20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

476 SHRIKANT S. BAHULKARhim, paidva is known among the folks by the name taliṇī and its colourresembles that of gold or it is of variegated colour (paidvaṁ kīṭakaṁ taliṇī'tiloke prasiddhā [...] paidvaṁ hiraṇyavarṇasadṛśaḥ kīṭaś citrito vā sa paidvaity ucyate, Keśava Paddhati, p. 163-64). Although the insect described bythese commentators is not identified, it is clear that they substitute it forthe horse, for that insect also possesses the power of removing the poisonof serpents. Incidentally, it may also be noted that P.C. BAGCHI (1933:263-265), and following him, M.K. DHAVALIKAR (1974: 274-275),argue that the word pedu is of non-Aryan origin, and connect it with pilu-‘elephant’.While it is impossible at this stage to identify paidva mentioned in theKauśS, it can however be said that the Atharvavedins have utilised the wellknown myth of the horse of Pedu for their ritual involving the remedy forsnake's poison. The hymn in question does not indicate any kind of insectand presumably aims at merely invoking the mythical horse that is supposedto kill the serpents and also remove the poison. The remedy prescribed bythe KauśS is restricted to removing the snake's poison and not actuallykilling the serpents. At the time of KauśS, there must have existed somefolk remedies that were used for removing the effect of snake's poison.The Sūtra does not explain what it meant by paidva, whether an insect or aherb. It seems that the substance was well known by the name paidva. Thecommentators however assume that it is an insect and try to identify thesame. The epithet ahihan- plays a key role in this context. It first makesthe horse of Pedu one possessing the power equal to that of Indra who killsAhi. The myth of the horse of Pedu in the ṚV may be called a primarymyth. In the AVŚ (10.4), we find its extension to some creature with thename Paidva, creating a secondary myth, making Paidva equal to the horseof Pedu that possesses the power to kill the serpents. In the stage of theKauśS, the insect or some other substance, called Paidva, is utilized as theremedy for removing the snake's poison, thus elevating the folk remedy tothe status the ritual that has the basis of a well known myth.In the AVŚ, we find a number of instances where the ritual has aconnection with some myth. For example, in the famous yet puzzling hymnof the ṚV, the asyavāmīya, there is a reference to the smoke of dung thatthe seer sees from a distance (ṚV 1. 164.43= AVŚ 9.10.25). In the AVŚ(6.128.1), the word śakadhūma, ‘one of the dung-smoke’, occurs as thename of some celestial object that the constellations made as their king.The KauśS (50.13) employs the hymn in a rite for weather forecast. HereŚakadhūma is a weather-prophet who predicts the weather and also controlsit. Here also, we find the three stages of the myth. A myth of the demons