The name ‘Aghanya’ mentioned in many passages of the Rig Veda refers to:

The correct answer is C. In the Rig Veda, aghnya refers to cows, which were treated as inviolable. The word derives from the root han, to kill, so aghnya means ‘not to be slain’. Cattle were the chief measure of wealth in the pastoral economy, and the Rig Veda even uses gavishti, literally a search for cows, to mean war.

• Priest: Rigvedic priests are called rishi, kavi or similar terms, not aghnya.
• Women: Women are referred to with words such as yosha, nari or patni. Aghnya is not used for them.
• Brahmanas: Brahmana as a hereditary varna is a later development, and the term has no link to aghnya.

This belongs to the Rigvedic pastoral economy, a useful base for Mains questions on the shift from pastoralism to settled agriculture in the Later Vedic period and on the role of cattle in early Indian society.

Trap: Aspirants who recall that the Rig Veda has some sacred or protected categories often guess the priest or women option by elimination. The reliable route is to recall the root meaning of aghnya.