Learned colleagues,

Can anyone help me understand what is intended with paścāccharīra in connection with elephant cows in the following Kośakalpataru verse?

paścāccharīre kariṇāṃ striyāṃ tu

bhavej jarāyau carame'dhunārthe |

ārvāgbhave bhedyasamaṃ vadanti

dantacchade puṃsi tathādharaḥ syāt || 83 ||

Actually I am looking for potential synonyms of 'back(bone)' other than those found in kośa passages such as these:

- AK 2.5.667 syāc charīrāsthni kaṅkālaḥ pr̥ṣṭhāsthni tu kaśerukā

- AbhCM 627ab kapālakarparau tulyau pṛṣṭhasyāsthni kaśerukā |

- AbhiRM 632–634 asthīni dhātukīkasakulyāni bhavanti tulyāni || 632 || śarīrasyāsthi kaṅkālaṃ tathā syād asthipañjaram | śiraso'sthi karoṭiḥ syāt kapālaṃ śakalaṃ ca tat || 633 || śākhāsthi nalakaṃ proktaṃ pṛṣṭhasyāsthi kaseru ca |

- ŚRĀ asthi kulyaṁ kīkasañ ca kaṅkālo dehakīkase | kaśerukā kaśeruḥ strī pṛṣṭhāsthani bhaved dvayam ||

And more particularly words beginning with paścāt. I am wondering if paścāccharīra could be the word I am looking for.

By the way, since the relative (un)originality of MW data vs. PW/pw is occasionally at stake on this forum, I found it interesting to see that kaśeru(kā) in the meaning 'back(bone)' seems not to be recorded in pw (if I can rely on NWS) whereas MW does have a relevant entry.

Best wishes,

Arlo Griffiths