Sudas was an Indo-Aryan tribal king of the Bharatas, during the main or middle Rig Vedic period (c. 14th century BCE). He led his tribe to victory in the Battle of the Ten Kings near the Parusni (modern Ravi River) in Punjab, defeating an alliance of the powerful Puru tribe with other tribes, for which he was eulogised by his purohit Vashishth in a hymn of the Rig Ved. His victory established the ascendency of the Bharat clan, allowing them to move eastwards and settle in Kurukshetra, paving the way for the emergence of the Kuru "super-tribe" or tribal union, which dominated northern India in the subsequent period.

Mention in Rig Ved :

Sudas is mentioned in Rig Ved as the chief of Bharat's who conquered the ten-kings confederacy. It is further mentioned that the king replaced Vishvamitra with Vashishth as his priest, thereby creating a rivalry between the two. The ten-kings, viz. Puru, Yadu, Turvasa, Adu, Druhyu, Alina, Paktha, Bhalanas, Siva and Vishanin, then revolted against Sudas but were defeated by him. He also fought Ajas, Sigrus and Yakshus soon after.