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Ants are referred to even in the Rig Veda, oldest book in the world. Atharvana Veda also mentioned them. Later we see them in the epics.
Funeral Hymn of Rig Veda says,
5. Again, O Agni, to the Fathers send him who, offered in thee, goes with our oblations.
Wearing new life let him increase his offspring: let him rejoin a body, Jatavedas.
6. What wound soe’er the dark bird hath inflicted, the emmet, or the serpent, or the jackal,
May Agni who devoureth all things heal it and Soma who hath passed into the Brahmans. Rig Veda 10-16
Emmet means ANTS in English; an archaic word.
यत्ते॑ कृ॒ष्णः श॑कु॒न आ॑तु॒तोद॑ पिपी॒लः स॒र्प उ॒त वा॒ श्वाप॑दः । अ॒ग्निष्टद्वि॒श्वाद॑ग॒दं कृ॑णोतु॒ सोम॑श्च॒ यो ब्रा॑ह्म॒णाँ आ॑वि॒वेश॑ ॥
यत्ते कृष्णः शकुन आतुतोद पिपीलः सर्प उत वा श्वापदः । अग्निष्टद्विश्वादगदं कृणोतु सोमश्च यो ब्राह्मणाँ आविवेश ॥
yat te kṛṣṇaḥ śakuna ātutoda pipīlaḥ sarpa uta vā śvāpadaḥ | agniṣ ṭad viśvād agadaṃ kṛṇotu somaś ca yo brāhmaṇām̐ āviveśa ||
English translation:
“Should the black crow, the ant, the snake, the wild beast, harm (a limb) of you, may Agni theall-devourer, and the Soma that has pervaded the brāhmaṇas, make it whole.”
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Ants in Atharvana Veda
Pipiilikaa
7-56-7; 20-134-6
The emmets (ANTS) make a meal of thee and peahens tear and mangle
thee:
All ye are crying out, In sooth the scorpion’s poison hath no
strength.
8Thou creature who inflictest wounds both with thy mouth and
with thy tail,
No poison in thy mouth hast thou: what at thy tail’s root will
there be?- A V 7-56-7
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Here are we sitting east and west and north and south, with
waters. Bottle-gourd vessels.
2Here east and west and north and south sit the calves sprinkling
Curds and oil. p. 371
3Here east and west and north and south the offering of rice
clings on. The leaf of the Asvattha tree.
4Here east and west and north and south adheres when touched.
That water-drop.
5Here east and west and north and south in iron mayst thou not
be caught. The cup.
6Here east and west and north and south fain would it clasp what
would not clasp. Emmet (ANTS) hole. A V 20-134-6
Later we find it in many Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads.
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Varahamihira in Brhat samhita
Varahamihira gives lot of tips to find underground water through Ant hills. Many slokas in the chapter of Water Divination locate the water sources near ant hills. He also gives the names of trees which indicate underground water. Hindu have studied the subject very well.
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Following is my old article on Ants in Ramayana
Story of Two Ants in Ramayana (Post No.9739)
WRITTEN BY LONDON SWAMINATHAN
Post No. 9739
Date uploaded in London – –15 JUNE 2021
There is an interesting story in Ramayana about two ants. Kamban, the great author , who rendered Valmiki Ramayana in Tamil, hints at it in the Ayodhya Kanda/ canto. Kamban puts the words Erumbin Kathaiyal / ‘the lady of two ants story’ in the mouth of lamenting King Dasaratha. He was the one who gave two boons to Kaikeyi, one of his three queens. Kaikeyi, using the boons sent Rama to forest and got the kingship for her own son Bharat.
In this context Dasaratha was complaining about Kaikeyi to his chief queen Kausalya. The words Erumbin Kathaiyal/ ‘Lady of Ants’ brings out the background of Kaikeyi. Strangely Hindu epics dont give the birth names of Queens. They are always named after their countries or cities,
Gandhari from Kandahar/ Gandhara of Afghanistan
Kunti from the kingdom of Kunti
Kaikeyi from Kekaya kingdom in Afghanistan /Iran border
Kausalya is from Koshala
Mythili is from the city of Mithila and so on.
Kaikeyi is from the country of Kekaya, where her father Asvapati was ruling. It happened in the life of Asvapati . One day while he was in bed with his beloved queen, he laughed wildly. The queen got annoyed and became suspicious. She asked her husband Asvapati what made him to laugh at the dead of night in the bed. She added further that he was mocking at her. Asvapati pacified her and told that he listened to the talk of two ants under his bed and burst into laughter about their conversation.
One in a billion gets the power of knowing the language of animals, Hindus believe. In Tamil Periya Purana, we know that Kazatrarivar and Aanayanar knew the language of the animals. So do the great Hindu emperor Vikramaditya.
When Asvapati explained it to his wife, the queen, she was not ready to believe him and so she insisted that he must disclose the joke that the ants exchanged. Asvapati told her that the seer who taught him the language told him that he should never disclose it to anyone. Violating the code would result in his death. Even after this, she insisted that he gives the secret conversation of two ants under the bed. He asked her for time so that he could consult the saint who gave him the power.
When he consulted him, he told Asvapati to banish the queen and that was what Asvapati did.
On the background of this old anecdote, Dasaratha condemned Kaikeyi with the words Ant Story Lady. What he meant was hereditary was more powerful than environment. Her genetics worked more than the acceptable law. According to law, the eldest , in this case Rama, should become king. Moreover she knew that Rama’s exile will shorten the life of Dasaratha , but she didn’t care like Asvapati’s wife, who was the mother of Kaikeyi.
Here we come across a scientific fact in genetics which is known to our forefathers. Another fact that animal languages are understood by humans. In fact Dirgatamas, the blind poet of the oldest book in the world the Rigveda, reveals that there are four levels of sound and humans understand only the fourth level. It is in R V 1-164.
So, scientists in future may find one day what Hindus knew thousands of years before our time.
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In Tamil Sangam Literature- சங்க இலக்கியத்தில் எறும்புகள்
Valmiki , the great author of Ramayana in Sanskrit , meant Ant Hill. When the hunter turned saint did penance, Ant Hill grew around him and hence the name Mr Ant Hill (Vaalmiikii). Sangam Books also has a poet with the same name.
Akam 377-3; (339); Kuru -12-1; Puram – 173-7; Pathitru – 30-38
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கோடை நீடலின், வாடு புலத்து உக்க
சிறு புல் உணவு, நெறி பட மறுகி,
நுண் பல் எறும்பி கொண்டு அளைச் செறித்த
வித்தா வல்சி, வீங்கு சிலை, மறவர்
பல் ஊழ் புக்குப் பயன் நிரை கவர,–அகநானூறு 377
The man who is going to distant places calls his mind.
Ants moving in row gather grains fallen from the grasses due to hot sun in summer.
The robbing people in arid track make use of the grain for their food.
The rich peoples of the village migrated to some other places having affected by the robbery of grass-grain eating poor peoples.
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இருதலைக் கொள்ளி இதை நின்று வருந்தி,–அகநானூறு 369
In the state of an ant at the centre of a fire brand burning on both sides
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எறும்பி அளையின் குறும் பல் சுனைய
உலைக்கல் அன்ன பாறை ஏறி,
கொடு வில் எயினர், பகழி மாய்க்கும்–குறுந்தொகை 12
Just some description of Nature; The rocks look like ant hills; and the holes on it look like small ponds.
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யான் வாழும் நாளும் பண்ணன் வாழிய!
……….
பொய்யா எழிலி பெய்விடம் நோக்கி, 5
முட்டை கொண்டு வன் புலம் சேரும்
சிறு நுண் எறும்பின் சில் ஒழுக்கு ஏய்ப்ப,
சோறுடைக் கையர் வீறு வீறு இயங்கும்– புறநானூறு 173
There lives a doctor who gives medicine to the disease called Hunger. Children are carrying food like the ants carrying eggs towards high places indicating rain will come soon.
In Pthitruppaththu 30-38 we read, “the food thrown to fierce goddess is scattered on ground in blood red colour. Not even the ants and ghosts dare to touch them”.
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Neethi neri venbaa
It is a book with didactic verses from the modern period . Here the poet describes the wealth of the rich is useful to the poor as well like the food morsels given to elephant scatter and helped the ants to eat them.
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Tamils have beautiful proverbs on Ants:
எறும்பு ஊர கல்லுந் தேயும்.
erumbu uura kallunth theyum (pronunciation)
“Even ants can wear out rocks.” (Hard work can accomplish any task)
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”எறும்பு முட்டை கொண்டு திட்டை ஏறினால் மழை வரும் ‘
If ants carry eggs and climb to higher places, rain will pour down
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எறும்பு முதல் யானை வரை
From ant to elephant (all living beings)
யானை முதலா எறும்பீறாய- திருவாசகம் 4-11
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ஈ எறும்பு கூட நுழைய முடியாது
Not a fly or ant can enter (Very Tight Security)
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இருதலைக் கொள்ளி எறும்பு போல
In the state of an ant at the centre of a fire brand burning on both sides
இருதலைக் கொள்ளியினுள் எறும்பொத்து — திருவாசகம் 6-33
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நெய்க்குடந்தன்னை எறும்பெனவே -திருவாசகம் 6-96
Seeking gain not, like ants that noiseless round the oil jar warm
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எறும்பிடை நாங்க்கூழ் எனப் புலனால் திருவாசகம் 6-97
Like worm in the midst of ants, by senses gnawed and troubled sore
Throughout devotional literature wee see such age old proverbs .
—subham–
Tags- Kaikeyi Story, Ants, Vedas, Sangam Literature, Tamil Proverbs, Ants in Hinduism – Part Two
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