The Battle of the Ten Kings (dāśarājñá) is a battle alluded to in Mandala 7 of the Rigveda (hymns 18, 33 and 83.4-8). It is a battle between Aryans (an "internecine war", as the 1911 Britannica puts it, as opposed to the more frequent accounts of Aryans fighting Dasyus), taking place as Puru tribes, allied with other tribes of the Punjab and goaded by the royal sage Vishvamitra^{[citation needed]}, invade the country of the Trtsu (Bharata) king Sudas, and are defeated in an epic battle through the inspired power of the priestly singer Vasishtha, the composer of the hymns. K. F. Geldner in his 1951 translation of the Rigveda considers the hymns as "obviously based on an historical event", even though any details save for what is preserved in the hymns have been lost. // Overview Events 1504 BC – 1492 BC -- Egypt conquers Nubia and the Levant. ... The Ravi River (Sanskrit: , Punjabi: , Urdu: ‎) is a river in India and Pakistan. ... Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 Punjab (Persian: ‎, meaning Land of the five Rivers) (c. ... The Trtsus are a tribe of the Bharata[] mentioned in Mandala 7 of the Rigveda (in hymns 18, 33 and 83). ... The Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rigveda are described as semi-nomadic pastoralists, subdivided into villages (vish) and headed by a tribal chief (raja) and administered by a priestly caste. ... Sudas is a king from the Rig Veda. ... The Trtsus are a tribe of the Bharata[] mentioned in Mandala 7 of the Rigveda (in hymns 18, 33 and 83). ... The Indo-Aryans are a wide collection of peoples united by their common status as speakers of the Indo-Aryan (Indic) branch of the family of Indo-European and Indo-Iranian languages. ... Alina is a well known poet in Eilat, Israel. ... A smiling Nuristani girl. ... Anu is a Vedic Sanskrit term for another Arya (Aryan) in the Rigveda, and the name of an Aryan tribe in RV 1. ... This article is about the geographical region of greater Kashmir. ... Sage Bhrigu approached by other sages, as part of Sri Venkatachala Mahatyam The Bhrigus, also known as Bhargavas, are a clan of sages descending from the ancient fire-priest Bhrigu. ... The Indo-Aryans are a wide collection of peoples united by their common status as speakers of the Indo-Aryan (Indic) branch of the family of Indo-European and Indo-Iranian languages. ... The Bhalanas are one of the tribes that fought against Sudas in the Dasarajna battle. ... Friday Mosque in Herat, a city which is known as The Pearl of Khorasan Greater Khorasan is a modern term for eastern territories of ancient Persia. ... The Dāsa are a tribe identified as the enemies of the Aryan tribes in the Rigveda. ... Ideograms for Ta-Hsia. ... The Druhyus were a people of Ancient India. ... The Gandharis are a tribe attested from the Rigveda (RV 1. ... The position of the Matsya kingdom in Iron Age Vedic India. ... The Indo-Aryans are a wide collection of peoples united by their common status as speakers of the Indo-Aryan (Indic) branch of the family of Indo-European and Indo-Iranian languages. ... This article is about the Persian people, an ethnic group found mainly in Iran. ... The Purus are a people of Ancient India. ... The Indo-Aryans are a wide collection of peoples united by their common status as speakers of the Indo-Aryan (Indic) branch of the family of Indo-European and Indo-Iranian languages. ... The Panis are a class of demons in the Rigveda, from paṇi-, a term for bargainer, miser, niggard, especially applied to one who is sparing of sacrificial oblations. ... The Central Asian steppe has been the home of Iranian nomadic tribes for centuries. ... Sudas is a king from the Rig Veda. ... Vasishtha (Sanskrit: वसिष्ठ), in Hindu mythology was chief of the seven venerated sages (or Saptarishi) and the Rajaguru of the Suryavamsha or Solar Dynasty. ... Brahmarshi Vishvamitra (Sanskrit all-friend) is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of since ancient times in India. ... The seventh Mandala of the Rig Veda has 104 hymns, to Agni, Indra, the Visvadevas, the Maruts, Mitra-Varuna, the Asvins, Ushas, Indra-Varuna, Varuna, Vayu (the wind), two each to Sarasvati and Vishnu, and to others. ... The seventh Mandala of the Rig Veda has 104 hymns, to Agni, Indra, the Visvadevas, the Maruts, Mitra-Varuna, the Asvins, Ushas, Indra-Varuna, Varuna, Vayu (the wind), two each to Sarasvati and Vishnu, and to others. ... The Rigveda (Sanskrit , a compound of praise, verse[1] and knowledge) is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns dedicated to the gods. ... Aryan (/eÉ™rjÉ™n/ or /ɑːrjÉ™n/, Sanskrit: ) is a Sanskrit and Avestan word meaning noble/spiritual one. ... (Redirected from 1911 Britannica) The Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1911) in many ways represents the sum of knowledge at the beginning of the 20th century. ... The Dasa are a tribe identified as the enemies of the Aryans in the Rig-Veda. ... The Purus are a people of Ancient India. ... Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 Punjab (Persian: ‎, meaning Land of the five Rivers) (c. ... Brahmarshi Vishvamitra (Sanskrit all-friend) is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of since ancient times in India. ... The Trtsus are a tribe of the Bharata[] mentioned in Mandala 7 of the Rigveda (in hymns 18, 33 and 83). ... The Bhāratas are an Aryan tribe mentioned in the Rigveda, especially in Mandala 3 attributed to the Bharata sage Vishvamitra. ... Sudas is a king from the Rig Veda. ... Vasishtha (Sanskrit: वसिष्ठ), in Hindu mythology was chief of the seven venerated sages (or Saptarishi) and the Rajaguru of the Suryavamsha or Solar Dynasty. ... Friedrich Karl Geldner (1852-1929) was a German linguist best known for his analysis and synthesis of Avestan and Vedic Sanskrit texts. ...

The tribes

Further information: Rigvedic tribes

• Tritsu: The tribe of King Sudas.
• Alinas: They were probably one of the tribes defeated by Sudas at the Dasarajna,^[1] and it was suggested that they lived to the north-east of Nurestan, because the land was mentioned by the Chinese pilgrim Hiouen Thsang. (Macdonell and Keith, Vedic Index, 1912, I, 39)
• Anu: They were said to be a dynasty that lived in Kashmir.
• Bhrigus: Said to be descended from Lord Varuna. They are also related to the composition of the Atharva Veda.
• Bhalanas: One of the tribes that fought against Sudas in the Dasarajna battle. Some scholars have argued that the Bhalanas lived in East Kabulistan, and that the Bolan Pass derives its name from the Bhalanas.^[2]
• Dasa, Dasyu: A term labelled to all Iranic tribes that were in opposition to King Sudas, cognate to the Iranian ethnonym Dahae (also known as Dahan Scythians). In the Rig Veda, Dasyu refers to an inimical people and is generally a term of denigration.
• Druhyus: From them came Gandhari, who gave his name to a region he settled in the Gandhara Valley.
• Matsya
• Parsu: The Parsus have been connected with the Persians, though this view is disputed by some.^[2] This is based on the evidence of an Assyrian inscription from 844 BC referring to the Pesians as Parsu, and the Behistun Inscription of Darius I of Persia referring to Parsa as the origin of the Persians.^[3]
• Purus: A powerful Indo-Aryan tribe that dwelled on the banks of the Saraswati River. The Bharatas were a clan among the Puru tribe.^[4] The Prthas were also a clan from the Puru tribe,[1] judging from Arjuna's Pandava clan descending from the Kaurava clan in the Bhagavad Gita, which in turn descends from the Pauravas, but Krishna also referred to Arjuna as Pārtha (descendant of the Prtha clan.)
• Panis: Also known as the Parni, a Scythian tribe which later founded the Parthian dynasty of the Persian Empire.

The Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rigveda are described as semi-nomadic pastoralists, subdivided into villages (vish) and headed by a tribal chief (raja) and administered by a priestly caste. ... The Trtsus are a tribe of the Bharata mentioned in Mandala 7 of the Rigveda (in hymns 18, 33 and 83). ... Sudas is a king from the Rig Veda. ... Alina is a well known poet in Eilat, Israel. ... Nurestan (also spelled Nuristan or Nooristan) (Persian/Nuristani: نورستان) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. ... Xuanzang, Dunhuang cave, 9th century. ... Anu is a Vedic Sanskrit term for another Arya (Aryan) in the Rigveda, and the name of an Aryan tribe in RV 1. ... This article is about the geographical region of greater Kashmir. ... Sage Bhrigu approached by other sages, as part of Sri Venkatachala Mahatyam The Bhrigus, also known as Bhargavas, are a clan of sages descending from the ancient fire-priest Bhrigu. ... The Atharva Veda is a sacred text of Hinduism, part of the four books of the Vedas. ... The Bhalanas are one of the tribes that fought against Sudas in the Dasarajna battle. ... The Dāsa are a tribe identified as the enemies of the Aryan tribes in the Rigveda. ... This article is about the group of peoples who speak Iranian languages. ... Ideograms for Ta-Hsia. ... The Scythians (also Scyths, from Greek ), a nation of horse-riding nomadic pastoralists who spoke an Iranian language[1], dominated the Pontic steppe throughout Classical Antiquity. ... The Druhyus were a people of Ancient India. ... The word Gāndhārī can mean more than one thing: Gāndhārī is a character in the Indian epic, the Mahabharata. ... Gandhāra (Sanskrit: गन्धार, Persian; Gandara, Waihind) (Urdu: گندھارا) is the name of an ancient Indian Mahajanapada, currently in northern Pakistan (the North-West Frontier Province and parts of northern Punjab and Kashmir) and eastern Afghanistan. ... The position of the Matsya kingdom in Iron Age Vedic India. ... This article is about the Persian people, an ethnic group found mainly in Iran. ... For other uses, see Assyria (disambiguation). ... The Behistun Inscription, carved into a cliffside, gives the same text in three languages, telling the story of King Darius conquests, with the names of twenty-three provinces subject to him. ... Darius the Great (c. ... Fārs (Persian: فارس) is one of the 30 provinces of Iran. ... The Purus are a people of Ancient India. ... The Hindu Vedas mention a river named SarasvatÄ«. In Sanskrit saras means a pool or water body, and vatÄ« (from vnt-Ä«, the female form of the -vant suffix) means she having lots of pools. Sarasvati was the biggest and most important of the seven holy rivers of the Rig Veda. ... Bharatakula also Bharathas are a Sri Lankan caste of Paravar immigrants from Tamil Nadu in India. ... In the Mahabharata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu, by his two wives Kunti and Madri. ... The term Kaurava (Sanskrit:कौरव) is a Sanskrit term, that means a descendant of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahabharata. ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... The Panis are a class of demons in the Rigveda, from paṇi-, a term for bargainer, miser, niggard, especially applied to one who is sparing of sacrificial oblations. ... The Central Asian steppe has been the home of Iranian nomadic tribes for centuries. ... The Scythians (also Scyths, from Greek ), a nation of horse-riding nomadic pastoralists who spoke an Iranian language[1], dominated the Pontic steppe throughout Classical Antiquity. ... Parthia[1] (Middle Persian: اشکانیان Ashkâniân) was a civilization situated in the northeast of modern Iran, but at its height covering all of Iran proper, as well as regions of the modern countries of Armenia, Iraq, Georgia, eastern Turkey, eastern Syria, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, the Persian Gulf... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the old Persian homeland, and beyond in Western Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. ...

Background

Hymns 7.18 and 7.83 are dedicated to Indra and Indra paired with Varuna, respectively, thanking the deity for helping Sudas defeat his enemies, while hymn 7.33 is addressed to Vasishtha himself, praising him for moving the gods to take Sudas' side by his prayers (Indra preferred Vasishtha's prayers over those of Pasadyumna, son of Vayata, 7.33.2) and addressing him as a son of Mitra and Varuna (7.33.11). The hymn makes sure to stress the importance of the priests (Vasistha is named along with Parashara and Satayatu) in winning Indra's favour, even though they were not present on the battlefield but invoked Indra "from at home" (grhāt, 7.18.21) For other uses, see Indra (disambiguation). ... In Vedic religion, Varuna (Devanagari:वरुण, IAST:) is a god of the sky, of rain and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld. ... *mitra (Proto-Indo-Iranian, nominative *mitras) was an important Indo-Iranian divinity. ... In Vedic religion, Varuna (Devanagari:वरुण, IAST:) is a god of the sky, of rain and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld. ...

The situation leading up to the battle is described in 7.18.6: The Turvasas and Yaksus, together with the Matsya tribe (punned upon by the rishi by comparing them to hungry fish (matsya) flocking together) appear and ally themselves with the Bhrugus and the Druhyus. Their confederation was further increased by the Pakthas, the Bhalanas, the Alinas, the Shivas and the Visanins (7.18.7), while the Trtsus relied solely on the help of the "Arya's Comrade" (Aryasya Sadhamad), Indra. The position of the Matsya kingdom in Iron Age Vedic India. ... Incarnation of Vishnu as a Fish, from a devotional text. ... The Druhyus were a people of Ancient India. ... For other uses, see Siva (disambiguation). ...

The "ten kings" are mentioned in both 7.33 (verses 3 and 5) and 7.83 (verses 6, 7 and 8), but not in the most extensive account of 7.18 so that it is not made explicit how this number was broken down: Sudas himself is not to be included in the number (the Trtsus are surrounded by ten kings in 7.33.5), and if of the tribes mentioned in 7.18, the Turvasas, Yaksus, Matsyas, Bhrgus, Druhyus, Pakthas, Bhalanas, Alinas, Shivas and Visanins are counted, the full number is reached, leaving the Anavas (7.18.14), the Ajas and Sigrus (7.18.19) and the "21 men of both Vaikarna tribes" (7.18.11) without a king, and implying that Bheda (7.18.19, also mentioned 7.33.3 and 7.83.4, the main leader slain by Sudas), Shimyu (7.18.5), and Kavasa (7.18.12) are the names of individual kings. The Bharatas are named among the enemies in 7.33 but not in 7.18. Anava (from anu, meaning an atom or an exceedingly small entity) is a state - the consciousness of the ego, the sense of I and mine. This represents a sense of individuality and a separation from a general existence of any divine plan. One of the three Buddhist malas or bondages... Aja may refer to An Orisha in Yoruba mythology. ...

The battle

The battle itself took place on the banks of the Parusni. The warriors of Sudas are described as white-robed (shvityanca), wearing hair-knots on the right side of their heads (daksinataskaparda), and as pious (dhiyamjinvasa), flying banners (krtádhvaj) , while the ten kings are impious and do not worship (áyajyava). It appears (7.18.5) that Sudas was forced to retreat, and managed to cross the Parusni safely, while his foes, trying to pursue, were scattered in the crossing and either drowned or slaughtered by Sudas' men, Sudas himself slaying Bheda: The Ravi River (Sanskrit: , Punjabi: , Urdu: ‎) is a river in India and Pakistan. ...

7.18.9 As to their goal they sped to their destruction: they sought Parusni; e'en the swift returned not.

Indra abandoned, to Sudas the manly, the swiftly flying foes, unmanly babblers.

7.18.9 They went like kine unherded from the pasture, each clinging to a friend as chance directed.

They who drive spotted steeds, sent down by Prsni, gave ear, the Warriors and the harnessed horses. (trans. Griffith)

Kavasa and the Druhyu were "overwhelmed by Indra" while still in the water (7.18.10). The slain of the Anavas and the Druhyus are numbered 6,666 (7.18.14).

Aftermath

In the aftermath of the battle, the Bharatas came under the dominion of Sudas (7.33.6), the Ajas, the Sigrus and the Yaksus likewise pay tribute (7.18.20), and Indra destroyed the seven castles of the enemies, and gave the treasures of Anu's son (or "the foreign man") to Sudas (7.18.13). 7.18.17 stresses that this was a victory against all odds, compared to a goat defeating a lion. Anu is a Vedic Sanskrit term for a non-Arya (non-Aryan) in the Rigveda, and the name of a non-Aryan tribe in RV 1. ...

References

1. ^ A. A. Macdonell and A. B. Keith (1912). Vedic Index of Names and Subjects, I, 39.
2. ^ ^{a b} A. A. Macdonell and A. B. Keith (1912). Vedic Index of Names and Subjects.
3. ^ Radhakumud Mookerji (1988). Chandragupta Maurya and His Times (p. 23). Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 8120804058.
4. ^ Koenraad Elst. Update on the Aryan Invasion Theory.

• Karl Friedrich Geldner, Der Rig-Veda: Aus dem Sanskrit ins Deutsche übersetzt Harvard Oriental Studies, vols. 33, 34, 35 (1951), reprint Harvard University Press (2003) ISBN 0-674-01226-7
• Ralph T.H. Griffith, Hymns of the Rig Veda (1896)