WAR
OF 10 KINGS, VEDS AND AVESTAN
When
asked about the ancient classics of Bharat, most would quickly reply
with The Ramayan and The MahaBharat. Although this answer is correct,
there is an even more ancient story that has been forgotten. That
ancient story is called the Dasharajnya or ‘Battle of ten
Kings.
This
battle is memorialized in the 7th Mandala of the Rigved, in hymns
18, 33 and 83.4-8). In this Battle of Ten Kings all the people of
the Rig ved Bharat were involved. It took place near the Parusni
River (Ravi River) in Punjab. The place where they fought later
became the site of the city of Harappa, possibly the first modern
urban center in history.
This
Battle is also Important as it heralded the spread of Vedic beliefs
to other parts of the world, for the simple reason the kings and
their subjects were forced to pay tributes and had to migrate outwards
towards the present lands now called as Iran, Iraq, Egypt etc…
An Aryan migration, out of Bharat could be seen here.
In
the battle some of the powerful Puru tribes created an alliance
with other tribes from the Bharat and Persia. Guided by the royal
sage Vishvamitra, this army came on to oppose the Bharat King Sudas
(Note: King Sudas was also descendant of Puru Dynasty) in battle.
But, Sudas defeated them all, and captured all the Rig vedic tribes.
King
Sudas was the grandson of the powerful king Divodas Atithigva and
son of King Pijavana. Divodas had his empire in the regions of Punjab
and earned fame as a warrior by waging a long war with the powerful
non-Arya King Sambara whom he ultimately defeated and killed.
Sudas’s
capital city was on the Sarasvati River. He inherited the kingdom
from his grandfather and greatly expanded it. He was also supported
by the spiritual mentorship of his guru, the legendary sage Vashishth.
In the process, he alienated all the neighboring kingdoms surrounding
him. After years of subjugation, a group of roughly a dozen or ‘ten’
(dasha) kings and chieftans (‘raja; rajnya’) formed
a confederacy to combine their strength and defeat King Sudas once
and for all.
This
Battle is also Important as it heralded the spread of Vedic beliefs
to other parts of the world, for the simple reason the kings and
their subjects were forced to pay tributes and had to migrate outwards
towards the present lands now called as Iran, Iraq, Egypt etc…
An Aryan migration, out of Bharat could be seen here.
Sudas’s capital city was on the Sarasvati River. He inherited
the kingdom from his grandfather and greatly expanded it. He was
also supported by the spiritual mentorship of his guru, the legendary
sage Vasishta. In the process, he alienated all the neighboring
kingdoms surrounding him. After years of subjugation, a group of
roughly a dozen or ‘ten’ (dasha) kings and chieftans
(‘raja; rajnya’) formed a confederacy to combine their
strength and defeat King Sudas once and for all.
The list of confederate kings involved in this war is actually slightly
over ten, but was referred to roughly as ‘dasha’ (ten)
in the Rig Ved. It may be that they belonged to ten tribes in all.
Some of the Tribes mentioned in Rigved are:
- Paktha
RV(7.18.7)
- Alinas
: it was suggested that they lived to the north-east of Nuristan,
because the land was
mentioned by the Chinese pilgrim Hiouen Thsang. RV(7.18.7)
- Anu :
Some place them in the Parusni (Ravi) area. RV(7.18.13)
- Bhrigus
: The priestly family descended from the ancient Kavi Bhrigu.
Later, they are related to the composition of parts of the Atharv
Ved (Bhrigu-Angiras). RV(7.18.6)
- Bhalanas
: Some scholars have argued that the Bhalanas lived in the Bolan
Pass area. RV (7.18.7)
- Druhyus
: Some align them with the Gandhari. (Later age Druids of Europe)
RV (7.18.6)
- Matsya
: are only mentioned in the Rig ved (7.18.6), but later in connection
with the Salva Kingdom.
- Parsus
: The Parsu have been connected by some with the ancient Persians.
RV (7.83.1)
- Purus:
One of the major tribal confederations in the Rig ved.
- Panis
: Also the name of a class of demons; later associated with
the Scythians.
- Vishanin
RV (7.18.7)
- Shivi RV
(7.18.7)
- Turvasha
RV (7.18.6)
- Matsya
RV (7.18.6)
- Vaikarnas
RV (7.18.11) ( 21 in number)
- Pruthus
(which includes Kavi Chayamana) RV(7.18.8)
- Simyu RV
(7.18.5)
These
all were segregated under 10 kings for the war. Along with this,
there were many other enemies with whom Sudas fought the war on
the banks of Yamuna. They were :
- Yakshas
RV (7.18.19)
- Shigrus
RV(7.18.19)
- Aja RV
(7.18.19) and whose leader was a king called Bheda RV (7.18.19)
There were other enemies who had attacked on the Vashishth
:
- Yudhyamadhi,
who were killed by drowning RV(7.18.24)
- Trushnaj
RV(7.33.5)
The
only known ally of Sudas in this war were Trutsu people (Ikshvakus)
Now after knowing the participants of the war, let us now see
how the war took place.
The war was started on the banks of the river Parushni. RV (7.18.8)
records that the banks of the Parushni were broken and badly damaged
by the enemies. The war was a big one and Sudas and his army fought
bravely. The enemies were destroyed and finally Sudas won the
war, Later on, he had to fight Aja, Shigru and Yakshas on the
Yamuna and he defeated them too. They had to pay a war revenue
to Sudas.
Sudas emerged as a winner of the war. A total of 6666 people were
killed in the war as mentioned in RV (7.18.14).
He donated handsome gifts to the Vashishth as mentioned in RV
(7.18.22-25).
These
kings, though some are described as Aryans, were actually fallen
Aryans, or rebellious and materialistic kings who had given up
the spiritual path and were conquered by King Sudas.
Occasionally, there was a degeneration of the spiritual kingdom
in areas of Bharat, and wars had to be fought in order to reestablish
the spiritual Aryan culture in these areas.
The
war was started on the banks of the Parusni (Ravi) river and it
span for many years between Puru and Bharat. According to Rig
ved, Sudas and his army was forced to retreat but managed to cross
the Parusni river safely, while his foes, trying to pursue, were
scattered by a flood and either drowned or were slaughtered by
Sudas’s men. Later on, he had to fight Aja, Shigru and Yakshas
on the Yamuna river and he defeated them too.
Sudas was able to defeat the entire confederacy of ten+ Kings
and emerge as victorious. All enemies of Sudas were defeated,
thousands were killed.
There
are diffferent account as to when this battle actually took place
due to different hypothesis from different scholars. Some date
it back to near 3000-4000 BCE while other consider it to be dated
around the 2350 BCE.
The
Battle of Ten Kings or the dasharajanya war is the Worlds first
recorded Battle. Not just that, it was no mere neolithic stick
and stone fight. It was the first organized war with infantry,
archers and elephants.
After
the Battle of Ten Kings, many inhabitants of Bharat got scared
and out of fear migrated west wards into Iran and beyond. (RV-VII:18,19,33,83).
Western scholars easily misinterpreted this battle to mean an
invasion of nomadic people called Aryans rather than simply a
war in which the superior Aryan kings re-established the spiritual
values and the Vedic Aryan way of life.
It
is important to note that the Sanskrit word ‘Arya’
(English: ‘Aryan’) has no racial connotation in the
Vedas and is a term originally used to identify the members of
the Puru-Bharat Dynasty. The Vedic Aryans were not the ultimate
ancestors of the different tribes and peoples found in the Sanskrit
texts. They have a definite historical identity: the Vedic Aryans
were the Purus of the ancient texts.
The Purus were a confederation of tribes located at the banks
of the Sarasvati River. According to the Purans (ancient Hindu
texts), the Bharats are descendant of the Purus. “Bharat”–
the official name of the Republic of Bharat — is actually
named after a descendant of the Puru dynasty King Bharat and King
Sudas was the descendant of Emperor Bharat. This Puru-Bharat dynasty
provided the continuity of leadership for thousands of years which
is documented in the ancient scriptures, particularly the Rigved.
The
Bharat ruler later allied and merged with the Purus Tribe, to
form the Kuru Dynasty. It was King Sudas, whose later descendants
fought the great Mahabharat war.
After
15 generations of Kuru Dunasty, Kauravas and Pandavas were born
who fought the epic battle of Mahabharat.
According
to historian, King Porus who fought Alexander in the Battle of
the Hydaspes River, was descendant of the Purus and Pandava of
Mahabharat. The modern Punjabi surname Puri may have originated
with the Puru tribe.
Effects of the War of 10 kings (Dashradnya Yuddh)
:
As discussed in my earlier post, the War of Ten Kings or Dasharadnya
Yuddha is one of the major wars described in the Rigved. We have
seen how Sudas defeated his enemies and won over much of the land
in Sapta-Sindhu region and expanded his kingdom North Panchal
which existed in the doab region between Ganga and Saraswati in
east Haryana.
But the effects of this war do not stop here. There are
many significant effects which can be attributed to this war which
in turn was instrumental in giving birth to a contemporary religion
to ours- Zoroastrianism.
A piece of history which one needs to know is that Sudas' grandson
Somaka had also fought with the same people along with the Gautam
family rishis. This battle is called Varshagira Battle which took
place in Afghanistan.
Now
we all know the Avesta is the scripture of Zoroastrianism and
Zoroaster or Zaruthustra is their God. The Avesta in it's Gathas
and Vendidad has striking references to Rigvedic people. But how
come these people got related to the Vedic people in Bharat?
The answer is, the communities who had to leave Bharat after the
War of Ten Kings were indeed those who composed the Avesta...!!!!
Lets have a look at the communities who left Bharat after
the war :
- Prithus
or Parthavas (VII.83.1) : Parthians.
- Parshus
or Parshavas (VII .83.1) : Persians.
- Pakthas
(VII.18.7) : Pakhtoons.
- Bhalanas
(VII.18.7) : Baluchis.
- Shivas
(VII.18.7) : Khivas.
- Vishanins
(VII.18.7) : Pishachas (Dards).
These
were some of the major communities and we find that their names
reflect current names in today's Afghanistan and Central Asia.
But apart from this, one more thing in common in these people is
that majority of these people belong to the Anu tribe.
Now
let us look at the story from the side of the Avesta :
The Avesta states that it's people had roamed 16 lands and gives
it's names. The names clearly go in an order from North to south
and then towards east. They are-
Sogdiana (Gava), Margiana (Mourv), Bactria (Baxti, Nisaya between
Margiana and Bactria, Areia (Haroiva), Kabulistan (Vaekarsta),
the Gazni region (Urva), Xnanta, Arachosia (Haraxvaiti), Drangiana
(Haetumant), a territory between Zamin-davar and Qal‘at-i-Gilzay
(Raya), the Lugar valley (Caxra), Buner (Varana), Punjab (Hapta
Handu), Ranha (between the Kabul and the Kurram, in the region
where it seems likely the Vedic river Rasa flowed.) and Airyana
Vaejah…
Airyana Vaejah is the 16th land and by logic
if the lands start from north to south and then to east, we say
that Airyana Vaejah is to the east of Ranha or the area of Rasa
which is obviously Kashmir.With a striking similarity, the Puranas
also state that indeed the Anu people lived in Kashmir..!!!!
Let
us directly look at the references to Vedic people in Avesta :
(Y.44.20)
of the Gathas directly mentions Ausijas, a branch of Angiras
family.
The term
Anu got itself replicated for a region in Afghanistan called
Anauon.
Bhargavas
were the priests of the Anus and their names are used interchangeably
in the Rigved RV(5.31.4) with RV(4.16.20) or RV(7.18.14) with
RV(7.18.6)
Ahur Mazda
who led the Avestans out of their land Airyana Vaejah says Angra
Manyu had created severe cold due to which they had to leave.
It is mentioned
that Zaruthustra had a debate with a person called Nadhyaongha
Goetema (can be gautam Rishi son Nodha) which is clearly Nodhas
Gautam and
the Rigved also confirms this part of history as we saw that
indeed Somaka had gone to Afghanistan for war with the Gautam
family of rishis.
We know
that Kavasha Ailusha was a person who fought against Sudas.
This name Kavash also appears in the Avesta.
We know
Kavi Chayamana was also against Sudas. If these names are combined
to Kavi Kavasha, then it sounds similar to Kavi Kavata, the
founder of the Avestan dynasty.
The Avestan
people call themselves Dah (Das), Dahyu (Dasyu) and Ahur (Asur)
proudly who were enemies in the Rig ved.
Also, Indra
who is a Deva in Rigved is ridiculed in Avesta by calling him
Andra. The Daeva (Devas) are their enemy.
This gives
us a clear indication that indeed the Avestan people were those
who migrated from Bharat after the war of 10 kings. These people
were Anus which can be proven from their journey to Afghanistan.
First the Avesta tells they were present in Airyana Vaejah which
we have shown to be Kashmir. And as stated, even the Purans tell
us that Anus were indeed ruling the Kashmir area. Then the Avesta
says they shifted to the region of HaptaHandu or Sapta Sindhu
or Punjab. And the Puranic history tells us that during the era
of Ikshavku king Mandhata, the Druhyus who were then ruling in
Punjab were pushed back by him to the far north-west and the vacant
place in the Punjab was occupied by Anus who established Kekaya,
Madra, Shivi kingdoms there.
So
we can scrutinize the different periods of the Anu migrations
with respect to the Rigvedic era-
The
Anus were living in Kashmir. The Avesta was not in existence and
very early hymns of Rigved were in existence
Early
Rigvedic period :
The Anus found vacant space in Punjab due to Mandhata's war with
the Druhyus and they shifted to Punjab or Sapta Sindhu, The Avesta
was not composed in this time but the Avestans remember this period
as their stay in the Hapta-Handu area. In this era, the Anus were
in cordial relations with the Bharats. They even had fought the
Hariyupiya war together against the Yadus and Turvasus.
Middle Rigvedic period :
This was the era of king Sudas when the relations between the Anus
and Bharats declined and they went on war. The Anus were defeated
and some of them left Bharat and went further west to Afghanistan.
This is the early era of the Avesta. Zaruthustra was existing
in there times when he had a debate with Nodhas Gautam (Nodha son
of Rishi Gautam). Sudas's grandson Somaka also went to Afghanistan
and had war with the Avestan people. This era was the times of tension.
Late Rigvedic period :
In
this era, majority of the Rigved was composed and the Avesta was
halfway composed. In this era, the Avestan people got their separate
land and the tensions got reduced between them and the Vedic people.
Soon everything was forgotten. A new religion of Zoroastrianism
had been born in Iran.
One
war, and so much effects. And the most positive point of this war
description is that we end up proving that the movement of people
was from Bharat to central Asia and not vice versa as stated by
the Aryan Invasion Theory.
* RV Means Rig Ved