Hastin


Hastin is a term for elephant used in Vedic texts. Other terms for elephant include Ibha and Vārana.

The elephant in the Rigveda

In Rig Veda 1.84.17 and 4.4.1. and probably other instances the Rig Veda seems to refer to elephants, an animal that is native to South Asia. It has been speculated that some of these verses might be references to domesticated elephants. In RV 1.64.7, 8.33.8 and 10.40.4, "wild" elephants are mentioned.

Mrga Hastin

In the Rigveda and in the Atharvaveda, the term is translated as elephant. In the Rig Veda, Mrga Hastin occurs in RV 1.64.7 and RV 4.16.14.

Ibha

.57.3 and RV 6.20.8 mention s, a term meaning "servant, domestics, household" according to Roth, Ludwig, Zimmer and other Indologists. Other scholars like Pischel and Karl Friedrich Geldner translate the term as elephant. According to Sayana, Mahidhara and the Nirukta, ibha is translated as elephant. Megasthenes and Nearchos also connect ibha with elephant. The term ibha is only used in the Samhitas, and especially in the Rig Veda.

Varana

Another term that may mean elephant is "Varana". According to Macdonell and Keith, "Varana" refers to elephants.

The elephant in other Hindu texts

The Akananuru and the Purananuru state that elephants were raised and trained in ancient Tamilagam's northern boundary of Venkatam hills Tirupati.