aghā

aghā́ (ā́s), f. pl. the constellation usually called Maghā, RV. x, 85, 13.

Aghā. — In the wedding hymn of the Rigveda¹ it is said that

cows are slain in the Aghās, and the wedding takes place at the

Arjunīs (dual). The Atharvaveda² has the ordinary Maghās

instead. It is impossible to resist the conclusion that the read-

ing of the Rigveda was deliberately altered because of the con-

nection of the slaughter of kine with sin (agha) — possibly, too,

with a further desire to emphasize the contrast with aghnyā,

a name for ‘cow.’ Moreover, in the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa³

occurs the formula ‘Svāhā to the Maghās, Svāhā to the

Anaghās.’ See also Nakṣatra. [Footnote] 1) x. 85, 13. [Footnote] 2) xiv. 1, 13. [Footnote] 3) iii. 1, 4, 8.

Cf. Weber, Naxatra, 2, 364; Pro-

ceedings of the Berlin Academy, 1894,

804; Jacobi, Festgruss an Roth, 69;

Winternitz, Das altindische Hochzeits-

rituell, 32; Whitney, Translation of the

Atharvaveda, 742; Thibaut, Indian

Antiquary, 24, 95.