Rigvedic tribes

The Vedic people of the Rigveda are the Purus, and the Bharata Purus are the heroes of the Rigveda. The other four lunar tribes are described as enemies of the Vedic people in the Old Rigveda.

The Lunar Tribes are:

• Druhyu (original homeland in (present day) northern Pakistan, they were pushed to the northwest by the Anus)

• Anu/Ānava (original homeland in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, they migrated to the area of the Druhyus)

• Pūru/Paurava - main minor subtribes are Bharata or Tṛtsu. (Delhi-Haryana-Western U.P area)

• Yadu/Yādva/Yādava

• Turvasu (Turvaśa in the Rigveda).

The Tṛkṣi, a branch of the Solar Tribe (Ikṣvāku) who migrated westwards, are only mentioned in the Late Rigveda.

History

Traditional history knows of many different streams of tribes or peoples. The first king Manu Vaivasvata ruled over the whole of India, his ten sons ruled over different parts of India. These ten sons, according to the Puranas, were Sudyumna, Ikṣvāku, Prāṁṣu, Śaryāti, Dhṛṣṭa, Karuṣa, Nariṣyanta, Pṛṣadhra, Nābhāga and Nabhagodiṣṭa. But the two main streams are of those belonging to the Solar Race of the Iksvakus (Aiksvaku), and those belonging to the Lunar Race of the Ailas (Ila, Sudyumna). The Iksvakus are located in present-day Bihar and eastern UP, the Ailas to the west and south of the Iksvakus.

Traditional accounts concentrate on the the descendants of the five sons of Aila king Yayati. Thus, the Ailas are further divided into five main branches: the Yadus and Turvasas (sons by Yayati's wife Devayani), Druhyus, Anus and PUrus (sons by his wife Sarmistha). The Rigveda is little concerned with the IkSvAkus as a people, inspite of the fact that the second most important dynasty in the Rigveda (but only, as we have seen, because of the aid given by the kings of this dynasty to the PUrus) is that of the TRkSis, a branch of the IkSvAkus. The word IkSvAku itself occurs only once in the Rigveda as a name of the Sun (X.60.4). The word TRkSi occurs only twice, once in a list of enumeration of tribes or peoples (VI.46.8), and once as an epithet of Trasadasyu’s son (VIII.22.7). (Talageri 2000)

• The Puranas refer to the mythical Manu Vaivasvata who ruled the whole of India, and divided the land between his ten sons. However, the actual Puranic accounts describe only or mainly the history of descendants of two of these "sons": the tribal conglomerates of the "solar" tribes (the Ikṣvāku-s) and the "lunar" tribes (the Aiḷa-s i.e. the "five tribes": Druhyu-s, Anu-s, Pūru-s, Yadu-s, Turvasu-s).

The descriptions in the Puranas about the locations of the Five Aiḷa tribes in northern India clearly place the Pūru-s as the inhabitants of the Central Area (Haryana and adjacent areas of western U.P.), the Anu-s to their North (Kashmir and adjoining areas), the Druhyu-s to their West (present-day northern Pakistan), and the Yadu-s and Turvasu-s to their South-west (Rajasthan, Gujarat, western M.P.) and South-east (eastern M.P. and Chhattisgarh?) respectively. The Solar race of the Ikṣvāku-s are placed to the East (eastern U.P, northern Bihar). Later historical events described in the Puranas see the Anu-s expanding southwards and occupying the erstwhile territory of the Druhyu-s (present-day northern Pakistan) while the Druhyu-s move out into Afghanistan and then into Central Asia. This clearly shows that the Pūru-s were the inhabitants of the core Rigvedic area of the Oldest Books (6,3,7): Haryana and adjacent areas, and they (and, as we will see, originally their sub-tribe the Bharata-s) were the "Vedic Aryans". Their neighbouring tribes and people in all directions were the other non-Vedic (i.e. non-Pūru) but "Aryan" or Indo-European language speaking tribes. The Pūru expansions described in the Puranas explain all the known historical phenomena associated with the "Aryans": the expansion of Pūru kingdoms eastwards (Panchala, Kashi, Magadha, etc., as described in the Puranas) explains the phenomenon which Western scholars interpreted as an "Aryan expansion into India from west to east" (the area of the Rigveda extending eastwards to Haryana and westernmost U.P., the area of the Yajurveda extending further eastwards to cover the whole of U.P., and the area of the Atharvaveda extending even further eastwards up to Bengal), and their expansion westwards described in the Puranas and the Rigveda was the catalyst for the migration of Indo-European language speakers from the Anu and Druhyu tribes (whose dialects later developed into the other 11 branches of Indo-European languages) from India. So, in short, the Pūru-s were the "Vedic Aryans" (i.e. the composers of the Rigveda and the speakers of the "Indo-Aryan" dialect, one of the 12 branch dialects of the original proto-IE language), and (among) the other tribes named in the Puranas were the speakers of the other (i.e. other than "Indo-Aryan") 11 branch dialects of the original proto-IE language. The evidence for this lies in the Rigveda itself: The Rigveda frequently refers to the "panchajana" or the "Five Tribes", i.e. the five Aiḷa tribes: Druhyu-s, Anu-s, Pūru-s, Yadu-s, Turvasu-s, who are named together in I.108.8. Some of the references are in the form of enumerations (as we would say: "Punjab, Sindha, Gujarat, Maratha, Dravida, Utkala, Banga…"), or directional references (as in "from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.."): I.47.7; 108.8; VI.46.8; VIII.4.1; 10.5. However, the other references make the identities very clear: 1. The word Ikṣvāku occurs only once (in X.60.4) as an epithet of the Sun. 2. The Yadu-s and Turvasu-s (Turvaṣa-s in the Rigveda) are mentioned many times (i.e. in 19 hymns). But almost every time (in as many as 15 hymns) they are mentioned together (as one groups together outsiders or distant peoples from one direction or general area: as an insular Maharashtrian in Mumbai, for example, would use phrases like "U.P.-Biharwale", "Gujarati-Marwadi", "Punjabi-Sindhi", or "Chini-Japani"; or "Madrasi" or "Kanadi" to encompass all South Indians, etc.). What is more, they are named mostly in references to two specific historical incidents which specifically describe them as living "far away" and having to cross several rivers to reach the Vedic area, and they sometimes figure as allies and sometimes as enemies. 3. The Druhyu-s are only mentioned thrice in a single hymn (VII.18), and there they are enemies of the composers of the hymn. The Anu-s are mentioned in 4 hymns: in the two more specific of them (VI.62; VII.18, both in the Old Books), they also are enemies of the composers of the hymns. In the other two more general references (V.31; VIII.74) both in the New Books, the word Anu is used as a synonym for Bhṛgu-s (who also figure as enemies in VII.18). 4. In contrast with all this, the Pūru-s are found referred to throughout the Rigveda in the first-person sense. They are the "We" of the Rigveda: in IV.38.1 and VI.20.10, the Pūru-s are directly identified with the first person plural pronoun. All the Vedic Gods are identified as the Gods of the Pūru-s: Agni is described as being like a cooling “fountain” to the Pūru-s (X.4.1), a “priest” who drives away the sins of the Pūru-s (I.129.5), the Hero who is worshipped by the Pūru-s (I.59.6), the protector of the sacrifices of the Pūru-s (V.17.1), and the destroyer of enemy castles for the Pūru-s (VII.5.3). Mitra and Varuṇa are described as affording special aid in battle and war to the Pūru-s, in the form of powerful allies and steeds (IV.38.1,3; 39.2). Indra is described as the God to whom the Pūru-s sacrifice in order to gain new favours (VI.20.10) and for whom the Pūru-s shed Soma (VIII.64.10). Indra gives freedom to the Pūru-s by slaying their enemies (IV.21.10), helps the Pūru-s in battle (VII.19.3), and breaks down enemy castles for the Pūru-s (I.63.7; 130.7; 131.4). He even addresses the Pūru-s, and asks them to sacrifice to him alone, promising in return his friendship, protection and generosity (X.48.5), in a manner reminiscent of the Biblical God’s “covenant” with the "People of the Book", the Jews. In VIII.10.5, the Aśvins are asked to leave the other four tribes (the Druhyu-s, Anu-s, Yadu-s and Turvasu-s, who are specifically named) and come to "us". But there is much more: a) The area of the Sarasvati river was the heartland of the Vedic Aryans. It was so important that it is the only river to have three whole hymns (apart from references in 52 other verses) in its praise: VI.61; VII.95 and 96. Sarasvati is also one of the three Great Goddesses praised in the āprī sūktas (family hymns) of all the ten families of composers of the Ṛigveda. As per the evidence of the Rigveda, the Sarasvati was a purely Pūru river, running through Pūru territory, with Pūru-s dwelling on both sides of the river: “the Pūru-s dwell, Beauteous One, on thy two grassy banks” (VII.96.2). b) The identity of the Pūru-s with the Vedic Aryans is so unmistakable, that the line between “Pūru” and “man” is almost non-existent in the Rigveda: Griffith, for example, sees fit to directly translate the word Pūru as “man” in at least five verses: I.129.5; 131.4; IV.21.10; V.171.1 and X.4.1. In one verse (VIII.64.10), the Rigveda itself identifies the Pūru-s with “mankind”: “Pūrave […] mānave jane”. The Rigveda actually coins a word Pūru-ṣa/ Puru-ṣa (descendant of Pūru), on the analogy of the word manu-ṣa (descendant of Manu), for “man”. In his footnote to I.59.2, Griffith notes: "Pūru's sons: men in general, Pūru being regarded as their progenitor", and again, in his footnote to X.48.5, Griffith notes: "Ye Pūru-s: 'O men' - Wilson", and likewise in his footnotes to VII.5.3 and X.4.1. c) The identity of the Pūru-s with the Vedic Aryans is impossible to miss... [3] ^[archive]

The five tribes (pañca janāh): Anu, Druhyu, Turvaśu, Yadu and Puru

• In the Rg-Veda, the ethnic horizon mainly consists of the “five peoples”, pañca janāh, conceived as descent groups of five patriarchs: Anu, Druhyu, Turvaśu, Yadu and Puru. These five were the five sons of Yayāti, himself a king belonging to the Aila lineage (from Ilā, daughter of Ur-patriarch Manu Vaivasvata) or Lunar dynasty. The term Ārya is used in the Rg-Veda for three individuals belonging to the Paurava tribe: king Divodāsa, his father Vadhryaśva, and his descendant Sudās, winner of the crucial battle of the Ten Kings. In a tribal sense, it always refers to the Paurava tribe or segments of it, the putative descendents of Puru, youngest and favoured among the five sons of king Yayāti. [4] ^[archive]

• Indian historical traditions speak of five ―lunar‖ tribes or races (races not in the eyes-hair-and-cranium sense) in ancient India (apart from the ―solar‖ tribe or race, the Ikṣvākus = the Rigvedic Tṛkṣis): the Druhyu, the Anu and the Pūru in the north, and the Yadu and Turvasu (Turvaśa in the Rigveda) more in the interior. (Talageri 2008)

• The nature of the references to the five tribes makes it clear that the Pūrus alone are the People of the Book in the Rigveda: all the five tribes are named in one verse (I.108.8), and one or more are named in four other verses: Yadus, Turvaśas,.Druhyus and Anus (in VIII.100.5); Druhyus, Pūrus (and Tṛkṣis) (in VI.46.8); Anus and Turvaśas (in VIII.4.1); and Turvaṣas alone (in I.47.7). All these are directional references, in which the names of the tribes are merely used as pointers or in enumerations of tribes. Apart from these directional references, the following are the references to the different tribes: The Druhyus are named in only one hymn, where they figure as the enemies in the hymn: in VII.18.6,12,14 (in reference to the Battle of the Ten kings). The Anus are named in four hymns: in two of them, VI.62.9 and VII.18.13,14, they figure as the enemies in the hymns. [In the other two hymns, they are mentioned in two different contexts; and although these are not hostile references, they again help us in identifying the Anus with the Iranians, as we will see presently]. The Yadus and Turvaśas are mentioned in many more hymns: 19 in all, but the references make it clear that they are different from the People of the Book. Firstly, as Witzel puts it, they are ―at times friends and at times enemies of the Pūru-Bharatas‖ (WITZEL 1995b:328), i.e. of the People of the Book (Witzel subconsciously realizes that people depicted as friends or enemies of the composers in any hymn are, automatically, actually the friends or enemies of ―the Pūru-Bharatas‖). Secondly, they are ―regularly paired‖ (WITZEL 1995b:313); i.e. they are overwhelmingly more often than not (i.e. in 15 of the 19 hymns which refer to them) named together by the composers of the hymns, as if they were one entity, or at any rate a pair difficult to distinguish from each other, which is always a sign of unfamiliarity or distance. And, thirdly, the verses (most of which actually seem to refer to two particular historical incidents where the Yadus and Turvaṣas came to the aid of the Pūrus) also regularly refer to them as coming ―from afar‖ (I.36.18; VI.45.1), from ―the further bank‖ (V.31.8) across flooded rivers (I.174.9; IV.30.17), and ―over the sea‖ (VI.20.12) (Talageri 2008)

• As per the evidence of the Rigveda, the Sarasvatī was a purely Pūru river, running through Pūru territory, with Pūrus dwelling on both sides of the river: ―the Pūrus dwell, Beauteous One, on thy two grassy banks‖ (VIII.96.2). Significantly, another one of the three Great Goddesses is Bhāratī, the deity of the Bharata clan or subtribe of the Pūrus. (Talageri 2008)

• The identity of the Pūrus with the Vedic Aryans is so unmistakable, that the line between ―Pūru‖ and ―man‖ is distinctly blurred in the Rigveda: Griffith, for example, sees fit to translate the word as ―man‖ in at least five verses: I.129.5; 131.4; IV.21.10; V.171.1 and X.4.1. In one verse (VIII.64.10), the Rigveda itself identifies the Pūrus with ―mankind‖: ―Pūrave [...] mānave jane‖. Finally, the Rigveda actually coins a word pūru ṣ a/puru ṣ a (descendant of Pūru), on the analogy of the word manu ṣ a (descendant of Manu), for ―man‖. (Talageri 2008)

• The Anus are depicted as inhabitants of the area of the Paruṣṇī river in the centre of the Punjab (or the Land of the Seven Rivers) in the early Books of the Rigveda: in the Battle of the Ten Kings, fought on the banks of the Paruṣṇī, the Anus are the inhabitants of the area of this river who form a coalition to fight the imperialist expansion of Sudās and the Bharatas, and it is the land and possessions of the Anus (VII.18.13) which are taken over by the Bharatas after their victory in the battle. This point is also noted by P L Bhargava: ―The fact that Indra is said to have given the possessions of the Anu king to the Tṛtsus in the battle of Paruṣṇī shows that that the Anus dwelt on the banks of the Paruṣṇī‖ (BHARGAVA 1956/1971:130). The area, nevertheless, continues even after this to be the area of the Anus, who are again shown as inhabitants of the area even in the Late Books: ―The Anu live on the Paruṣṇī in 8.74.15‖ (WITZEL 1995b:328, fn 51), and even in later historical times, where it is the area of the Madras and the Kekayas, who were Anus. (Talageri 2008)

The first major movement of the Anus took place in a tumultuous era of conflicts recorded in traditional history: the Druhyus started conquering eastwards and southwards, and their conflicts brought them into conflict with all the other tribes and peoples. This led to a concerted effort by the other tribes to drive them out, and the result was that they were driven out not only from the east but also from their homeland in the northern half of present-day Pakistan. This area was occupied by the Anus who moved southwards and westwards: ―One branch, headed by Uśīnara established several kingdoms on the eastern border of the Punjab [...] his famous son Śivi originated the Śivis [footnote: called Śivas in Rigveda VII.18.7] in Śivapura, and extending his conquests westwards [...] occupying the whole of the Punjab except the northwestern corner‖ (PARGITER 1962:264). Thus, the Anus now became inhabitants also of the areas in present-day northern Pakistan originally occupied by the Druhyus, and the Druhyus were pushed out further west (from where, as we have already seen, they later moved out northwards, and subsequently migrated to distant lands).

(Talageri 2008)

• The Yadu-s, Turvasu-s, as well as the Ikṣvāku-s, lived to the east of the Pūru-s, in the interior of India, and play a major role in the history of India, Hinduism and Classical Indian/Hindu culture and civilization. So it is unlikely, at the least, that the speakers of the other IE proto-dialects, which became the other eleven branches of IE languages, could have been from these eastern tribal conglomerates.

The Anu-s and the Druhyu-s, on the other hand, lived to the west of the Pūru-s on the northwestern frontiers of India. and it is therefore more likely that the speakers of the other IE proto-dialects, which became the other eleven branches of IE languages, could have been from these western tribal conglomerates.[5] ^[archive]

List of Tribes

This is a list of Indo-Aryan tribes mentioned in the text of the Rigveda:

The Rigveda (in agreement with the PurANas) classifies five tribes: namely, the Yadus, TurvaSas, Druhyus, Anus, PUrus (I.108.8).

In the PurANas, the Yadus and TurvaSas are classified together as descendants of sons of DevayAnI, and the Anus, Druhyus and PUrus are classified together as descendants of sons of SarmiSThA. The Rigveda itself, where it refers to the five tribes together (I.108.8) refers to the Yadus and the TurvaSas in one breath, and the Druhyus, Anus and PUrus in another: “yad IndrAgni YaduSu TurvaSeSu, yad DruhyuSu AnuSu PUruSu sthaH”. (Talageri 2000)

Talageri:In the PurANas, this period is remembered in the description of the original geographical distribution of the five AiLa or Lunar tribes. According to this description, the PUrus were located in the centre (i.e. Haryana-Uttar Pradesh) and the other four tribes, in relation to them, were located as follows: the Anus to their north (i.e. Kashmir), the Druhyus to their west (i.e. Punjab), the Yadus to their south-west (i.e. Rajasthan and western Madhya Pradesh, perhaps extending as far south as Gujarat and Maharashtra) and the TurvaSas to their south-east (to the east of the Yadus). To the northeast of the PUrus were the tribes of the IkSvAku or Solar race. The PurANas also relate a series of historical events which changed the original geographic locations of at least two of the five tribes: The Druhyus, inhabitants of the Punjab, started conquering eastwards and southwards, and their conquests seem to have brought them into conflict with all the other tribes and peoples: the Anus, PUrus, Yadus, TurvaSas, and even the IkSvAkus. The result was a more or less concerted attempt by the different tribes, which led to the Druhyus being driven out not only from the eastern areas occupied by them, but even from the Punjab, and into the northwest and beyond. The place vacated by them was occupied by the Anus. This is important here only because it accounts for the fact that the Anus came to occupy the area to the west of the PUrus (i.e. the Punjab), while the Druhyus were pushed further off into the northwest beyond the Anus.

• Puru (Pūru) *Puru: The tribe of King Sudas. The Bharatas were a clan among the Puru tribe. Bharat is also the name of Rudra, Agni and one of the Aditiyas. The Prthas were also a clan from the Puru tribe[6] ^[archive] because from the Gita we know that Arjuna's Pandava clan descends from the Kaurava clan, which in turn descends from the Pauravas but Krishna also referred to Arjuna as Paartha (descendant of the Prtha clan.) This clan migrated to Iran and began the Parthian Dynasty.

• Bharatas - The Bharatas are an Aryan tribe mentioned in the Rigveda, especially in Mandala 3 attributed to the Bharata sage Vishvamitra and in and Mandala 7. Bharatá is also used as a name of Agni (literally, "to be maintained", viz. the fire having to be kept alive by the care of men), and as a name of Rudra in RV 2.36.8. In one of the "river hymns" RV 3.33, the entire Bharata tribe is described as crossing over, with their chariots and wagons, at the confluence of the Vipash (Beas) and Shutudri (Satlej). Hymns by Vasistha in Mandala 7 (7.18 etc.) mention the Bharatas as the protagonists in the Battle of the Ten Kings, where they are on the winning side. They appear to have been successful in the early power-struggles between the various Aryan and non-Aryan tribes so that they continue to dominate in post-Rigvedic texts, and later in the (Epic) tradition, the Mahābhārata, the eponymous ancestor becomes Emperor Bharata, conqueror of 'all of India', and his tribe and kingdom is called Bhārata. "Bhārata" today is the official name of the Republic of India (see also Etymology of India). Talageri has shown that the Vedic Aryans of the Rigveda were one section among these Purus, who called themselves Bharatas.

• Anu is a Vedic Sanskrit term for one of the 5 major tribes in the Rigveda, RV 1.108.8, RV 8.10.5 (both times listed together with the Druhyu) and, much later also in the Mahabharata. In the late Vedic period, one of the Anu kings, King Anga, is mentioned as a "chakravartin" (AB 8.22). Ānava, the vrddhi derivation of Anu, is the name of a ruler in the Rigvedic account of the Battle of the Ten Kings (7.18.13) and at 8.4.1 with the Turvaśa (tribe). The meaning ánu "living, human" (Naighantu) cannot be substantiated for the Rigveda and may have been derived from the tribal name. According to Talageri, Anus and Druhyus usually feature as enemies. Talageri concluded that the Anus who are located “side by side” with the PUrus in all geographical descriptions (and, incidentally, even in the enumeration of the names of the five tribes in I.108.8), the ancient Indian tribes of the Anus are identical with the ancient Iranians. Talageri: The Indoaryan-Iranian conflict very definitely had an ANgiras-BhRgu dimension to it, with the ANgirases being the priests of the Indoaryans and the BhRgus being the priests of the Iranians: a situation reflected in the traditions of both the peoples. This situation is also reflected in the Rigveda where the dominant priests of the text, and the particular or exclusive priests of the Bharatas (the Vedic Aryans), are the ANgirases: all the generations before SudAs have BharadvAjas as their priests (which, perhaps, explains the etymology of the name Bharad-vAja); SudAs himself has the Kutsas also as his priests (besides the new families of priests: the ViSvAmitras and the VasiSThas); and SudAs’s descendants Sahadeva and Somaka have the Kutsas and the VAmadevas as their priests. The BhRgus are clearly not the priests of the Bharatas, and, equally clearly, they are associated with a particular other tribe: the Anus. The names Anu and BhRgu are used interchangeably: compare V.31.4 with IV.16.20, and VII.18.14 with VII.18.6. Griffith also recognizes the connection in his footnote to V.31.4, when he notes: “Anus: probably meaning BhRgus who belonged to that tribe.” In the Rigveda, the Anus are repeatedly identified with the ParuSNI river, the central river of the Punjab, as the PUrus are identified with the SarasvatI: in the DASarAjña battle, the Anus are clearly the people of the ParuSNI area and beyond. Likewise, another hymn which refers to the ParuSNI (VIII.74.15) also refers to the Anus (VIII.74.4). ..The hostilities and conflicts which led to the migrations of the Iranians from this land may be symbolises in the “excessive heat” created by Angra Mainyu to drive them out of Hapta-HAndu: in the Rigveda (VII.6.3) the Dasyus were chased westwards by Agni.

• Druhyus - The Druhyu were a people of Vedic India. They are mentioned in the Rigveda, usually together with the Anu tribe. Some early scholars have placed them in the northwestern region. The later texts, the Epic and the Puranas, locate them in the "north", that is, in Gandhara, Aratta and Setu. (Vishnu Purana IV.17) The Druhyus were driven out of the land of the seven rivers, and their next king, Gandhara, settled in a north-western region which became known as Gandhāra. The sons of the later Druhyu king Pracetas too settle in the "northern" (udīcya) region (Bhagavata 9.23.15-16; Visnu 4.17.5; Vayu 99.11-12; Brahmanda 3.74.11-12 and Matsya 48.9.). Recently, some writers have ahistorically asserted that the Druhyu are the ancestors of the Iranian, Greek or European peoples, or of the Celtic Druid class. The word Druid (Gallic Celtic druides), however, is derived from Proto-Indo-European vid "to see, to know' It has also been alleged that the Rg Veda and the Puranas describe this tribe as migrating North,. However, there is nothing of this in the Rigveda and the Puranas merely mention that the Druhyu are "adjacent (āśrita) to the North". Druhyus, Ghandari Druhyus: From them came Ghandari. who gave his name to a region he settled in the Gandhara Valley. According to Talageri, Anus and Druhyus usually feature as enemies. Talgeri: and the Druhyus are located outside the frontiers of India.

1. Yadu
2. Turvasa (Turvaśa)

The two peoples (Yadus, Turvasas) appear to be located at a great distance from the land of the Vedic Aryans: they are described as coming “from afar” (I.36.18; VI.45.1), from “the further bank” (V.31.8) and “over the sea” (VI.20.12). Some of the verses refer to the Gods “bringing” them across flooded rivers (I.174.9; IV.30.17). (Talageri 2000) Talageri: All sources locate the Yadus and TurvaSas together in the interior of India. In the PurANas, the Yadus and TurvaSas are classified together as descendants of sons of DevayAnI, and the Anus, Druhyus and PUrus are classified together as descendants of sons of SarmiSThA. (Talageri)

1. Alina people (RV 7.18.7) - They were probably one of the tribes defeated by Sudas at the Dasarajna, and it has been suggested that they lived to the north-east of Nurestan, because much later, in the 7th century CE, the land was mentioned by the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang. The amateur historian S. Talageri identifies them with the Greeks (Hellenes). Alinas: They were probably one of the tribes defeated by Sudas at the DasarajnaMacdonell and Keith, Vedic Index, 1912, I, 39, and it was suggested that they lived to the north-east of Kafiristan, because the land was mentioned by the Chinese pilgrim Hiouen Thsang.Macdonell and Keith, Vedic Index, 1912, I, 39 Alina (RV 7.18.7) They were probably one of the tribes defeated by Sudas at the Dasarajna, and it was suggested that they lived to the north-east of Kafiristan, because the land was mentioned by the Chinese pilgrim Hiouen Thsang.
2. Āyu
3. Bhajeratha
4. Bhalanas- The Bhalanas are one of the tribes that fought against Sudas in the Dasarajna battle. Some scholars have argued that the Bhalanas lived in Eastern Afghanistan Kabulistan, and that the Bolan Pass derives its name from the Bhalanas. 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.
5. Bhrigus Bhrigus: Said to be descended from Lord Varuna. They are also related to the composition of the Atharva Veda.
6. Chedi
7. Dasa (dāsa, 'slave', 'servant')Dasa, Dasyu (Dahae?, Dahyu?)
8. Dasyu (Iranian: Dahyu, mentioned in Latin as: Dahae, in Greek as: Daai) Dasa, Dasyu (Dahae, Dahyu): A term labelled to all Iranic tribes that were in opposition to King Sudas. They Iranians acknowledge themselves as the Daha and Dahyu, while the ancient Greeks had also acknowledged them as 'Dahae.'
9. Dṛbhīka
10. Gandhari
11. Guṅgu
12. Iksvaku
13. Krivi
14. Kīkaṭa
15. Kuru
16. Mahīna
17. Maujavant
18. Matsya
19. Nahuṣa
20. Paktha.
21. Pārāvata
22. Parsu (Parśu) - The Parsus have been connected with the Persians This is based on the evidence of an Assyrian inscription from 844 BC referring to the Persians as Parshu, and the Behistun Inscription of Darius I of Persia referring to Parsa as the home of the Persians. Parsu: According to some scholars, the Parsus are connected with the Persians. Macdonell and Keith, Vedic Index, 1912 This view is disputed. Macdonell and Keith, Vedic Index, 1912. The ancient Persians settled in Parsu, giving their name to a regin in Iran, thus they are they same tribe. Parsu According to some scholars, the Parsus are connected with the Persians. This view is disputed.. Elst: Parshu, the Iranian-related Vedic ethnonym of a “northwestern tribe” which is obviously related to “Persian” (the tribe which gave its name to the central Iranian province Pars, now Fars). Elst 2007
23. Panis (Iranian Parni?) Panis (Parni?) Panis: Possibily the Vedic scholor who came to India to learn Sanskrit and added to the langauge, Panini was a member of this tribe.
24. Ruśama
25. Sārasvata
26. Srñjaya
27. Tritsu The Tritsus are a sub-group of the Puru who are distinct from the Bharatas mentioned in Mandala 7 of the Rigveda (in hymns 18, 33 and 83). Under king Sudas they defeated the confederation of ten kings led by the Bharatas at the Battle of the Ten Kings.
28. the Parthians and the Persians. as Griffith points out in the footnote to his translation of the verse, "Ludwig declares that the former meaning is perfectly impossible, and argues that pṛithu-parśavah must mean 'the Pṛithus and the Parśus'". The clinching evidence that the phrase does indeed mean "the Pṛthus and the Parśus", apart from the fact that the combination of the two words is not found anywhere else, is that the first word Pṛthu (Pārthava) in VII.83.1 definitely refers to a tribe and not to the adjective "broad": the leader of the alliance against Sudās in the battle is Kavi Cāyamāna (VII.18.8), whose ancestor Abhyāvartin Cāyamāna is clearly called a Pārthava in VI.27.8. [7] ^[archive]
29. Pakthas and the Bhalānas (VII.18.7). Is there any doubt about who these two tribes are? The words here cannot be identified as anything else but the names of tribes, and they are too distinctive and peculiar to be identified as anything but references to the two Iranian groups found immediately to the west of the Punjab-Sind line in Pakistan today: the Pakhtoons/Pashtuns and the Bolans/Baluchis. Even Witzel, among many others, makes the very obvious identification of the Pakthas with the Pakhtoons (incidentally also identifying the word Parśu with Persians!) and of Bhalānas with the Bolan pass area in Baluchistan . The battle hymn tells us that the king of this coalition is Kavi Cāyamāna (VII.18.8), and the priest is Kavaṣa (VII.18.12). Both these names are Iranian names found in the Avesta: Kauui, Kauuaša. Taking this backward, we see that the ancestor of Kavi Cāyamāna, Abhyāvartin Cāyamāna, is called a Pārthava in VI.27.8. Going forward, the main royal dynasty in the Avesta (after the Iranians have moved from the Punjab to Afghanistan) is the Kauuiiān (Kayanian) dynasty descended from their ancestral king Kauui. Still much later in time, it is the Parthians (Parthava) of ancient Iran who claim to be descended from this Kayanian dynasty [8] ^[archive]

Rsis and priestly families

The Rigveda, by way of its ten AprI-sUktas, recognizes ten families of RSis or composers.

Nine of the ten families recognized in the Rigveda are identifiable with the seven primary and two secondary families of RSis recognized in Indian tradition: the seven primary families are the ANgirases, BhRgus, ViSvAmitras, VasiSThas, Agastyas, KaSyapas and Atris, and the two secondary families are the Kevala-ANgirases (KaNvas in the Rigveda) and Kevala-BhRgus (GRtsamadas in the Rigveda).

But the Rigveda also recognizes a tenth family, the Bharatas. This family does not figure as a separate family in later priestly traditions, which place kings who became RSis among either the ANgirases or the BhRgus.

This special treatment shows that to the Vedic Aryans, there were nine families of priestly RSis, but only one family of royal RSis; and, by implication, the tribal identity of these royal RSis is also the tribal identity of the Vedic Aryans.

There are three Great Goddesses invoked in the ten AprI-sUktas. One of them is BhAratI, who, as the very name suggests, was the tutelary deity of the Bharatas.

An examination of the references to this Goddess in the AprI-sUktas brings out a significant state of affairs: the ten AprI-sUktas fall into three distinct categories in line with our classification of the periods of the Rigveda into Early, Middle and Late.

Five families of RSis originated in the Early Period of the Rigveda: the ANgirases, BhRgus, ViSvAmitras, VasiSThas and Agastyas. All these five families refer to the Three Goddesses in a particular order of reference: BhAratI, ILA, SarasvatI (I.142.9; X.110.8; III.4.8; VII.2.8; I.188.9).

Two families originated in the Middle Period of the Rigveda, the KaSyapas and GRtsamadas. Both these families still refer to the same Three Goddesses, but in changed order of reference: The KaSyapas change the order to BhAratI, SarasvatI, ILA, (IX.5.8); and the GRtsamadas to SarasvatI, ILA, BhAratI (II.3.8). The GRtsamadas reverse the order and place BhAratI last; but, in another hymn, they make amends for it by naming all the Three Goddesses in the original order: BhAratI, ILA, SarasvatI (II.1.11). This, incidentally, is the only hymn, apart from the AprI-sUktas, to refer to the Three Goddesses by name.

Three families originated in the Late Period of the Rigveda, when the predominance of the Bharatas (of the particular branch whose ruling dynasty was descended from DevavAta) was practically a thing of the past: the Atris, KaNvas, and the Bharatas themselves. Not one of the three refers to BhAratI at all. The Atris and KaNvas replace the suggestive name of the Goddess BhAratI with the more general name MahI (which is an epithet of the Goddesses in I.142.9 and IX.5.8) and change the order to ILA, SarasvatI, MahI (V.5.8; I.13.9). The Bharatas, caught in a bind, since they can neither refer to the Goddess as BhAratI, nor replace her name with another, follow a safe path: they refer to Three Goddesses, but name only one: ILA. (X.70.8).

All this proves one more thing contrary to general belief: according to the scholars, the AprI-sUktas were late compositions. On the contrary, it becomes clear that each new family of RSis, soon after it came into being and became a party to the performance of ritual sacrifices, composed its own AprI-sUkta. The AprI-sUkta, therefore, depicts the situation prevailing close to the time of the birth of the family (which, of course, does not apply to the two ancient pre-Rigvedic families, the ANgirases and BhRgus, whose antecedents go back deep into the pre-Rigvedic past).

1. The ANgirases and VasiSThas are two families which are fully and militantly affiliated to the Bharatas throughout the Rigveda.

2. The ViSvAmitras are a partially affiliated family: they were fully and militantly affiliated to the Bharatas in the period of MaNDala III, and, moreover, the ViSvAmitras were themselves descended from a branch of PUrus (a different branch from that of DivodAsa and SudAs, but possibly descended from DevavAta) who also called themselves Bharatas.

However, their close affiliation with the Bharatas of the Rigveda ceased after the ViSvAmitras were replaced by the VasiSThas as the priests of SudAs.

3. The KaSyapas and GRtsamadas are two families which are associated with the Bharatas, but not militancy affiliated to them.

Their association is based on the fact that the provenance of these two families was in the Middle Period of the Rigveda, which was still the (albeit late) period of the Bharatas.

The two families were more concerned with religious subjects (nature-myths and rituals), and hardly at all with politics or militancy; but the only kings referred to by the KaSyapas (as patrons) are the PUru or Bharata kings Dhvasra and PuruSanti (IX.58.3), and the only prominent king remembered by the GRtsamadas is DivodAsa (II.19.6).

4. The BhRgus and Agastyas are relatively neutral families in the Rigveda, both being basically aloof from the Vedic mainstream:

The BhRgus were, in fact, the priests of the people (the Anus) who lived to the northwest of the Vedic Aryans, and therefore generally on hostile terms with the Vedic Aryans and their RSis. However, one branch of the BhRgus, consisting of Jamadagni and his descendants, became close to the Vedic RSis; and these are the BhRgus of the Rigveda.

The Agastyas are traditionally a family of RSis whose earliest and most prominent members migrated to the South, away from the area of the Vedic Aryans, at an early point of time in their history.

Both these families owe their presence in the Rigveda to two factors:

a. Agastya and Jamadagni, the founders of these two families, were closely related to, and associated with, two other prominent eponymous RSis: Agastya was VasiSTha’s brother, and Jamadagni was ViSvAmitra’s nephew.

b. The two families were not affiliated to, or even associated with, the Bharatas, but nor were they affiliated to, or associated with, any other tribe or people.

Both the families, nevertheless, gained a late entry into the corpus of the Rigveda: even the oldest hymns of the BhRgus are found in the late MaNDalas; while the hymns of the Agastyas are, anyway, late hymns by RSis belonging to a later branch of the family.

5. The Atris and KaNvas are also relatively neutral families, but in a different sense from the BhRgus and Agastyas.

These two families, in fact, are not only not affiliated to the Bharatas in particular or the PUrus in general, but they are more often associated with non-PUrus (IkSvAkus, Yadus, TurvaSas, Anus). This association is basically mercenary: the Atris and KaNvas appear to have officiated as priests for, and composed dAnastutis in praise of, any king (irrespective of his tribal identity) who showered them with gifts. This more catholic or cosmopolitan nature of these two families is also recognized (in the case of the Atris) in I.117.3, where Atri is characterised as pAñcajanya (belonging to all the five tribes).

The KaNvas are even associated with the Yadus and TurvaSas in the con text of a battle, in which the Yadus and TurvaSas came to their aid in response to an appeal by the KaNvas.

All this raises a question: if the PUrus alone, among the five tribes, are to be identified with the Vedic Aryans, and the Rigveda itself is a PUru book, what is the explanation for the presence of these two families in the Rigveda?.

   a. These two families originated in the Late Period of the Rigveda, when the predominance of the Bharatas had ended, and the PUrus in general had become more catholic and cosmopolitan in their attitudes.

   b. Tradition testifies that both these priestly families were themselves of PUru origin:

   According to the VAyu PurANa (1.59), the earliest Atri RSi was PrabhAkara, who married the ten daughters of a PUru king BhadrASva or RaudrASva, and had ten sons from whom all the Atri clans are descended.

   As for the KaNvas, “all the authorities agree that they were an offshoot from the Paurava line”.3

   c. While the Atris and KaNvas (though descended from PUrus) were generally catholic or cosmopolitan in their associations, the most important Atri and KaNva RSis in the Rigveda are closely associated with the PUrus:

   Among the Atris, SyAvASva Atreya is closely associated with the PUrus: according to SAyaNa’s interpretation of V.54.14, SyAvASva was himself a Bharata.  He is also the only Atri to pay homage to the memory of SudAs (V.53.2).

   Among the KaNvas, PragAtha KANva and Sobhari KANva are closely associated with the PUrus: PragAtha identifies himself as a PUru directly in VIII.64.10, and also indirectly in VIII.10.5 (where he asks the ASvins to abandon the other four tribes, who are named, and come to the PUrus, who are not directly named).  Sobhari is the only KaNva RSi to pay homage to the memory of DivodAsa (VIII.103.2) and to call him an Arya.

   Sobhari KANva and SyAvASva Atreya are also two RSis associated (VIII.19.32, 36; 36.7; 37.7) with Trasadasyu, whose importance in the Rigveda is due to the help given by him to the PUrus.

   It is significant that these three RSis are perhaps the most important Atri and KaNva RSis in the Rigveda:

   SyAvASva Atreya has the largest number of hymns and verses (17 hymns, 186 verses) among the Atris in the Rigveda, more than those ascribed to the eponymous Atri Bhauma (13 hymns, 126 verses).  Apart from these two Atris, all the other Atri RSis have one, two, three, or at the most four hymns.

   PragAtha KANva does not have the largest number of hymns among the KaNvas in the Rigveda, but, MaNDala VIII, associated with the KaNvas, is called the “PragAtha MaNDala”, and the dominant form of metre used in this MaNDala is also named after PragAtha.

These three RSis are the only RSis, belonging to the Atri and KaNva families, whose descendants have a place in the Rigveda: AndhIgu SyAvASvI (IX.101.1-3), Bharga PrAgAtha (VIII.60-61), Kali PrAgAtha (VIII.66), Haryata PrAgAtha (VIII.72) and KuSika Saubhara (X.127).

The presence of the Atris and KaNvas in the Rigveda is therefore fully in keeping with the PUru character of the Rigveda.

The KaNvas, like the Atris, are a priestly family with patrons from all the different tribes: the IkSvAkus, Yadus, TurvaSas, and even the Anus (in VIII.1.31; 4.19; 5.37; 6.46, 48; 19.32, 36; 65.12, etc.) more than the PUrus. This family is therefore neutral between the PUrus (i.e. the Aryas) and the non-PUrus (i.e. the DAsas); and the use of the word Arya, in VIII.51.9, is made in order to express this neutrality. It is made, moreover, in the context of a reference to a patron RuSama PavIru, who is clearly a non-PUrus (DAsa).

The second KaNva use of the word Arya is even more significant: the KaNvas refer to numerous IkSvAku, Yadu, TurvaSa and Anu kings as patrons (as mentioned above), and, in many other verses (I.36.18; VIII.4.7; 7.18; 9.14; 39.8; 40.12; 45.27; 49.10) they even refer to a historical incident in which the Yadus and TurvaSas came to their aid in battle. But not one of these kings is referred to as an Arya.

The ViSvAmitras were fully and militantly affiliated to the Bharatas under SudAs, in the period of MaNDala III. Their association with SudAs is detailed in two hymns: III.33 and 53. Of these, hymn 53 alone refers to SudAs by name (III.53.9, 11) and describes the aSvamedha performed by the ViSvAmitras for SudAs and the Bharatas. (Talageri 2000)

According to Talageri, the rishi Irimbiṭhi appears to be from South India. The hymns attributed to Irimbiṭhi Kāṇva (VIII.17) and to Śirimbiṭha Bhāradvāja (X.155) are possibly by the same rishi, and feature South Indian words: puj- (flower) in VIII.17.12, kana (one eyed or cross eyed) in X.155.1, khand in VIII.17.12, kunda in VIII.17..13, muni in VIII.17.14. [9] ^[archive] Also Agastya could be from South India: The only reference to him, outside the New books 1 and 8 (I.117.11; 170.3; 179.6; 180.8; 184.5; VIII.5.26), is an incidental one in a Redacted Hymn, probably redacted by a descendant, in VII.33.10. And this hymn has a Dravidian word daṇḍa in the next verse VII.33.11. The following is a list of other words allegedly of Dravidian origin, found in the Rigveda: vaila, kiyāmbu, vriś, cal-, bila, lip-, kaṭuka, kuṇḍṛṇācī (?), piṇḍa, mukha, kuṭa, kūṭa, khala, ulūkhala, kāṇuka, sīra, naḍa/naḷa, kulpha, kuṇāru, kalyāṇa, kulāya, lāṅgala. They are found only in the New Rigveda and in the Redacted Hymns, except for the occurrence of mukha in IV.39.6, kulāya in VII.50.1, and kulpha in VII.50.2. But note that Arnold (whom Hock cites as an expert on these matters) has classified both these hymns IV.39 and VII.50 also as Redacted Hymns on metrical grounds: so we do not find a single one of these Dravidian words in the Old Rigveda.[10] ^[archive]

Angirases and Bhrgus

According to Talageri, Therefore, there were three tribal groupings with their three priestly classes:

• 1. PUru (priests ANgirases): Indoaryan.
• 2. Anu (priests BhRgus/AtharvaNas): Iranian, Thraco-Phrygian, Hellenic.
• 3. Druhyu (priests Druhyus): Celtic-Italic, Baltic-Slavonic, Germanic.

The ANgirases and the BhRgus: these two families alone represent the pre-Rigvedic past. The ANgirases are the dominant protagonist priests of the Rigveda. . The BhRgus are more or less outside the Vedic pale through most of the course of the Rigveda, and gain increasing acceptance into the Vedic mainstream only towards the end of the Rigveda.

The ANgirases have two whole MaNDalas (IV and VI) exclusively to themselves (no other family has a MaNDala exclusively to itself, and the BhRgus do not have a Family MaNDala at all), and are the dominant family in two of the four non-family MaNDalas (I and X) and second in importance in the two others (VIII and IX). They are also present as composers in all the other Family MaNDalas (except in MaNDala II, but there we have the GRtsamadas whom we shall refer to presently).

The BhRgus are as ancient as the ANgirases, but in the Rigveda they only find a place in the late period. And all the BhRgus of the Rigveda (excluding, of course, the pre-Rigvedic BhRgus whose hymns are accepted into the corpus in the Late Period) and of later Indian tradition are clearly members of one single branch descended from Jamadagni, or of groups later adopted into this branch. Significantly, Jamadagni is half a PUru: his mother is the sister of ViSvAmitra who belongs to a branch of PUrus who also call themselves Bharatas. This probably explains the gradual separation of the Jamadagni branch from the other BhRgus and their subsequent close association with the Vedic Aryans (the PUrus) and their priests, the ANgirases.

2. In respect of individual pre-Rigvedic RSis who have already acquired a mythical status in the earliest parts of the Rigveda, we have BRhaspati and the Rbhus among the ANgirases, and AtharvaNa, Dadhyanc and USanA KAvya among the BhRgus.

a. BRhaspati is completely deified, and, by a play on sounds, identified also as BrahmaNaspati, the Lord of prayer, worship and brahmanhood itself; he is the deity of thirteen whole hymns (I.18, 40, 191; II.23-26; VI.73; VII.97; X.67-68, 182), and the joint deity with Indra in one more (IV.49).

b. Likewise, the Rbhus, a group of three pre-Rigvedic ANgirases, three brothers named Rbhu, VAja and Vibhvan, are also completely deified. They are collectively known as Rbhus, but, rarely, also as VAjas. They are the deities of eleven whole hymns (I.20, 110-111, 161; III.60; IV.33-37; VII.48).

In addition, Agni is called a Rbhu in II.1.10, and Indra in X.23.2. The name RbhukSan, an alternative name for Rbhu, is also applied to other Gods: Indra (I.162.1; 167.10; 186.10; II.31.6; V.41.2; VIII.45.29; X.74.5) and the Maruts (VIII.7.9, 12; 20.2).

The extent of their domination is almost incredible, and it starts with a near monopoly over the Vedic literature itself: the only recession of the Rigveda that is extant today is a BhRgu recession (SAkala); one (and the more important one) of the two extant recessions of the Atharvaveda is a BhRgu recession (Saunaka); one (and the most important one) of the three extant recessions of the SAmaveda is a BhRgu recession (JaiminIya); and one (and the most important one among the four KRSNa or Black recessions) of the six extant recessions of the Yajurveda is a BhRgu recession (TaittirIya).

The BhRgus are the only family to have extant recessions of all the four Vedas (next come the VasiSThas with extant recessions of two; other families have either one extant recession or none).

Not only is the only extant recession of the Rigveda a BhRgu recession, but nearly every single primary text on the Rigveda, and on its subsidiary aspects, is by a BhRgu.

a. The PadapAtha (SAkalya). b. The all-important AnukramaNIs or Indices (Saunaka). c. The BRhaddevatA or Compendium of Vedic Myths (Saunaka). d. The RgvidhAna (Saunaka). e. The ASTAdhyAyI or Compendium of Grammar (PANini). f. The Nirukta or Compendium of Etymology (YAska).

Later on in time, the founder of the one system (among the six systems of Hindu philosophy), the PUrva MImAMsA, which lays stress on Vedic ritual, is also a BhRgu (Jaimini).

The dominance of the BhRgus continues in the Epic-Puranic period: the author of the RAmAyaNa is a BhRgu (VAlmIki).

The author of the MahAbhArata, VyAsa, is not a BhRgu (he is a VasiSTha), but his primary disciple VaiSampAyana, to whom VyAsa recounts the entire epic, and who is then said to have related it at Janamejaya’s sacrifice, whence it was recorded for posterity, is a BhRgu. Moreover, as Sukhtankar has conclusively proved (The BhRgus and the BhArata, Annals of the Bhandarkar Research Institute, Pune, XVIII, p.1-76), the BhRgus were responsible for the final development and shaping of the MahAbhArata as we know it today.

In the PurANas, the only RSi to be accorded the highest dignity that Hindu mythology can give any person - the status of being recognised as an avatAra of ViSNu - is a BhRgu (ParaSu-RAma, son of Jamadagni).

The BhRgus are accorded the primary position in all traditional lists of pravaras and gotras; and in the BhagavadgItA, Krishna proclaims: “Among the Great RSis, I am BhRgu; and among words I am the sacred syllable OM…” (BhagavadgItA, X.25).

In fact, down the ages, it is persons from BhRgu gotras who appear to have given shape to the most distinctive and prominent positions of Hindu thought on all aspects of life: KAma, Artha, Dharma and MokSa; from VAtsyAyana to KauTilya to Adi SankarAcArya. (Talageri 2000)

In the Avesta, the Asuras (Ahura) are the Gods, and Devas (DaEva) are the demons. Here also the BhRgus or AtharvaNas (Athravan) are associated with the Asuras (Ahura), and the ANgirases (Angra) with the Devas (DaEva).

The Avesta also shows the movement of a group from among the BhRgus towards the side of the Deva-worshippers: there are two groups of Athravan priests in the Avesta, the Kavis and the Spitamas, and it is clear that the Kavis had moved over to the enemies.

Hence, it is not the BhRgus or AtharvaNas as a whole who are the protagonist priests of the Avesta, it is only the Spitama branch of the Athravans. Hence, also, the name of the Good Spirit, opposed to the Bad Spirit Angra Mainyu (a name clearly derived from the name of the ANgirases), is Spenta Mainyu (a name clearly derived from the name of the Spitamas).

The ANgirases were the priests of the Vedic Aryans, and the BhRgus were the priests of the Iranians. There was a period of acute hostility between the Vedic Aryans and the Iranians, which left its mark on the myths and traditions of both the peoples. (Talageri 2000)

According to Talageri, RV VII.33.1; 83.8 refers to the Spitamas, the particular priests of the enemies of SudAs and VasiSTha.

The conflict between the devas (gods) and the asuras (demons), which is a central theme in Purāṇic mythology, is recognized (e.g. HUMBACH 1991, etc.) as a mythologization of an earlier historical conflict between the Vedic Aryans and the Iranians. There is also a priestly angle to this conflict: the Epics and the Purāṇas depict the priest of the devas as an Angiras (Bṛhaspati), and the priest of the asuras as a Bhṛgu (Kavi Uśanā or Uśanas Kāvya, also popularly known as Uśanas Śukra or Śukrācārya). Robert P. Goldman, in a detailed study entitled ―Gods, Priests and Warriors: the Bhṛgus of the Mahābhārata‖, points out that the depiction of the Bhṛgus in the Epics and Purāṇas ―may shed some light on some of the most basic problems of early Indian and even early Indo-Iranian religion‖ (GOLDMAN 1977:146), and that the Bhṛgus may originally have been the priests of the Iranians, and that certain elements in the myths about the ―ultimate disillusionment with the demons [of one branch of the Bhṛgus] and their going over to the side of the gods may also be viewed as suggestive of a process of absorption of this branch of the Bhṛgus into the ranks of the orthodox [i.e. Vedic] brahmins‖ (GOLDMAN 1977:146).(Talageri 2008)

Emigrations

• According to linguistic analysis, the distribution of the isoglosses (linguistic features common to two or more of the twelve IE branches) shows that the first branches migrated out from the Homeland, wherever that Homeland is to be located, in the following order:

1. Anatolian (Hittite)
2. Tocharian,
3. Italic,
4. Celtic,
5. Germanic,
6. Baltic and
7. Slavic.

As Winn puts it: “After the dispersals of the early PIE dialects […] there were still those who remained […] Among them were the ancestors of the Greeks and Indo-Iranians”. These branches, and (although he does not mention it) Albanian, shared many common linguistic features (not found in the earlier emigrant branches) "also shared by Armenian; all these languages it seems, existed in an area of mutual interaction.” (WINN 1995:323-324).

These five branches (Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Armenian, Greek and Albanian) share common linguistic features which developed among them after the other branches had left the Original Homeland... [The four Anu dialects (Albanian, Greek, Armenian and Iranian), in fact, developed an isogloss in common... Three of them, (Greek, Armenian and Iranian) underwent another innovation: *s (which remained s in Indo-Aryan) became h from initial *s before a vowel, from intervocalic *s, and from some occurrences of *s before and after sonants, and remained s only before and after a stop (MEILLET 1908/1967:113)]. [11] ^[archive]

References

• https://koenraadelst.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-indo-european-vedic-and-post-vedic.html ^[archive]

See also

• Indo-Aryan migration
• Indo-Aryan superstrate in Mitanni
• Bharata Dynasty
• TRkSi Dynasty

https://talageri.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-recorded-history-of-indo-european.html ^[archive]

https://talageri.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-recorded-history-of-indo-european.html ^[archive]

https://talageri.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-identity-of-enemies-of-sudas-in.html ^[archive]

https://talageri.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-iksvakus-in-rigveda.html ^[archive]

https://talageri.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-vedic-puranic-tribes-in.html ^[archive]