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The Historical Identity of the Vedic Aryans

 

 

We have examined the chronology and geography of the Rigveda, and

seen the expansion of the Vedic Aryans from their original, homeland

in the east to the west and northwest.

 

 

But a basic question that remains is: who exactly were these Vedic

Aryans and what was their historical identity?

 

 

According to the scholars, the Vedic Aryans were a branch of the

Indo-Iranians of Central Asia; and these Indo-Iranians were

themselves a branch of the Indo-Europeans of South Russia.

 

 

That is, the Indo-Europeans were originally a people in South

Russia; one branch of these Indo-Europeans, the Indo-Iranians,

migrated towards the east and settled down in Central Asia; much

later, one branch of these Indo-Iranians, the Indoaryans, migrated

southeastwards into the northwestern parts of India; and thus

commenced the story of the Aryans in India.

 

 

These Indoaryans are called Vedic Aryans since they composed the

hymns of the Rigveda during the period of their earliest settlements

in the northwest and the Punjab, before they came into contract with

other parts of India.

 

 

These Vedic Aryans were faceless and anonymous groups of people,

whose only historical identity is that they were the ultimate

ancestors of the different tribes, peoples, priestly families and

royal dynasties found throughout the Sanskrit texts.

 

 

But all this is the version of the scholars. As we have already

seen, the scholars are wrong in their fundamental proposition that

the Vedic Aryans moved into India from the northwest. They are also

wrong in their conclusions about the historical identity of the

Vedic Aryans:

 

 

The Vedic Aryans were not the ultimate ancestors of the different

tribes and peoples found in the Sanskrit texts: they were in fact

just one of these tribes and peoples. They have a definite

historical identity: the Vedic Aryans were the PUrus of the ancient

texts.

 

 

And, in fact, the particular Vedic Aryans of the Rigveda were one

section among these PUrus, who called themselves Bharatas.

 

 

F.E. Pargiter, the eminent western analyst of India's traditional

history, came close to making this identification when he remarked

that "the bulk of the Rigveda was composed in the great development

of Brahmanism that arose under the successors of king Bharata who

reigned in the upper Ganges-Jumna doab and plain".1 And when he

noted, in referring to the kings identified in the PurANas as the

kings of North PañcAla, that "they and their successors are the

kings who play a prominent part in the Rigveda".Ih?2

 

 

Unfortunately, Pargiter went off at a tangent, consciously trying to

identify the presence of Aryans, Dravidians and Austrics among the

tribes and dynasties in the PurANas; and thereby missed out on

clinching the identification which is so crucial to an

understanding. of Vedic, Indian and Indo-European history.

 

 

We will examine the evidence, identifying the PUrus, and among them

the Bharatas, as the Vedic Aryans of the Rigveda, under the

following heads:

 

I. The Kings and Tribes in the Rigveda.

II. The RSis and Priestly Families in the Rigveda.

Ill. The Aryas in the Rigveda.

 

 

I

THE KINGS AND TRIBES IN THE RIGVEDA

 

We will examine the evidence under the following heads:

A. The Kings in the Rigveda.

B. The Tribes in the Rigveda.

 

I.A. The Kings in the Rigveda

 

 

As we have seen in our chapter on the chronology of the Rigveda, the

predominant dynasty in the Rigveda is the dynasty of DevavAta, one

of the descendants of the ancient king Bharata.

 

 

The kings in this dynasty, as we have already seen, are:

 

DevavAta

SRnjaya

VadhryaSva

DivodAsa

Pratardana

Pijavana

DevaSravas

SudAs

Sahadeva

Somaka

 

 

These kings are Bharatas, but they are also PUrus: according to the

PurANas, the Bharatas are a branch of the PUrus; and this is

confirmed in the Rigveda, where both DivodAsa (I.130.7) and SudAs

(I.63.7) are called PUrus, and where the Bharata composer Parucchepa

DaivodAsI repeatedly speaks as a PUru (I.129.5; 131.4).

 

 

Some other names of kings in the Rigveda who appear in the Puranic

lists as PUru kings (some belonging to the Bharata dynasty of

DevavAta, and some not) are:

 

AjamILha (IV.44.6).

Dhvasra/Dhvasanti and PuruSanti (I.112.23; IX.58.3).

(SuSanti and PurujAti of the Puranic lists.)

Mudgala (X.102.2, 5, 6, 9).

RkSa (VIII.68.15, 16; 74.4, 13).

Srutarvan (VIII.74.4, 13; X.49.5).

Vidathin (IV.16.13; V.29.11).

Santanu (X.98.1, 3, 7).

KuSika (III.26.1).

 

 

Incidentally, the other Veda SaMhitAs also refer to the following

prominent PUru kings:

 

BhImasena of KASI (Yajurveda, KAThaka SaMhitA, VII.1.8)

ParIkSita I (Atharvaveda, XX.127.7-10)

PratIpa (Atharvaveda, XX.129.2)

VicitravIrya (Yajurveda, KAThaka SaMhitA, X.6)

DhRtarASTra (Yajurveda, KAThaka SaMhitA, X.6)

 

 

The only other prominent dynasty in the Rigveda is the TRkSi dynasty

of MandhAtA, identifiable as a branch of the IkSvAkus of the

PurANas.

 

The kings of this dynasty, as we have already seen, are:

MandhAtA

Purukutsa

Trasadasyu

 

 

These kings are not PUrus; but they are accorded a special position

in the Rigveda only because of the special aid given by them to the

PUrus.

 

 

According to the PurANas, MandhAtA's father was an IkSvAku king, but

his mother was a PUru, being the daughter of a PUru king MatInAra.

Moreover, the PurANas record that the Druhyus, who, in the earliest

pre-Rigvedic period, were inhabitants of the Punjab, were pressing

eastwards onto the PUrus. In this context, MandhAtA moved

westwards, confronted the invading hordes of Druhyus, defeated them,

and drove them out into Afghanistan and beyond.

 

 

The Rigveda itself records (I.63.7; VI.20.10) that Indra, through

Purukutsa, rendered help to the PUrus in a war against the DAsa

tribes; and VII.19.3 refers to Indra aiding the PUrus, through

Trasadasyu, in "winning land and slaying foemen". IV.38.1,

likewise, thanks Mitra and Varuna for the help which

Trasadasyu, "the winner of our fields and ploughlands, and the

strong smiter who subdued the Dasyus", rendered to the PUrus.

 

 

It may be noted that most scholars, on the basis of these

references, even go so far as to classify Purukutsa and Trasadasyu

themselves as PUrus.

 

 

The only other kings of identifiable dynasty who are classifiable as

heroes in the Rigveda (as distinct from kings who are merely praised

in dAnastutis on account of liberal gifts given by them to the RSis

concerned: such liberal donors or patrons include DAsas and PaNis,

as in VIII.46.32 and VI.45.31) are AbhyAvartin CAyamAna and

VItahavya.

 

 

AbhyAvartin CAyamAna is an Anu king, and he clearly appears as a

hero in VI.27. However, it is equally clear that this is only

because he is an ally of the Bharata king SRnjaya: his descendant

Kavi CAyamAna who appears (though not in Griffith's translation) in

VII.18.9 as an enemy of the Bharata king SudAs, is referred to in

hostile terms.

 

 

VItahavya is a Yadu, and he is referred to in VI.15.2, 3 and

VII.19.2 (and also in the Atharvaveda VI.137.1). However, nothing

more is known about him in the Rigveda; and it may be noted that he

is associated in VI.15 with BharadvAja, the priest of the Bharata

king DivodAsa, and again remembered in passing (though not in

Griffith's translation) in the context of the Bharata king SudAs'

battle with the ten kings.

 

 

Clearly, the only kings that really matter in the Rigveda are the

kings of the PUrus (and, in particular, of the Bharatas); and the

only non-PUru kings who matter are those closely aligned with the

PUrus or those to whom the PUrus as a race are deeply indebted.

 

I.B. The Tribes in the Rigveda

 

 

Traditional history knows of many different streams of tribes or

peoples, but the two main streams are of those belonging to the

Solar Race of the IkSvAkus, and those belonging to the Lunar Race of

the AiLas. The AiLas are further divided into five main branches:

the Yadus, TurvaSas, Druhyus, Anus and PUrus.

 

 

The Rigveda is little concerned with the IkSvAkus as a people,

inspite of the fact that the second most important dynasty in the

Rigveda (but only, as we have seen, because of the aid given by the

kings of this dynasty to the PUrus) is that of the TRkSis, a branch

of the IkSvAkus.

 

 

The word IkSvAku itself occurs only once in the Rigveda as a name of

the Sun (X.60.4).

 

 

The word TRkSi occurs only twice, once in a list of enumeration of

tribes or peoples (VI.46.8), and once as an epithet of Trasadasyu's

son (VIII.22.7).

 

 

The Five branches of the AiLas, however, are referred to much more

frequently.

 

 

Some of these references are those in which various tribes or

peoples are merely enumerated (or in which the tribes serve as

pointers of direction):

 

a. I.108.8: Yadus, TurvaSas, Druhyus, Anus, PUrus.

b. VIII.10.5: Yadus, TurvaSas, Druhyus, Anus.

c. VI.46.8: Druhyus, PUrus, (and TRkSis).

d. VIII.4.1: Anus, TurvaSas.

e. I.47.7: TurvaSas.

 

 

But the other references to these five peoples, more concrete in

nature, are quite conclusive in establishing the identity of the

Vedic Aryans with the PUrus:

 

Anus and Druhyus

 

 

The Anus and Druhyus (apart from the above-mentioned enumerations of

tribes or peoples) are referred to only in a few verses:

Anus: V.31.4;

VI. 62.9;

VII. 18.13, 14;

VIII. 74.4.

Druhyus: VII. 18.6, 12, 14.

 

 

It is significant that most of these references are hostile

references, in which Anus and Druhyus feature as enemies: VI.62.9:

VII.18.6, 12-14.

 

 

Only two verses (both refering to the Anus) are more ambiguous:

 

 

a. In V.31.4, the Anus are described as manufacturing a chariot for

Indra. The reference is clearly to the BhRgus who (as we have

already seen in earlier chapters, and will see in greater detail in

the chapter on the Indo-Iranian homeland) were the priests of the

people who lived to the northwest of the Vedic Aryans: i.e. of the

Anus, who lived to the northwest of the PUrus. Griffith himself

puts it as follows in his footnote: "Anus: probably meaning BhRgus

who belonged to that tribe."

 

 

This identity of the Anus and BhRgus is clear in VII.18: verse 14

refers to the Anus and Druhyus, while verse 6 refers to the BhRgus

and Druhyus.

 

 

Likewise, while V.31.4 describes the Anus as manufacturing a chariot

for Indra, IV.16.20 refers to the BhRgus as manufacturing a chariot

for Indra.

 

 

b. VIII.74.4 refers to Agni as Agni of the Anus: this again is

probably a reference to the fact that the BhRgus are credited with

the introduction of fire.

 

 

The verse in question, in any case, does not refer to any Anu king

or person, it refers to the PUru king Srutarvan, son of RkSa.

 

 

It is clear from these references that the Anus and Druhyus are not

identifiable with the Vedic Aryans.

 

Yadus and TurvaSas

 

 

The Yadus and TurvaSas (apart from the verses which enumerate tribes

or peoples) are referred to in many verses (often together):

 

Yadus and TurvaSas:

I. 36.18; 54.6; 174.9;

IV. 30.17;

V. 31.8;

VI. 20.12; 45.1;

VII. 19.8;

VIII. 4.7; 7.18; 9.14; 45.27;

IX. 61.2;

X. 49.8; 62.10.

 

Yadus:

VIII. 1.31;6.46, 48.

 

TurvaSas:

VI. 27.7;

VII. 18.6;

VIII. 4.19.

 

 

But these references make it very clear that the Yadus and TurvaSas

are not identifiable with the Vedic Aryans:

 

 

a. The two peoples appear to be located at a great distance from the

land of the Vedic Aryans: they are described as coming "from afar"

(I.36.18; VI.45.1), from "the further bank" (V.31.8) and "over the

sea" (VI.20.12). Some of the verses refer to the Gods "bringing"

them across flooded rivers (I.174.9; IV.30.17).

 

 

b. The very fact, that inspite of being two distinct tribes of the

five, they are overwhelmingly more often referred to in tandem, is

evidence of the fact that their individuality is blurred and they

are thought of as a pair. This is definitely a measure of their

distant location from the Vedic Aryans.

 

 

Even among the six verses which refer to only one of the two,

VI.27.7 refers to the TurvaSas alongwith the VRcIvans, who are Yadus

(cf. VRjinIvant of the traditional dynastic lists).

 

 

c. Four of the references to the Yadus and TurvaSas are definitely

hostile ones, in which they figure as enemies of the Vedic Aryans:

VI.27.7; VII.18.6; 19.8; IX.61.2.

 

 

d. Although there are so many references to the Yadus and TurvaSas,

the majority of them refer to just two historical incidents in which

(as in the case of Purukutsa and Trasadasyu) the Yadus and TurvaSas

appear to have come to the aid of the Vedic Aryans (thereby making

it clear that they were not always enemies of the Vedic Aryans;

unlike the Druhyus, and, to a slightly lesser extent, the Anus).

 

 

The first incident is clearly a very old one, in which Indra is

credited with bringing the Yadus and TurvaSas safely over flooded

rivers: I.174.9; IV.30.17; V.31.8; VI.20.12; 45.1.

 

 

The second incident, in which the Yadus came to the aid of the

KaNvas in fighting their enemies, in response to an appeal contained

in I.36.18 (in which they are called "from afar" to come to the aid

of KaNva), is referred to in I.36.18; 54.6; VIII.4.7; 7.18; 9.14;

45.27; X.49.8.

 

 

e. All the other references (apart from the hostile references and

the references to the two historical incidents) are merely

references in dAnastutis (and, as we have seen, even DAsas and PaNis

are praised in such circumstances) in VIII.1.31; 4.19; 6.46, 48;

X.62.10.

 

PUrus:

 

 

The references to the PUrus, on the other hand, make it very clear

that the PUrus, and in particular the Bharatas among them, are the

Vedic Aryans, the People of the Book in the literal sense.

 

The Bharatas are referred to in the following verses:

I. 96.3;

II. 7.1, 5; 36.2;

III. 23.2; 33.11, 12; 53.12, 24;

IV. 25.4;

V. 11.1; 54.14;

VI.16.19, 45;

VII.8.4; 33.6.

 

The references are very clear:

 

 

a. In many verses, even Gods are referred to as Bharatas: Agni in

I.96.3; II.7.1, 5; IV.25.4, and VI.16.9; and the Maruts in II.36.2.

 

 

b. In other verses, Agni is described as belonging to the Bharatas:

III.23.2; V.11.1; VI.16.45; VII.8.4.

 

 

c. In the other references to the Bharatas (III.33.11, 12; 53.12,

24; V.54.14; VII.33.6) it is clear that they are the unqualified

heroes of the hymns.

 

 

There is not a single reference even faintly hostile to the Bharatas

in the whole of the Rigveda.

 

 

The PUrus (apart from the verses which enumerate tribes or peoples)

are referred to in the following verses:

I.59.6; 63.7; 129.5; 130.7; 131.4;

IV.21.10; 38.1, 3; 39.2;

V.17.1;

VI.20.10;

VII.5.3; 8.4; 18.13; 19.3; 96.2;

VIII.64.10;

X.4.1; 48.5.

 

 

The references make it very clear that the PUrus are being referred

to in a first-person sense:

 

a. The Vedic Gods are clearly identified as the Gods of the PUrus:

 

 

Agni is described as a "fountain" to the PUrus (X.4.1), a "priest"

who drives away the sins of the PUrus (I.129.5), the Hero who is

worshipped by the PUrus (1.59.6), the protector of the sacrifices of

the PUrus (V.17.1), and the destroyer of enemy castles for the PUrus

(VII.5.3).

 

 

Mitra and Varuna are described as affording special aid in battle

and war to the PUrus, in the form of powerful allies and mighty

steeds (IV.38.1, 3; 39.2).

 

 

Indra is identified as the God to whom the PUrus sacrifice in order

to gain new favours (VI.20.10), and for whom the PUrus shed Soma

(VIII.64.10). Indra gives freedom to the PUrus by slaying VRtra

(IV.21.10), helps the PUrus in battle (VII.19.3), and breaks down

enemy castles for the PUrus (I.63.7; 130.7; 131.4).

 

 

Indra even speaks to the PUrus and asks them to sacrifice to him

alone, promising in return his friendship, protection and generosity

(X.48.5.). In a Biblical context, this would have been a testimony

of "God's covenant" with the People of the Book.

 

 

b. It is generally accepted by the scholars that the SarasvatI

represents the geographical heartland of the Vedic Aryan

civilization. SarasvatI is invoked (alongwith two other Goddesses

who, as we have seen in our chapter on the Geography of the Rigveda,

were deities of places close to the banks of the SarasvatI) in the

AprI-sUktas of all the ten families of composers of hymns in the

Rigveda.

 

 

It becomes clear, in VII.96.2, that the SarasvatI was a PUru river,

and it flowed through PUru lands. The river is addressed with the

words: "The PUrus dwell, Beauteous One, on thy two grassy banks."

 

 

c. The identity of the PUrus with the Vedic Aryans is so

unmistakable, that the line between "PUru" and "Man" is distinctly

blurred in the Rigveda:

 

 

Griffith, for example, sees fit to translate the word PUru as "Man"

in at least five verses: I.129.5; 131.4; IV.21.10; V.171.1; X.4.1.

 

 

The Rigveda itself, in no uncertain terms, identifies the PUrus in

VIII.64.10 with "mankind": PUrave… mAnave jane.

 

 

In fact, the Rigveda goes so far as to coin a word PUruSa/PuruSa

(descendant of PUru) for "man", on the lines of the word manuSa

(descendant of Manu).

 

 

While the word ManuSa for "man" is representative of a general Indo-

European word with counterparts in other Indo-European branches

(Germanic, as in English "man"), the word PUruSa/PuruSa is purely

Rigvedic in origin: the word is found in the Rigveda in 28 verses,

of which 17 are found in the late MaNDala X. Of the 11 verses in the

other nine MaNDalas, 9 are by the priests of SudAs and his

descendant Somaka (i.e. by ViSvAmitra, VasiSTha, Kutsa and

VAmadeva). The word, therefore, was clearly coined during the

period of SudAs, and gained increasing currency during the period of

composition of the Rigvedic hymns.

 

 

d. There are two verses in which the PUrus are referred to in

hostile terms: VII.8.4; 18.3.

 

 

Far from disproving the general scenario, however, these references

only further confirm the point that the Bharatas, themselves a

branch of the PUrus, were the particular Vedic Aryans of the

Rigveda: both the verses refer to conflict between the Bharatas and

the other PUrus.

 

 

In VII.8.4. "Bharata's Agni" is described as conquering the PUrus in

battle.

 

 

In VII.18.3, VasiSTha, speaking on behalf of the Bharata king SudAs,

addresses Indra with the plea: "May we, in sacrifice, conquer (the)

scornful PUru(s)."

 

 

II

THE RSIS AND PRIESTLY FAMILIES

IN THE RIGVEDA

 

 

As we have seen, the Rigveda, by way of its ten AprI-sUktas,

recognizes ten families of RSis or composers. The AprI-sUktas are

therefore a key to an understanding of some of the basic aspects of

the system of priestly families in the Rigveda.

 

 

Two basic points which become apparent from the AprI-sUktas are of

great importance in identifying the Bharatas, among the PUrus, as

the particular Vedic Aryans of the Rigveda:

 

 

1. Nine of the ten families recognized in the Rigveda are

identifiable with the seven primary and two secondary families of

RSis recognized in Indian tradition: the seven primary families are

the ANgirases, BhRgus, ViSvAmitras, VasiSThas, Agastyas, KaSyapas

and Atris, and the two secondary families are the Kevala-ANgirases

(KaNvas in the Rigveda) and Kevala-BhRgus (GRtsamadas in the

Rigveda).

 

 

But the Rigveda also recognizes a tenth family, the Bharatas. This

family does not figure as a separate family in later priestly

traditions, which place kings who became RSis among either the

ANgirases or the BhRgus.

 

 

This special treatment shows that to the Vedic Aryans, there were

nine families of priestly RSis, but only one family of royal RSis;

and, by implication, the tribal identity of these royal RSis is also

the tribal identity of the Vedic Aryans.

 

 

2. There are three Great Goddesses invoked in the ten AprI-sUktas.

One of them is BhAratI, who, as the very name suggests, was the

tutelary deity of the Bharatas.

 

 

An examination of the references to this Goddess in the AprI-sUktas

brings out a significant state of affairs: the ten AprI-sUktas fall

into three distinct categories in line with our classification of

the periods of the Rigveda into Early, Middle and Late.

 

 

As per our chronology, five families of RSis originated in the Early

Period of the Rigveda: the ANgirases, BhRgus, ViSvAmitras, VasiSThas

and Agastyas. All these five families refer to the Three Goddesses

in a particular order of reference: BhAratI, ILA, SarasvatI

(I.142.9; X.110.8; III.4.8; VII.2.8; I.188.9).

 

 

Two families originated in the Middle Period of the Rigveda, when

the heyday of the Bharatas was waning, but the Rigveda was still a

Bharata book: the KaSyapas and GRtsamadas. Both these families

still refer to the same Three Goddesses, but in changed order of

reference: The KaSyapas change the order to BhAratI, SarasvatI, ILA,

(IX.5.8); and the GRtsamadas to SarasvatI, ILA, BhAratI (II.3.8).

 

 

The GRtsamadas reverse the order and place BhAratI last; but, in

another hymn, they make amends for it by naming all the Three

Goddesses in the original order: BhAratI, ILA, SarasvatI (II.1.11).

This, incidentally, is the only hymn, apart from the AprI-sUktas, to

refer to the Three Goddesses by name.

 

 

Three families originated in the Late Period of the Rigveda, when

the predominance of the Bharatas (of the particular branch whose

ruling dynasty was descended from DevavAta) was practically a thing

of the past: the Atris, KaNvas, and the Bharatas themselves. Not

one of the three refers to BhAratI at all.

 

 

The Atris and KaNvas replace the suggestive name of the Goddess

BhAratI with the more general name MahI (which is an epithet of the

Goddesses in I.142.9 and IX.5.8) and change the order to ILA,

SarasvatI, MahI (V.5.8; I.13.9).

 

 

The Bharatas, caught in a bind, since they can neither refer to the

Goddess as BhAratI, nor replace her name with another, follow a safe

path: they refer to Three Goddesses, but name only one: ILA.

(X.70.8).

 

 

All this proves one more thing contrary to general belief: according

to the scholars, the AprI-sUktas were late compositions. On the

contrary, it becomes clear that each new family of RSis, soon after

it came into being and became a party to the performance of ritual

sacrifices, composed its own AprI-sUkta. The AprI-sUkta, therefore,

depicts the situation prevailing close to the time of the birth of

the family (which, of course, does not apply to the two ancient pre-

Rigvedic families, the ANgirases and BhRgus, whose antecedents go

back deep into the pre-Rigvedic past).

 

 

It must be noted that any RSi performing a particular sacrifice was

required to chant verses appropriate to that particular sacrifice,

regardless of the family identities of the composers of those

verses. It is only at the point where an AprI-sUkta was to be

chanted, that he had to chant the particular AprI-sUkta of his own

family. Hence, the composition of an AprI-sUkta, if no other hymn,

was a must for any family, for a RSi belonging to that family to be

able to participate in certain sacrifices.

 

 

This, incidentally, also explains why the AprI-sUkta of the

Agastyas, whose other hymns were certainly composed in the Middle

and Late periods of the Rigveda, clearly shows that it was composed

in the Early period of the Rigveda.

 

 

The Bharata-PUru factor is vital to an understanding of the very

presence of the different families of RSis in the corpus of the

Rigveda:

 

 

1. The ANgirases and VasiSThas are two families which are fully and

militantly affiliated to the Bharatas throughout the Rigveda.

 

 

2. The ViSvAmitras are a partially affiliated family: they were

fully and militantly affiliated to the Bharatas in the period of

MaNDala III, and, moreover, the ViSvAmitras were themselves

descended from a branch of PUrus (a different branch from that of

DivodAsa and SudAs, but possibly descended from DevavAta) who also

called themselves Bharatas.

 

 

However, their close affiliation with the Bharatas of the Rigveda

ceased after the ViSvAmitras were replaced by the VasiSThas as the

priests of SudAs.

 

 

3. The KaSyapas and GRtsamadas are two families which are associated

with the Bharatas, but not militancy affiliated to them.

 

 

Their association is based on the fact that the provenance of these

two families was in the Middle Period of the Rigveda, which was

still the (albeit late) period of the Bharatas.

 

 

The two families were more concerned with religious subjects (nature-

myths and rituals), and hardly at all with politics or militancy;

but the only kings referred to by the KaSyapas (as patrons) are the

PUru or Bharata kings Dhvasra and PuruSanti (IX.58.3), and the only

prominent king remembered by the GRtsamadas is DivodAsa (II.19.6).

 

 

4. The BhRgus and Agastyas are relatively neutral families in the

Rigveda, both being basically aloof from the Vedic mainstream:

 

 

The BhRgus were, in fact, the priests of the people (the Anus) who

lived to the northwest of the Vedic Aryans, and therefore generally

on hostile terms with the Vedic Aryans and their RSis. However, one

branch of the BhRgus, consisting of Jamadagni and his descendants,

became close to the Vedic RSis; and these are the BhRgus of the

Rigveda.

 

 

The Agastyas are traditionally a family of RSis whose earliest and

most prominent members migrated to the South, away from the area of

the Vedic Aryans, at an early point of time in their history.

 

 

Both these families owe their presence in the Rigveda to two

factors:

 

 

a. Agastya and Jamadagni, the founders of these two families, were

closely related to, and associated with, two other prominent

eponymous RSis: Agastya was VasiSTha's brother, and Jamadagni was

ViSvAmitra's nephew.

 

 

b. The two families were not affiliated to, or even associated with,

the Bharatas, but nor were they affiliated to, or associated with,

any other tribe or people.

 

 

Both the families, nevertheless, gained a late entry into the corpus

of the Rigveda: even the oldest hymns of the BhRgus are found in the

late MaNDalas; while the hymns of the Agastyas are, anyway, late

hymns by RSis belonging to a later branch of the family.

 

 

5. The Atris and KaNvas are also relatively neutral families, but in

a different sense from the BhRgus and Agastyas.

 

 

These two families, in fact, are not only not affiliated to the

Bharatas in particular or the PUrus in general, but they are more

often associated with non-PUrus (IkSvAkus, Yadus, TurvaSas, Anus).

This association is basically mercenary: the Atris and KaNvas appear

to have officiated as priests for, and composed dAnastutis in praise

of, any king (irrespective of his tribal identity) who showered them

with gifts. This more catholic or cosmopolitan nature of these two

families is also recognized (in the case of the Atris) in I.117.3,

where Atri is characterised as pAñcajanya (belonging to all the five

tribes).

 

 

The KaNvas are even associated with the Yadus and TurvaSas in the

con text of a battle, in which the Yadus and TurvaSas came to their

aid in response to an appeal by the KaNvas.

 

 

All this raises a question: if the PUrus alone, among the five

tribes, are to be identified with the Vedic Aryans, and the Rigveda

itself is a PUru book, what is the explanation for the presence of

these two families in the Rigveda?.

 

The answer is simple:

 

a. These two families originated in the Late Period of the Rigveda,

when the predominance of the Bharatas had ended, and the PUrus in

general had become more catholic and cosmopolitan in their

attitudes.

 

 

b. Tradition testifies that both these priestly families were

themselves of PUru origin:

 

 

According to the VAyu PurANa (1.59), the earliest Atri RSi was

PrabhAkara, who married the ten daughters of a PUru king BhadrASva

or RaudrASva, and had ten sons from whom all the Atri clans are

descended.

 

 

As for the KaNvas, "all the authorities agree that they were an

offshoot from the Paurava line".3

 

 

c. While the Atris and KaNvas (though descended from PUrus) were

generally catholic or cosmopolitan in their associations, the most

important Atri and KaNva RSis in the Rigveda are closely associated

with the PUrus:

 

 

Among the Atris, SyAvASva Atreya is closely associated with the

PUrus: according to SAyaNa's interpretation of V.54.14, SyAvASva was

himself a Bharata. He is also the only Atri to pay homage to the

memory of SudAs (V.53.2).

 

 

Among the KaNvas, PragAtha KANva and Sobhari KANva are closely

associated with the PUrus: PragAtha identifies himself as a PUru

directly in VIII.64.10, and also indirectly in VIII.10.5 (where he

asks the ASvins to abandon the other four tribes, who are named, and

come to the PUrus, who are not directly named). Sobhari is the only

KaNva RSi to pay homage to the memory of DivodAsa (VIII.103.2) and

to call him an Arya.

 

 

Sobhari KANva and SyAvASva Atreya are also two RSis associated

(VIII.19.32, 36; 36.7; 37.7) with Trasadasyu, whose importance in

the Rigveda is due to the help given by him to the PUrus.

 

 

It is significant that these three RSis are perhaps the most

important Atri and KaNva RSis in the Rigveda:

 

 

SyAvASva Atreya has the largest number of hymns and verses (17

hymns, 186 verses) among the Atris in the Rigveda, more than those

ascribed to the eponymous Atri Bhauma (13 hymns, 126 verses). Apart

from these two Atris, all the other Atri RSis have one, two, three,

or at the most four hymns.

 

 

PragAtha KANva does not have the largest number of hymns among the

KaNvas in the Rigveda, but, MaNDala VIII, associated with the

KaNvas, is called the "PragAtha MaNDala", and the dominant form of

metre used in this MaNDala is also named after PragAtha.

 

These three RSis are the only RSis, belonging to the Atri and KaNva

families, whose descendants have a place in the Rigveda: AndhIgu

SyAvASvI (IX.101.1-3), Bharga PrAgAtha (VIII.60-61), Kali PrAgAtha

(VIII.66), Haryata PrAgAtha (VIII.72) and KuSika Saubhara (X.127).

 

 

The presence of the Atris and KaNvas in the Rigveda is therefore

fully in keeping with the PUru character of the Rigveda.

 

 

III

THE ARYAS IN THE RIGVEDA

 

 

One word which the scholars are unanimous in treating as a

denominative epithet of the Vedic Aryans in the Rigveda is, beyond

any doubt, the word Arya: according to them, Arya in the Rigveda

refers to the Vedic Aryans (and, by implication, words like DAsa and

Dasyu, contrasted with the word Arya, refer to people other than the

Vedic Aryans).

 

 

This is a perfectly logical understanding of the use of the word

Arya in the Rigveda (although scholars opposed to the Aryan invasion

theory balk at this interpretation of the word, in the mistaken

belief that this interpretation somehow symbolises the concept of

invader Aryans and native non-Aryans).

 

 

But the actual connotation of this fact must be made clear. The

Vedic Aryans called themselves Arya in the Rigveda, the Iranians

called themselves Airya in their texts, the Irish called themselves,

or their land, Eire, in their traditions: all these different Indo-

European peoples were each, individually and separately, calling

themselves by this particular name. But it does not follow that they

would also be calling each other by the same name.

 

 

The word is used in the sense of "We, the Noble". When an Iranian,

for example, used the word Airya, he undoubtedly meant an Iranian,

or even perhaps an Iranian belonging to his own particular tribe or

community. He would never have dreamt of refering to a Vedic Aryan

or an Irishman by the same term.

 

 

The use of the word Arya in the Rigveda must be understood in this

sense: the Vedic Aryans used the word Arya in reference to Vedic

Aryans as distinct from other people, and not in reference to Indo-

European language speaking people as distinct from non-Indo-European

language speaking people. All other people, Indo-Europeans or

otherwise, other than themselves, were non-Aryas to the Vedic

Aryans.

 

 

Therefore, also, in order to identify the Vedic Aryans, it is

necessary to identify the people who are referred to as Arya in the

Rigveda.

 

 

The word Arya is used 36 times in 34 hymns in the Rigveda:

 

I.51.8; 59.2; 103.3; 117.21; 130.8; 156.5;

II.11.18, 19;

III.34.9;

IV.26.2; 30.18;

V.34.6;

VI.18.3; 22.10; 25.2; 33.3; 60.6;

VII.5.6; 18.7; 33.7; 83.1;

VIII.24.27; 51.9; 103.1;

IX.63.5, 14;

X.11.4; 38.3; 43.3; 49.3; 65.11; 69.6; 83.1; 86.19; 102.3; 138.3.

 

 

But the word has an individual-specific connotation only in the case

of three persons:

 

a. In three hymns (I.130.8; IV.26.2; VIII.103.1) DivodAsa is clearly

the person referred to as an Arya.

 

 

b. In one hymn, the word refers to DivodAsa's father VadhryaSva

(X.69.6).

 

 

c. The word occurs in all the three DASarAjña hymns pertaining to

SudAs' great Battle of the Ten Kings (VII.18, 33, 83).

 

In the tribal sense, the word is used only in reference to the

PUrus:

 

a. In I.59.2, Agni is said to have been produced by the Gods to be a

light unto the Arya. In the sixth verse, it is clear that the hymn

is composed on behalf of the PUrus.

 

 

b. In VII.5.6, again, Agni is said to have driven away the Dasyus

and brought forth broad light for the Arya. In the third verse, the

deed is said to have been done for the PUrus.

 

An examination of the family identity of the RSis who use the word

Arya clinches the identification of the PUrus (and particularly the

Bharatas) as the Aryas of the Rigveda: of the 34 hymns in which the

word is used, 28 hymns are composed by the Bharatas, ANgirases and

VasiSThas.

 

 

The situation stands out in extraordinary clarity if we examine the

number of hymns, which refer to the Aryas, from a statistical

viewpoint: the Bharatas themselves, for example, use the word Arya

in three hymns. The Bharatas have a total of 19 hymns out of 1028

hymns in the Rigveda: this amounts to 1.85% of the total number of

hymns in the Rigveda. And they have 3 hymns which use the word

Arya, out of 34 such hymns in the Rigveda: this amounts to 8.82% of

the total number of such hymns in the Rigveda. The frequency rate

of Arya-hymns by the Bharatas is therefore 8.82 divided by 1.85,

which comes to 4.77.

 

 

The following table shows how, when the same test is applied to all

the ten families of RSis in the Rigveda, they fall into four

distinct categories in line with their relationship to the Bharatas

(the standard frequency rate being 1). (Table on next page.)

 

 

The frequency rate of Arya-hymns by the Bharatas is 4.77. The only

other families with a frequency rate above one are the priestly

families of the Bharatas. The general associates and partial

affiliates of the Bharatas have a frequency rate below one. The

neutral families have a frequency rate of zero, except for the

KaNvas, who appear to constitute an exception to the rule.

 

 

However, this is an exception which proves the rule loudly and

clearly. The two references by the KaNvas establish beyond any

doubt that the PUrus, and particularly the Bharatas, are the Aryas

of the Rigveda:

 

Click Here

 

 

 

 

 

a. In VIII.51.9, SruStigu KANva refers to Indra as the "Good Lord of

Wealth… to whom all Aryas, DAsas, here belong".

 

 

b. In VIII.103, Sobhari KANva identifies DivodAsa as an Arya.

 

 

VIII.51.9 is the only reference in the whole of the Rigveda in which

Aryas and DAsas are both specifically mentioned together in an

equally benevolent sense: Indra is declared to be a God who is close

to both Aryas and DAsas.

 

 

The KaNvas, like the Atris, are a priestly family with patrons from

all the different tribes: the IkSvAkus, Yadus, TurvaSas, and even

the Anus (in VIII.1.31; 4.19; 5.37; 6.46, 48; 19.32, 36; 65.12,

etc.) more than the PUrus. This family is therefore neutral between

the PUrus (i.e. the Aryas) and the non-PUrus (i.e. the DAsas); and

the use of the word Arya, in VIII.51.9, is made in order to express

this neutrality. It is made, moreover, in the context of a

reference to a patron RuSama PavIru, who is clearly a non-PUrus

(DAsa).

 

 

The second KaNva use of the word Arya is even more significant: the

KaNvas refer to numerous IkSvAku, Yadu, TurvaSa and Anu kings as

patrons (as mentioned above), and, in many other verses (I.36.18;

VIII.4.7; 7.18; 9.14; 39.8; 40.12; 45.27; 49.10) they even refer to

a historical incident in which the Yadus and TurvaSas came to their

aid in battle. But not one of these kings is referred to as an Arya.

 

 

DivodAsa is referred to only once in the KaNva hymns, in VIII.103.2,

and he is called an Arya in the previous verse.

 

 

Therefore, it is clear that even the neutral families of RSis used

the word Arya in the Rigveda only in reference to the Bharatas in

particular or the PUrus in general.

 

 

Incidentally, Purukutsa and Trasadasyu are eulogised to the skies by

the priestly families affiliated to the Bharatas, for their rescue-

act performed for the PUrus. A VAmadeva even calls Trasadasyu an

ardhadeva or demi-god (IV.42.8, 9). But nowhere is either Purukutsa

or Trasadasyu called an Arya.

 

 

The connotation of the word Arya in the Rigveda is therefore clear

and unambiguous.

 

 

But there is more: there is a circumstance in the Rigveda, in

connection with the word Arya, which is the subject of debate and

controversy: the word Arya is used, in nine of the thirty-four hymns

which refer to Aryas, in reference to enemies of the Vedic Aryans.

In eight of these nine, the verses refer to both Arya and DAsa

enemies together.

 

 

The exact implication of this should be understood: there are two

entities being referred to: Aryas and DAsas. In these nine

references, both the Aryas and DAsas are referred to as enemies. So

who are these people (the protagonists of these nine hymns): are

they Aryas, are they DAsas, or are they a third group of people

different from both Aryas and DAsas?

 

 

The consensus among all serious scholars, fortunately, is a logical

one: it is accepted that the protagonists of these nine hymns are

definitely Aryas themselves, although their enemies in these cases

include both Aryas and DAsas (non-Aryas).

 

 

These references become meaningful only in one circumstance: the

PUrus are the Aryas of the Rigveda; the Bharatas (the predominant

branch of the PUrus through most of the Rigveda) are the protagonist

Aryas of the Rigveda; and these references refer to Bharata

conflicts with other Aryas (other PUrus) and non-Aryas (non-PUrus).

 

 

This conclusion is fully confirmed by an examination of the

references:

 

 

1. There are nine hymns which refer to Arya enemies in the Rigveda

(of which the first one does not refer to DAsa enemies as well):

 

IV. 30.18;

VI. 22.10; 33.3; 60.6;

VII. 83.1;

X. 38.3; 69.6; 83.1; 102.3.

 

 

All these nine references are either by the Bharatas themselves

(X.69.6; 102.3), or by the ANgirases (IV.30.18; VI.22.10; 33.3;

60.6) and VasiSThas (VII.83.1; X.38.3; 83.1).

 

 

2. The idea expressed in these nine hymns is also expressed in

another way: there are eight other references which refer to the

Arya and DAsa enemies as "kinsmen" and "non-kinsmen" ("strangers" in

Griffith's translation) enemies.

 

 

The following seven references refer to these enemies as jAmi

(kinsmen) and ajAmi (non-kinsmen):

 

I. 100.11; 111.3;

IV. 4.5;

VI. 19.8; 25.3; 44.17;

X. 69.12.

 

 

One of the above verses (X.69.12) is in the same hymn as a verse

(X.69.6) which refers to Arya and DAsa enemies, thereby confirming

that the same situation is referred to.

 

 

All these seven references are either by the Bharatas themselves

(X.69.12) or by the ANgirases (I.100.11; 111.13; IV.4.5; VI.19.8;

25.3; 44.17).

 

 

The eighth reference uses different words to express the same idea:

it refers to sanAbhi (kinsmen) and niSTya (non-kinsmen) enemies.

 

 

This reference, X. 133.5, is composed by a Bharata in the name of

SudAs himself

 

 

3. In case any more uncertainty could possibly remain about the

exact identity of the protagonist Aryas in all the above references,

it is cleared by the ViSvAmitras, who express the same above idea in

more specific terms.

 

 

The ViSvAmitras were fully and militantly affiliated to the Bharatas

under SudAs, in the period of MaNDala III. Their association with

SudAs is detailed in two hymns: III.33 and 53. Of these, hymn 53

alone refers to SudAs by name (III.53.9, 11) and describes the

aSvamedha performed by the ViSvAmitras for SudAs and the Bharatas.

 

 

The last verse of this hymn tells us: "These men, the sons of

Bharata, O Indra, regard not severance or close connexion. They

urge their own steed, as it were another's, and take him, swift as

the bow's string, to battle" (III.53.24).

 

 

The Bharatas, in short, are the protagonist Aryas of the Rigveda who

disregard both severance (apapitvam: i.e. non-relationship with the

ajAmi, niSTya, DAsas, non-kinsmen, non-PUrus) as well as close

connexion (prapitvam: i.e. relationship with the jAmi, sanAbhi,

Aryas, kinsmen, PUrus) when they set out to do battle.

 

 

In short, the PUrus alone were the Vedic Aryans, the Aryas of the

Rigveda; and the non-PUrus were the DAsas of the Rigveda.

 

 

 

Footnotes:

 

1AIHT, p.297.

2ibid, p.275.

 

3IVA, p. 179.

 

http://voi.org/books/rig/ch5.htm

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