snake & mongoose in ancient India

[Subrahmanya S.]

Dr.Witzels logic just doesnt seem right. Here's why:

>
>* Yt 5.129 is even  clearer:  "the female beaver is most beautiful, as it
>is most furry: the beaver is a water animal"   (yaT asti bawriS sraESta
>yatha yaT asti gaonO.t at ma, bawriS bauuaiti upApO)
>Note that the Avest. text already has to give an explanatory note!
>
If the explanatory note has to mention that it is a water animal, that
means that some (mistakenly) consider it to be NOT a water animal.  As you
yourself mentioned the mongoose is not a water animal.
So the possibility of mongoose > beaver remains.


>But, beavers occur *even now* in Central Asia, as a look in Grzimek's
>encyclopedia will show.
>And may very well have been more prominent in prehistoric, still  more
>wooded Afghanistan, (see Alexander's campaigns),  along its "swiftly
>running rivers, with their many floods" as the Avesta says.
>
This could be the Punjab as well.

I suggest that you rethink your logic and try to come up with a better
answer.

Regards,
Subrahmanya

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