Mandala 7
The seventh Mandala of the Rigveda ("book 7", "RV 7") has 104 hymns. In the Rigveda Anukramani, all hymns in this book are attributed to Vashista. Hymn 32 is additionally credited to Sakti Vashista, and hymns 101-102 (to Parjanya) are additionally credited to Kumara Agneya. It is one of the "family books" (mandalas 2-7), the oldest core of the Rigveda.
The third book, Book 7, soon afterwards, show Sudās and the Bharatas expanding further westwards, under the new priest Vasiṣṭha, and fighting the Dāśarājña battle (the battle of the ten kings) on the banks of the third (from the east) river of the Punjab, the Paruṣṇī (VII.18.8,9), their enemies being described as the people of the Asiknī (VII.5.3), the fourth (from the east) river of the Punjab.[1]
Talageri writes, Book 7 of the Vasiṣṭhas, who replaced the Viśvāmitras as the priests of Sudās halfway through his conquests, refers for the first time to the third and fourth rivers of the Punjab from the east, immediately after the Śutudrī and the Vipāś: the Paruṣṇī (present day Ravi) and the Asiknī (present day Chenab). This Book also still does not mention any other geographical name to the west of the Sarasvatī other than these two names. The context is the great battle, the dāśarājña or Battle of the Ten Kings, fought by Sudās on the banks of the Paruṣṇī with an alliance of ten sub-tribes of the Anu and some remnants of the Druhyu tribes. This battle clearly represents the next steps in the east-to-west expansion: after all the descriptions of the activities of his far ancestors in the east (detailed above), and the commencement of his conquest with a ritual sacrifice again in the east, and after crossing the two easternmost rivers of the Punjab as described in Book 3, Sudās now fights this battle on the banks of the Paruṣṇī (VII.18), and his enemies are described as the people of the Asiknī (VII.5.3), clearly indicating that Sudās is approaching from the east and they are fighting from the west from the side of the Asiknī river. The enemies are specifically described as abandoning their possessions after their defeat, and scattering abroad (VII.5.3) in the westward direction (VII.6.3).[1] [archive]
The hymns are dedicated to Agni, Indra, the Visvadevas, the Maruts, Mitra-Varuna, the Asvins, Ushas (Dawn), Indra-Varuna, Varuna, Vayu (Wind), two each to Sarasvati, Rudra, the Waters, the Adityas, Vishnu, Vastospati, Brhaspati, one each to the Apris, to Vashista, Savitar, Bhaga, the Dadhikras, the Rbhus, Dyaus and Prthivi (Heaven and Earth), Parjanya (Rain) and Indra-Soma. 7.103 is dedicated to the frogs.
The rivers mentioned in the 7th Mandala are the Sarasvati, Asikni, Parusni and possibly the Yamuna (in 7.18.19 the name of a helper of Indra, maybe also the name of a woman or goddess). Hymns 95 and 96 are entirely dedicated to Sarasvati.
The battle of ten kings
The Battle of the Ten Kings (dāśarājñá) is a battle alluded to in the Rigveda (Book 7, hymns 18, 33 and 83.4-8), the ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. The battle took place during the middle or main Rigvedic period,[2] near the Ravi River in Punjab. It was a battle between the Puru Vedic Aryan tribal kingdoms of the Bharatas, allied with other tribes of the north west India, guided by the royal sage Vishvamitra, and the Trtsu (Puru) king Sudas, who defeats the Bharatas. The Battle of the Ten Kings is on the Paruṣṇī (in VII.18, 83).
Later additions
VII.59.12 is found in the extant Rigveda, but missing in Śākalya’s padapāṭha. VII.59.12 is characterized by late words, unknown to the rest of the Rigveda, like tryambaka. (Talageri 2008)
VII.19 may be a late addition. (Talageri 2008).
Old Rigveda (280 hymns, 2368 verses) VII. 1-14, 18-30, 34-54, 56-58, 60-65, 67-73, 75-80, 82-93, 95, 97-100 (87 hymns, 641 verses).
Redacted Hymns (62 hymns, 873 verses) VII. 15-17, 31-33, 55, 59, 66, 74, 81, 94, 96, 101-104 (17 hymns, 200 verses).
VII.50 may be Redacted Hymns on metrical grounds[3]
Rivers and places
The third oldest Book, Book 7, refers to the third (from the east) of the five rivers of the Punjab, the Paruṣṇī, in reference to the battle of 10 kings, in which the non-Vedic enemies figure as the western people of the fourth river, the Asiknī. (Talageri 2008)
Eastern regions in Book 7: 2. Sarasvatī-8. 9. Sarasvatī-5. 18. Yamunā-19. 35. Sarasvatī-11. 36. Sarasvatī-6. 39. Sarasvatī-5. 40. Sarasvatī-3, pṛṣatī-3. 44. mahiṣa-5. 69. gaura-6. 95. Sarasvatī-1-2,4-6. 96. Sarasvatī-1,3-6. 98. gaura-1.
Central: 5. Asiknī-3. 18. Paruṣṇī-8,9.
Source:Talageri 2008
āprī-sūkta in the Rigveda
7. VII.2: vasiṣṭha.
Notes on specific words and verses
- pṛthu-parśu in VII.83.1 refers to the enemies of Sudās, "the pṛthus and parśus" (a noun+noun dvandva compound and not an adjective+noun bahuvrīhi compound)[4]
- there are three dāśarājña hymns (VII.18,33,83).
- parīṇas (abundance): [III. 24.5].
varuṇāni (wife of Varuṇa): [VII. 34.2].
nirṛti (dissolution, or Goddess of): [VII. 37.6; 58.2].
dugdha (milk): [III. 55.16; VII.98.1].
viṣa (poison): [VII. 21.7; 50.3].
sanīḷa (of common nest=of common origin, companions): [VII. 56.1].
Rigvedic priest and king
Priest: Vasistha King: Sudas
Text
References
- https://talageri.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-prthu-parsu-in-dasarajna-hymn.html [archive] about VII.83.1
- ↑ https://talageri.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-grtsamadas-of-book-ii-of-rigveda.html [archive]
- ↑ Witzel (2000): between approximately 1450 and 1300 BCE
- ↑ https://talageri.blogspot.com/2019/10/dravidian-connections-with-harappan.html [archive]
- ↑ https://talageri.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-prthu-parsu-in-dasarajna-hymn.html [archive]