On the Motif of the Horse in the Puranas

  

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Uccaisravas was one of the "treasures" drawn up in the churning of the ocean. 

The horse, along with the elephant, is one of the more familiar motifs in Puranic literature. The horse is a symbol of the lighter bronchi; of the conducting division of the lung. These come immediately after the bigger, heavier and more rigid ones (the "elephants"). Perhaps from the concept of the chariot the metaphor of the horse is more easily understood. As a puller of the chariot’s carriage, a horse pulls the chariot and draws it forward ; so also the lighter bronchial conduits extend the airways into the farthest and distalmost regions of the lung.

The horse and the bird seem to be near analogues with the latter standing, more properly, for the bronchioles but there could be some overlaps. While in both cases the role of the carrier is emphasized, in the case of the metaphor of the bird (which should be considerably lighter) the emphasis seems to be more on mobility. Strictly speaking, the horse perhaps refers to: segmental bronchi (most likely) / lighter bronchi / primary bronchiole.