ANIMALS IN THE INSCRIPTION'S OF PIYADASI. 373 



is specially prohibited in Vasistha xiv. 48 ; Mahabhasyai. .1, 1, p. 5, 1. 18; Gaut. xiv. 29; 



Apast. i. 5. 17. 32; Manu v. 12, 19; Yajn. 1. 173. Furthermore such an eating in- 

 volved penance (Gaut. xxiii. 5 ; Vas. xxiii. 30; Sankha xvii. 21 ; Parasara vi. 2 ; Sarhvartta 

 146 ; Usanas iv. 30 ; Manu xi. 157). 



Vadhi, Sans, vadhri is a vedic word found in Rg-sarhhita meaning castrated. 



(xxix) The elephant. Elephant. 



(a) Naga-vanasi (in all, A. eft). 



(b) Hasti-dasana (G. iv. 3), hastino (S. iv. 8.) hastine (M. iv. 13), hathini (K. iv. 10), 

 hathlni (Dh. iv. 13; J. eff.). 



Cf. in the Jatakas, naga, hatthi. For (a) cf. ndga-vanesu in Vis. ill. 16. 



The elephant is known from the very earliest times as a mrga with hands (mrgah 

 hastinah, Rg-sarh. i. 64. 7; Ath. sam. xii. 1. 25). For other references see Ath. sarh. x. 1, 

 32 ; vi. 38. 2 ; vi. 70. 2 ; ix. 3. 17 (she-elephant). In the Sat. br. iii. 1. 3. 4 the elephant 

 is said to have been formed by cutting off a lump from the unformed body of Martanda, 

 the eighth son of Aditi. 



(xxx) The cow and the ox. £ ow 



Ox. 



Gone, gono, gonasa (in all, A. eff.). {-mlakhitaviye). 

 Cf. Jatakas, gono (28, i. 191 ; 211, ii. 165, et seq.) 

 gona (1. i. 98), fern, gavo (349, iii. 149). 



Both the ox and the cow are known in the Rk.-samhita. The car of the goddess 

 Dawn was drawn by oxen (Rg.-sarh. 1. 92. 2 ; v. 80. 3). Their marking, which is 

 regulated in Piyadasi's inscription, is an old custom, described in the sutra literature 

 (Vis. Ch. lxxxvi ; Paraskara. Gr. su. iii. 10 ; Sankhyana Gr. su. iii. 10 ; Asva- 

 layana Gr. parisista iii. 18). The ox was marked with a discus (cakra) on the left and a 

 trident [tri'sida) on the right (Paraskara). The most auspicious time for marking varied 

 in different works — Karttika Purnima or the star Revati in the month Asvayuja (Paras- 

 kara) ; Karttika or Asvayuja (full-moon, according to Jolly's translation, Visnu) ; 

 Karttika or Vaisakha Purnima or Revati in Asvayuja (Asv. Gr. par.) ; the new-moon 

 after Phalguna full-moon under the star Revati (Sankh.). 



The Sanskrit word for marking is arikayati, ankita. 



Curiously enough, the pillar edict is silent about the killing of the cow and the 

 ox. In the Rk-sarhhita the kine were freely offered in sacrifice and used as food (i. 61. 

 12 ; v. 52. 17 ; vi. 16. 47 ; vi. 28. 4 ; vi. 39. 1 ; x. 28. 3). In the Ait. Obr. ii. r. 8 the man, 

 the horse, the ox, the sheep, the goat, are declared to be medhya or fit for sacrifice. 

 Traces of this sacrifice and eating survived so late as the Jatakas (145, i. 494 ; 199, ii. 

 135 ; 438, iii- 538) ; and are recognisable in the offering of beef to the Fathers in the 

 Sraddkas (Apast ii. 7. 16. 26), and in the offering of an ox to the guest in the Grhya-sutras 



(San. ii. 15. 1; Asv. i. 24, 30-1 ; Parask, i. 3. 26, 7 ; Khadira iv. 4, 17 20; Gobhila iv. 

 10. 18-22; Hiranyakesin i. 4. 13, 10-13 ; Apastamba, v. 13, 15-16); cf. sat. br. iii. 

 4. 1. 2. For various reasons, chiefly for her high usefulness, the ideas about cowkilling 



