Die Kurus und Ihre Jungen Frauen

Authors

• Harry Falk

Abstract

This article deals with the initial sentence of ChUp 1.10, where one ritualist of the Kurus leaves his home because of problems with maṭacī, together with his āṭikā wife. On the basis of a parallel in the BhārGS, maṭacī is defined as a demon attacking women after delivery, while āṭikā seems to denote a girl before puberty. The attitude towards such young girls finds expression in the dharma-literature and in one Buddhist vinaya rule. There are conflicting tenets right from the times of the ChUp: some people regard preadolescent girls as sexually attractive, while others abhor such ideas.