Most Ancient Aryan Society

Author(s): Ram Chandra Jain
Publisher: Institute of Bharatalogical Research Sriganganagar Rajasthan

Page 193

( 166 ) sense of restraining. Uşā may be traced to Duchchha in sense of brightening, shining' or to Vas in the sense of 'love'. Its Europāryan parallel is us to brighten' and Avestic parallel is usaiti—be brighten up',' Those shining, bright and loving ladies who brightened up the youth of the Gaņa wers called Uşās. Yaska etymoliges the word “usa' from the Rgvedic Rc 1.16.8.1 wherein ‘uşā' is described as the most excellent luminary of all luminaries, the wounderful and diffusive manifester. Uşās loved the whole world and whole world loved them. The ordinary women who had “restrained beauty ; less shining, less bright and less brightening were called Yoşās. The sense here clearly is that all males and all females met together with one mind, with unanimity having singleness of plan and purpose. Yāşka has taken the epithet “Samaneva Yoşa’ from the Rgvedic Ķc 4.5.13.8. He appears to be wrong in taking the principal word as 'Samanā.' This may well be Samana. 'Samanā' is an adjective and does not connote an institution. This fits in well with the historical context. It may be that during the seventh century B. C., when Yāşka flourished, people might have begun to deride the primitive Samana institution which might have forced him to give an unreal and different interpretation to suit his times. Samana' is a proper noun, not an adjectival epithet of Yoşa. Samana signifies 'Communal Festival' where all partaking members of the community were of one mind. Sāyaṇa, following Yāşka, interprets the word "Samaneva' as 'Samānamanaskāḥ'. Wilson translates this word as 'devoted' and 'Yoşa' as wife. Word 'Pati' does not occur in the hymn. Sāyaņa and Wilson have wrongly imported the word 'Pati' in the sense of husband in their commentary and translation respectively. Yoşa does not mean a wedded wife but, as