Gavishti
Topic: The Vedic Age · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Gaviṣhṭi is a Ṛigvedic word for war or battle. It means "search for cows". The word shows how important cattle were in early Vedic society, where people lived mostly by herding animals. Cattle were the main form of wealth, so fights between janas (clans) often broke out over cattle. The chief was called gopati, "lord of cattle", because protecting and winning cattle was one of his main jobs.
Example
In the Ṛigveda, fights among the janas of the northwest, such as the Bharatas and Purus, are often linked with winning cattle. A daughter could be called duhitṛ, sometimes explained as "one who milks the cows". Like gaviṣhṭi, this shows that cattle were at the centre of daily life.
Don't confuse with
- Later Vedic warfare: in the later Vedic period (c. 1000–600 BCE), wars were fought more over land and territory, as janas settled into janapadas (territorial states). Gaviṣhṭi belongs to the earlier, herding-based stage.