Dāsī

Dāsī, “a woman in service”

Grammar: feminine noun, of dāsa (one who serves).

Meaning: a woman in service; a maidservant.

In the scriptures: the Brahma Parva uses the word in the marks of women. A woman whose toes are very thin with round joints, or one who walks like a deer, becomes a dāsī, and a kanyā with a name that marks a dāsī should not be married (Brahma Parva, Chapter 5). A kanyā with thick feet, body hair on all limbs and thick hands will be a dāsī (Brahma Parva, Chapter 28). In the rule of gifts, a dāsī is handed over by touching her head (Uttara Parva, Chapter 151).

Sources

• Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapters 5, 28; Uttara Parva, Chapter 151