Previous Year Question

The economy of the early Rigvedic society was predominantly pastoral. Therefore, cattle, particularly the cow, constituted the most important measure of wealth and prosperity. The prosperity of an individual or a tribe was estimated by the number of cows in its possession.

The Rigveda contains numerous prayers for the acquisition of cows and cattle. The cow was not merely a source of milk and dairy products; it was also associated with exchange, gifts, sacrificial fees and economic status. IGNCA material on Vedic social and economic conditions describes cows and bullocks as the most valued possession of the Rigvedic Aryans and as the principal form of wealth.

The economic importance of the cow in Rigvedic society can also be understood from its vocabulary. The term ‘Gavishti’, used for battle or conflict, originally meant “a search for cows.” This indicates that conflicts between different tribes could also take place for the acquisition of cattle.

The cow was also important as a unit of economic value. Cattle were used in the exchange of commodities, and the cow had begun to function as a means of determining value. There are also references to cows being given to priests as Dakshina, or sacrificial fees.

In the early Rigvedic period, land had not yet become the principal basis of individual property, because society was still predominantly pastoral and the importance of agriculture increased more significantly during the Later Vedic period. Therefore, among the given options, the most valuable property was the cow.