saras 2

[Jan E.M. Houben]

On Tue, 9 Jun 1998 "Dominique.Thillaud" wrote (on Nirukta  2.23 on vAc and
sarasvatI):

>Dear Beatrice,
>. . . Despite the "With reference to these", it seems we have a big break
>in the reasoning, between 'speech' and 'river'/'deity'. Even if we read
>"vAc (deity)" and if we suppose a metonymy vAc/sarasvatI (both deities),
>the 'river' is still far. An ellipsis of the metaphor 'speech'/'river'? Are
>you (or someone else) in a position to explain this?

Note that sarasvatI is also a (meaningful) proper name of a cow, already in the
Rgveda: Cf. in the so-called "riddle hymn" RV 1.164 verse 49:
ya's te sta'naH . . . sa'rasvati ta'm iha dhA'tave kaH.
"This everflowing teat/udder of thine . . . Sarasvati, make it here ready to be
sucked."
The verse is pronounced when the calf is brought near the cow to stimulate the
flow of milk (of which the calf gets only a part: the rest is for the Pravargya
offering). The employment of the verse by the father when he gives his new born
baby to the mother for breast-feeding (e.g. pAraskaragRhyasUtra 1.16.21) is
clearly secondary. The cow is in the Rgveda and in later text a frequent
metaphor of speech, e.g. in the same "riddle hymn" 1.164 verses 41-42 (here a
buffalo-cow however: gaurI'). Cf. further J. Gonda, pUSan and sarasvatI,
Amsterdam 1985 (e.g. p. 35ff, 44ff).

greetings, JH