarnama nrte 'dhvanam | .

245 7. Dadhikrah: The word occurs with its forms in eleven places. It is used both in the sense of a horse and deity (asvabhimani-devata f M The word is also listed in the fifth chapter (4.9) of the Nighantu. Yaska in his Nirukta (2.27) says that the word is so called because "it runs while bearing a rider on its back, or it neighs while bearing a rider on its back or it has a good form while bearing a rider on .7 its back. 8. Dadhitrava: The word with its forms occurs in four places in the sense of a horse and a deity (IV.40,2; VII.44.4 dhadhikrava asvarupo devah). 9. Etagvah: Only its forms etagva and etagvah occur in three places in the sense assigned (VII.70.7 p I.115.3; VIII.70.7). 10. Etasah: The word with its forms occurs in twentyone places. In thirteen places it is used in the sense of horse. In six places it used to mean a seer of that name. 7. afugt srung aug athatta ar 1. quo patia at 1 dadhadakari bhavatiti va | tasyasvavadevatavacca nigama bhavanti | } 3

246 In two places it is interpreted as adjective (etasavarnah). While explaining the RK. I.121.13 Sayana explains it as the name of sun's horse and quotes TS. 8 11. Paidvah: The word occurs in two places in the sense assigned (1.116.6; IX,88.4). Sayana explains it as pedoh sambandhi, patanasilah sighragami (asvah). 12. Daurgahah: Its form daurgahe occurs in one place (i.e. IV.42.8). It is not used in the sense assigned. Sayana explains it as durgahasya putre purukutse. 13. Aouceaisravasah: The word does not occur in the Raveda It is used in the AV.XX. 128. 15. 16.1,, in the sense of Indra's horse. The form is the derivative of the word uccaisravas, which is not used in the Vedas. 8. 1.121.13. etaseti suryasvasyakhya | tatha ca sruyate " etasena tva suryo devatam gamayatu tai . sam . 1.6, 406 8 iti | • 7.63.2. etasa-varnah haritavarno svah | *eko asvo vahati Ja | AGATHT | #:1. 164. 2. § 1.54.6 eti gacchatiti etasah |

KIT 14. Tarksyah: The word with its form tarksyam occurs in two places (1,89.6; X.178.1). They are used in the sense of garutman or suparna, son of Trksa. 247 Yaska in his Nirukta (10.26) explains the word as 1) he dwells (ksayati) in the crossed over place (VII) (i.e. atmosphere; ii) he protects (raksati) objects quickly (turnam) or iii) it is derived from the root to pervade. The word is listed also in the fifth chapter of the Nighantu (5.4.17). 6 15. Asuh: The word occurs with its forms in ninty three places. In eighteen places it is explained in the sense of horse. In rest of the places it is used as adjective 'Slahragami or wyapanasila.' 16. Bradhnah: The word and its forms occur in ten places. It is not used in the sense of a horse. In three places itis used in the sense of Mahat and in three places as aditya. In VIII,77.7 Satabradhna is explained as satagrah siahragamanaya. The word is listed in mahannamani also (Nigh.3.3.2). 1 9. · i tirne'ntarikse ksiyati | turnamartham raksati | I apanote va |

1 248 17. Arusah: The word and its forms occur in sixty five places. Only its form arusa is interpreted in all the five places in the sense of two horses. In VII.42.2 the word is used as adjective to horse. In rest of the places it is used as adjective (arocamana). The word arusam occurs in the third chapter (3.7.15); arusi in the first chapter (1.8.13) and arusati in the second chapter (2.14.65) of the Nighantu. 18. Manscatvah: Its two forms occur in two places. In one place it is used in the sense of horse and in the 10 other place as cataka. 19. Avyathayah: The word and its forms occur in seven places. They are not used in the sense assigned. are used as adjectives meaning vyatharahita. They Only in VII.69.7 the form avyathibhih is used as adjective to asvaih. 10. 9.97.54 mamscetve | asvanamaitat | maksucaratiti | asvaih kriyamane yuddhe | 97.52. mamscatve manyamananam catake |

249 20. Svenasah: The word occurs in six places. Only in two places (I.118.4; IV.6.10) it is used in the sense of horses. In two places it is used in the sense of a bird called falcon (Syena) (X.77.5; 127.5). In the other two places it is used as adjective (VII.20.10; X.92.6 Samsaniyagatayah). Yaska says "falcon is so called because it swoops in an admirable manner (Syenah SamsanIyam.gacchati) (Niru.4.24). The word Syenah is listed in the fifth chapter of the Nighantu (5.5.1). 21. Suparnah: The word occurs in thirty six places. Only in two places it is used in the sense of horse (IX.86.37; VI.75.11). namani (Nigh.1.5.15). fifth chapter (5.4.31). The word is also listed in rasm_The form suparnah is listed in the The word is interpreted in the rest of the places as rays, falcon etc. 22. Patangah: The word and its forms occur in nine places. Nowhere it is used in the sense of a horse, but in two places it is used as adjective to horses (1.118.4;5). In four places it is interpreted as the sun (1.163.6;X 177.1,2; X.189.3). The form patangarah is interpreted as dadh_krava devah (IV.40.2). Patangaih is explained as rathaih in I.116.4.

250 57 23. Narah: The word occurs in three hundred and eight places with its other forms. Nowhere it is used in the sense of a horse. Sayana while explaining the Rk.V.54.8 says that the word is used in that context as asvasamanya. In fifty places it gives the meaning of man. In rest of the places it is used as adjective (manly i.e. heroic). 11 24. Hvaryanam: This word occurs only in RV.V.9.4 in the sense of horse. I 25. Hamsasah: The word occurs in four places. Only in IV.45.5 it is interpreted as adjective to horse (adivani Sighram gantarah (asvah), In rest of the places it means swans (II.34.5; VII.59.7; IX.97.8), 26. Asvah: The word with its forms occurs in three hundred and seventy two places. The word occurs in the sense of horse in three hundred and forty five places. It is used as an adjective 'vyapta' or to mean 'carrier' (vahana) in rest of the places. $ ii. narah narakaro netaro va | maruto niyutvantah | ayam sabdo'trasvasamanye vartate | nitaram yavanavanto'svavanto gramajito gramasya jetarom nara iva manusya iva tatha bhavanti | r " 1 1

form: The above discussion may be summarised in a tabular Words " No.of times used in the RV. 1 Atyah 68 No. of times used in the sense assigned 56 2 Hayah 3 2 t 3 Arva 24 10 4 Vaji 176 30 5 Saptih 22 22 6 Vahnih 66 6 7 Dadhikrah 11 11 00 Dadhikrava 4 9 Etagvah 3 3 10 Etasah 21 13 11 Paidvah 2 12 Daurgahah 13 Uccaisravasah 14 Tarksyah 2 15 Asuh 93 18 16 Bradhnah 10 17 Arusah 65 5 18 Mamscatyah 2 1 19 Avyathayah 7 20 Syenasah 6 21 Suparnah 36 IN N 2 $ 251

3 3 d kya F Words No. of times used in the RV. 22 Patangah 9 23 Narah 308 24 Hvaryanam 1 25 Hamsas ah 26 Asvah 372 No. of times used In the sense assigned 252 1 (asvasamanya) 1 .34 345 From the above study it is clear that one word is Sit not used in the RV and seven words are not used in the sense of a horse. Seven words are used in the Raveda only less than five times. 1 t