Sudas
Raja
Raja of Tritsu and Bharatas
Reign14th century BCE
SpouseSudevī
DynastyBharata
FatherPijavana or Divodasa

Sudās Paijavana was an Indo-Aryan tribal king of the Bharatas, during the main or middle Rigvedic period (c. 14th century BCE).[1] He led his tribe to victory in the Battle of the Ten Kings near the Paruṣṇī (modern Ravi River) in Punjab,[2] defeating an alliance of the powerful Puru tribe with other tribes, for which he was eulogized by his purohita Vashistha in a hymn of the Rigveda. His victory established the ascendency of the Bhārata 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.[3]

Family

Sudās' ancestors include Pijavana, Divodāsa Atithigva, and Devavant, although scholars disagree regarding the order of these ancestors chronologically.[4][5] According to Witzel, Divodāsa was the father of Sudās, but he includes Pijavana on the grid of Bharata descent as a possible ancestor between Divodāsa and Sudās.[6] Palihawadana also places Pijavana on his grid of Bharata descent between Divodāsa and Sudas, but only states that Sudās was a descendant of Pijavana.[7]

He was married to Sudevī, who is stated to have been given to Sudās by the Ashvins.[8]

Mention in Rigveda

Sudas is mentioned in Rigveda as the chief of Bharatas who conquered the ten-kings confederacy.[2] It is further mentioned that the king replaced Vashistha with Visvamitra as his priest, thereby creating a rivalry between the two. The ten-kings, viz. Puru, Yadu, Turvasu, Anu, 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.[9]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Witzel, Michael (2000). "The Languages of Harappa". In Kenoyer, J.. Proceedings of the conference on the Indus civilization.
  2. 1 2 Mookerji 1988, p. 1.
  3. ↑ Witzel, Michael (1995), "Early Sanskritization: Origin and Development of the Kuru state", EJVS vol. 1 no. 4 (1995)
  4. ↑ Witzel, Michael (1995). "Ṛgvedic history: poets, chieftains and polities". In Erdosy, George (ed.). The Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia: Language, Material Culture and Ethnicity. De Gruyter. p. 216.
  5. ↑ Palihawadana, Mahinda (2017). "The Indra Cult as Ideology: A Clue to Power Struggle in an Ancient Society". Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies. 24 (2): 37.
  6. ↑ Witzel 1995, p. 216, 248.
  7. ↑ Palihawadana 2017, p. 37.
  8. ↑ Macdonell, Arthur Anthony; Keith, Arthur Berriedale (1921). Vedic Index of Names and Subjects. John Murray. p. 454.
  9. ↑ Sen 1999, p. 41.

Sources

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