Battle of the Ten Kings
Encyclopedia
Battle of the Ten Kings is a battle alluded to in Mandala 7
of the Rigveda
(hymns 18, 33 and 83.4-8), the ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit
hymns. It is a battle between Aryan
s (Vedic Indians) (an "internecine war", as the 1911 Britannica puts it, as opposed to the more frequent accounts of Aryans fighting Dasyus). It took place as Puru
tribes, allied with other tribes of the Punjab
and guided by the royal sage Vishvamitra, oppose the Trtsu (Bharata) king Sudas
in battle, but are defeated as was celebrated in a provocative hymn of Sudas' poet and priest Vasistha
(RV 7.18). K. F. Geldner
in his 1951 translation of the Rigveda considers the hymns as "obviously based on an historical event", even though all details save for what is preserved in the hymns have been lost. Further details have been provided in an incisive discussion of this hymn by H.P. Schmidt
.
Sudas himself is included in the "ten kings", as the Trtsus are said to be surrounded by ten kings in 7.33.5.
But it is not made explicit how this number is supposed to be broken down: if of the tribes mentioned in 7.18, the Turvasas, Yaksuss (pun for Yadu), Matsyas, Bhrgus, Druhyus, Pakthas, Bhalanas, Alinas, Shivas and Visanins are counted, the full number is reached, leaving the Anava
s (7.18.14), the Aja
s 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.
and Indra paired with Varuna
, respectively. They thank the deity for helping Sudas to defeat his enemies, while hymn 7.33 is addressed by Vasistha's descendants to Vasistha, praising him for moving the gods to take Sudas' side by his prayers (Indra preferred Vasistha's prayers over those of Pasadyumna, son of Vayata, 7.33.2). They describe him as a son of Mitra
and Varuna
(7.33.11).
The hymn stresses the importance of the priests (Vasistha is named along with Parashara and Satayatu) in winning Indra's favour; they had invoked Indra while they had moved away from "home" (grhāt, 7.18.21)
The situation leading up to the battle is described in 7.18.6: The Turvasas and Yaksus (Yadu), 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 Bhrigus
and the Druhyus
. Their confederation was further increased by the Pakthas, the Bhalanas, the Alinas, the Shiva
s and the Visanins (7.18.7), while the Trtsus relied solely on the help of the "Arya's Comrade" (āryasya sadhamāḥ), Indra.
The warriors of Sudas are described as white-robed (shvityanca), wearing hair-knots on the right side of their heads (daksinataskaparda), having flying banners (krtádhvaj) (RV 7.83.2), while the ten kings do not sacrifice (áyajyavaḥ).
It appears (7.18.5) that Sudas managed to cross the Parusni safely, while his foes, trying to pursue, were scattered by a flood and either drowned or were slaughtered by Sudas' men:
Kavaṣa and the Druhyu were "overwhelmed by Indra" while still in the water (7.18.10).
The slain warriors of the Anu and Druhyus are numbered 6,666 (7.18.14).
In the aftermath of the battle, the Bharatas under Sudas (7.33.6), received tribute from the Ajas, the Sigrus and the Yaksus (= Yadu, 7.18.20), and Indra destroyed the seven fortifications of the enemies, and gave the treasures of Anu to Sudas (7.18.13). 7.18.17 stresses that this was a victory against all odds, compared to a ram defeating a lion.
Mandala 7
The seventh Mandala of the Rigveda has 104 hymns. In the Rigveda Anukramani, all hymns in this book are attributed to Vasishta...
of the Rigveda
Rigveda
The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...
(hymns 18, 33 and 83.4-8), the ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit
Vedic Sanskrit
Vedic Sanskrit is an old Indo-Aryan language. It is an archaic form of Sanskrit, an early descendant of Proto-Indo-Iranian. It is closely related to Avestan, the oldest preserved Iranian language...
hymns. It is a battle between Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
s (Vedic Indians) (an "internecine war", as the 1911 Britannica puts it, as opposed to the more frequent accounts of Aryans fighting Dasyus). It took place as Puru
Puru
The Purus were a tribe, or a confederation of tribes, mentioned many times in the Rigveda, formed around 3180 BCE. RV 7.96.2 locates them at the banks of the Sarasvati River. There were several factions of Purus, one being the Bharatas...
tribes, allied with other tribes of the Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
and guided by the royal sage Vishvamitra, oppose the Trtsu (Bharata) king Sudas
Sudas
Sudās was a king in the Rig Veda. His name means "worshipping well", an s-stem, either from a root dās, or with the extra s added to avoid an archaic root noun in ā, Sudā-, which would easily be mistaken for a feminine name....
in battle, but are defeated as was celebrated in a provocative hymn of Sudas' poet and priest Vasistha
Vasistha
Vashist in the seventh, i.e the present Manvantara, and the Rajpurohit / Rajguru of the Suryavansha or Solar Dynasty. He was the mānasaputra of Brahma. He had in his possession the divine cow Kamadhenu, and Nandini her child, who could grant anything to their owners...
(RV 7.18). K. F. Geldner
Karl Friedrich Geldner
Karl Friedrich Geldner was a German linguist best known for his analysis and synthesis of Avestan and Vedic Sanskrit texts.-Biography:...
in his 1951 translation of the Rigveda considers the hymns as "obviously based on an historical event", even though all details save for what is preserved in the hymns have been lost. Further details have been provided in an incisive discussion of this hymn by H.P. Schmidt
Belligerents
The Trtsu are the tribe led by king SudasSudas
Sudās was a king in the Rig Veda. His name means "worshipping well", an s-stem, either from a root dās, or with the extra s added to avoid an archaic root noun in ā, Sudā-, which would easily be mistaken for a feminine name....
.
Sudas himself is included in the "ten kings", as the Trtsus are said to be surrounded by ten kings in 7.33.5.
But it is not made explicit how this number is supposed to be broken down: if of the tribes mentioned in 7.18, the Turvasas, Yaksuss (pun for Yadu), Matsyas, Bhrgus, Druhyus, Pakthas, Bhalanas, Alinas, Shivas and Visanins are counted, the full number is reached, leaving the Anava
Anava
Anava 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: anava, karma and maya...
s (7.18.14), the Aja
Aja people
The Aja are a group of people native to south-western Benin and south-eastern Togo.According to tradition, the Aja migrated to southern Benin in the 12th or 13th centuries from Tado on the Mono River and in the early 17th century, three brothers, Kokpon, Do-Aklin, and Te-Agdanlin, fought for the...
s 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.
- AlinaAlinaAlina Smith is an American/Russian pop singer, songwriter and pianist.- Early life :Alina Smith was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia to a Russian mother who was a teacher, actress and opera singer and an American father...
s: One of the tribes defeated by Sudas at the Dasarajna, and it was suggested that they lived to the north-east of NuristanNurestan ProvinceNuristān , also spelled Nurestān or Nooristan, is a region in Afghanistan embedded in the south of the Hindu Kush valleys. Its administrative center is Parun...
, because the land was mentioned by the Chinese pilgrim Hiouen Thsang. - AnuAnu (tribe)Anu, father of Kumarbi is a Vedic Sanskrit term for a major tribe in the Rigveda, RV 1.108.8, RV 8.10.5 and, later also in the Mahabharata...
: Some place them in the (Ravi) area. - BhrigusBhrigusMaharishi Bhrigu was one of the seven great sages, the Saptarshis, in ancient India, one of the many Prajapatis created by Brahma , the first compiler of predictive astrology, and also the author of Bhrigu Samhita, the astrological classic written during the Vedic period, Treta yuga.Bhrigu is a...
: Probably the priestly family descended from the ancient Kavi Bhrigu. Later, they are related to the composition of parts of the Atharva Veda . - BhalanasBhalanasThe Bhalanas are 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....
: Fought against Sudas in the Dasarajna battle. Some scholars have argued that the Bhalanas lived in the Bolan Pass area. - DruhyusDruhyusThe Druhyus were a people of Ancient India. They are mentioned in the Rigveda, often together with the Anu tribe. Some early scholars have placed them in the northwestern region....
: Some align them with the GandhariGandharaGandhāra , is the name of an ancient kingdom , located in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was located mainly in the vale of Peshawar, the Potohar plateau and on the Kabul River...
(RV I 1.126.7). - Matsya are only mentioned in the RV (7.18.6), but later in connection with the Śālva.
- Parsu: The Parśu have been connected by some with the ancient PersiansPersian peopleThe Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
. - PuruPuruThe Purus were a tribe, or a confederation of tribes, mentioned many times in the Rigveda, formed around 3180 BCE. RV 7.96.2 locates them at the banks of the Sarasvati River. There were several factions of Purus, one being the Bharatas...
s: one of the major tribal confederations in the Rigveda. - PanisPanisThe Panis are a class of demons in the Rigveda, from , a term for "bargainer, miser," especially applied to one who is sparing of sacrificial oblations. The Panis appear in RV 10.108 as watchers over stolen cows. They are located behind the stream Rasā, and sought out by Sarama, the female dog...
: also the name of a class of demons; later associated with the Scythians.
Background
Hymns 7.18 and 7.83 are dedicated to IndraIndra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
and Indra paired with Varuna
Varuna
In Vedic religion, Varuna is a god of the sky, of water and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld...
, respectively. They thank the deity for helping Sudas to defeat his enemies, while hymn 7.33 is addressed by Vasistha's descendants to Vasistha, praising him for moving the gods to take Sudas' side by his prayers (Indra preferred Vasistha's prayers over those of Pasadyumna, son of Vayata, 7.33.2). They describe him as a son of Mitra
Mitra
*Mitra was an important Indo-Iranian divinity. Following the prehistoric cultural split of Indo-Aryan and Iranian cultures, names descended from *mitra were used for the following religious entities:...
and Varuna
Varuna
In Vedic religion, Varuna is a god of the sky, of water and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld...
(7.33.11).
The hymn stresses the importance of the priests (Vasistha is named along with Parashara and Satayatu) in winning Indra's favour; they had invoked Indra while they had moved away from "home" (grhāt, 7.18.21)
The situation leading up to the battle is described in 7.18.6: The Turvasas and Yaksus (Yadu), together with the Matsya tribe (punned upon by the rishi by comparing them to hungry fish (matsya
Matsya
Matsya was the first Avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism. The great flood finds mention in Hindu mythology texts like the Satapatha Brahmana, where in the Matsya Avatar takes place to save the pious and the first man, Manu and advices him to build a giant boat.-The Legend:According to the Matsya...
) flocking together) appear and ally themselves with the Bhrigus
Bhrigus
Maharishi Bhrigu was one of the seven great sages, the Saptarshis, in ancient India, one of the many Prajapatis created by Brahma , the first compiler of predictive astrology, and also the author of Bhrigu Samhita, the astrological classic written during the Vedic period, Treta yuga.Bhrigu is a...
and the Druhyus
Druhyus
The Druhyus were a people of Ancient India. They are mentioned in the Rigveda, often together with the Anu tribe. Some early scholars have placed them in the northwestern region....
. Their confederation was further increased by the Pakthas, the Bhalanas, the Alinas, the Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
s and the Visanins (7.18.7), while the Trtsus relied solely on the help of the "Arya's Comrade" (āryasya sadhamāḥ), Indra.
The battle
The battle itself took place on the banks of the Parusni (Ravi).The warriors of Sudas are described as white-robed (shvityanca), wearing hair-knots on the right side of their heads (daksinataskaparda), having flying banners (krtádhvaj) (RV 7.83.2), while the ten kings do not sacrifice (áyajyavaḥ).
It appears (7.18.5) that Sudas managed to cross the Parusni safely, while his foes, trying to pursue, were scattered by a flood and either drowned or were slaughtered by Sudas' men:
- 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)
Kavaṣa and the Druhyu were "overwhelmed by Indra" while still in the water (7.18.10).
The slain warriors of the Anu and Druhyus are numbered 6,666 (7.18.14).
In the aftermath of the battle, the Bharatas under Sudas (7.33.6), received tribute from the Ajas, the Sigrus and the Yaksus (= Yadu, 7.18.20), and Indra destroyed the seven fortifications of the enemies, and gave the treasures of Anu to Sudas (7.18.13). 7.18.17 stresses that this was a victory against all odds, compared to a ram defeating a lion.