Ashva
Ashva (
Usage in Vedas and Hindu mythology
Vedas
There are repeated references to the horse the
The
- Where are your horses, where the reins? How came ye? how had ye the power? Rein was on nose and seat on back.
- The whip is laid upon the flank. The heroes stretch their thighs apart, like women when the babe is born. (trans. Griffith)
According to
RV 1.163.2 mythologically alludes to the introduction of the horse and horseriding:
- This Steed which Yama gave hath Trita harnessed, and him, the first of all, hath Indra mounted.
- His bridle the . (trans. Griffith)
In RV 1.162.18, the sacrificial horse is described as having 34 (2x17) ribs:
- The four-and-thirty ribs of the Swift Charger, kin to the Gods, the slayer's hatchet pierces.
- Cut ye with skill, so that the parts be flawless, and piece by piece declaring them dissect them. (trans. Griffith)
The Ashvamedha or horse sacrifice is a notable ritual of the Yajurveda.
Hindu mythology
One of the famous avatars of Vishnu, Hayagriva, is depicted with a horse head. Hayagriva is worshipped as the God for Knowledge.
The legend of Uchchaihshravas states that the first horse emerged from the depth of the ocean during the
Modern interpretations
According to Aurobindo (Secret of the Veda, pp. 44), Asva may not always denote the horse. Aurobindo argued the words asva and asvavati symbolize energy.[4] Asva or Ratha was also interpreted to be sometimes the "psycho-physical complex on which the Atman stands or in which it is seated".[5] In another symbolic interpretation based on RV 1.164.2 and Nirukta 4.4.27, asva may also sometimes symbolize the sun.[6]
See also
- Ashvamedha – Horse sacrifice ritual followed by the Śrauta tradition of Vedic religion
- Ashvins – Hindu twin gods of medicine
- Ratha – Indo-Iranian term for a spoked-wheel chariot
References
- ^ www.wisdomlib.org (2021-08-27). "Rig Veda 10.75.8 [English translation]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- ^ www.wisdomlib.org (2021-08-27). "Rig Veda 5.57.7 [English translation]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
- ^ Bryant 2001, p. 117)
- ^ Aurobindo, Secret of the Veda, (Arya, December 1914)
- ^ Coomaraswamy 1942.
- ^ Subhash Kak. Birth and Early Development of Indian Astronomy. In Astronomy across cultures: The History of Non-Western Astronomy, Helaine Selin (ed), Kluwer, 2000
Sources
- Bryant, Edwin (2001). The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-513777-9.
- Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dallapiccola
- Lietuvių kalbos žodynas Archived 2010-03-09 at the Wayback Machine
- Coomaraswamy, Ananda (1942). "Horse Riding in the Rgveda and Atharvaveda". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 62 (2).
Further reading
- ISBN 9788120818774.
- Kazanas, N. Anatolian bull and Vedic horse in the Indo-European diffusion. 2005. Adyar Library Bulletin (2003)