Vamsha-vrashchana

[Deshpande, Madhav]

In one of the Upanishadic texts (sorry I don't have the books at hand), we hear: vRkSo vRkNo rohati mUlAn navataraH punaH : "A pruned tree grows again better than new from the [same roots]."  I suppose, your term vraschana refers to the practice of pruning, but I don't exactly know what it would mean in reference to vamsha in the sense of a family-line.  Best,

Madhav M. Deshpande




-----Original Message-----
From: Indology on behalf of Simon Brodbeck
Sent: Sun 4/13/2008 9:54 AM
To: INDOLOGY at liverpool.ac.uk
Subject: Vamsha-vrashchana
 
Dear colleagues,

In the Kathaka Samhita 30.2 (= Kapishthala Katha Samhita 45.5) of the Black 
Yajur Veda there is mention of a vamsha-vrashchana -- a cutting of the 
bamboo or patriline -- performed by Keshin Dalbhya, with the result that the 
number of Panchalas was trebled. This is noted by Petteri Koskikallio on p. 
310 of his article on Baka Dalbhya (Studia Orientalia [Helsinki] vol. 85, 
1999).

Does anyone know of any mentions of this vamsha-vrashchana elsewhere, or 
have any ideas of what exactly it might be? In horticultural contexts, 
cutting the main stem would promote extra growth in side-branches; and vice 
versa.

Many thanks in advance,

Simon Brodbeck

Research Associate, SOAS, University of London.