Tṛkṣi

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The Tṛkṣi were a dynasty mentioned in the Rigveda. They were a branch of the solar dynasty that migrated westwards. The words Ikṣvāku and Tṛkṣi are absent in the Old Rigveda, and the word Tṛkṣi is not found in any other Hindu text.[1] Ikṣvāku is mentioned in X.60.4 where it means sun.

In Rigveda

The word Tṛkṣi is found in VI.46.8; VIII.22.7. In VI.46.8., they are placed in the opposite direction of the far-western Druhyus (while the Purus are at the center).

Sloka : 6.46.8

यद्वा॑ तृ॒क्षौ म॑घवन्द्रु॒ह्यावा जने॒ यत्पू॒रौ कच्च॒ वृष्ण्य॑म् ।

अ॒स्मभ्यं॒ तद्रि॑रीहि॒ सं नृ॒षाह्ये॒ऽमित्रा॑न्पृ॒त्सु तु॒र्वणे॑ ॥ ६.०४६.०८

yadvā̍ tṛ̱kṣau ma̍ghavandru̱hyāvā jane̱ yatpū̱rau kacca̱ vṛṣṇya̍m .

a̱smabhya̱ṃ tadri̍rīhi̱ saṃ nṛ̱ṣāhye̱'mitrā̍npṛ̱tsu tu̱rvaṇe̍ .. 6.046.08

8 Or, Maghavan, what vigorous strength in Trksi lay, in Druhyus or in Paru's folk,

Fully bestow on us, that, in the conquering fray, we may subdue our foes in fight.


Tṛkṣi is the name of a tribe: the tribe to which Purukutsa and Trasadasyu belong, and hence equivalent to the Ikṣvākus of traditional history. (Talageri 2000)

The kings of this dynasty are:

1. Mandhātā: I.112.13; VIII.39.8; 40.12.

2. Purukutsa: I.63.7; 112.7; 174.2; VI.20.10.

3. Trasadasyu: I.112.14; IV.38.1; 42.8,9; V.27.3; 33.8; VII.19.3; VIII.8.21; 19.32,36; 36.7; 37.7; 49.10; X.33.4; 150.5. Paurukutsa: IV.42.9; V.33.8; VII.19.3; VIII.19.36.

4. Trivṛṣan: V.27.1.

5. Tryaruṇa: V.27.1-3. Trasadasyu: V.27.3.

6. Trāsadasyava: VIII.22.7.

7. Kuruṣravaṇa: X.32.9; 33.4. Trāsadasyava: X.33.4.

History

Ambarīṣa of I.100.17, one of the five Vārṣāgiras in the battle beyond the Sarayu in the period of Sahadeva and Somaka was an Ikṣvāku. Ambarīṣa seems to have been a common family name among Ikṣvākus: we have kings of Ayodhya named Ambarīṣa, and apparently that was also the name of one of Purukutsa's brothers (PARGITER 1962:93).[2]

The northwestern Ikṣvākus seem to have been experts at horsemanship: a) The verse referring to Trasadasyu in IV.38, is inserted at the beginning of a group of three hymns (IV.38-40, with a total of 21 verses) addressed to a divine war-horse Dadhikrās. The verse (IV.38.1) describes the war-hero Trasadasyu and the war-horse Dadhikrās as the two great gifts given by Varuṇa and Mitra to the Pūrus which enabled them to win back their plough-lands and fields.[3] b) Another divine war horse, named in two late verses, I.89.6 and X.33.4, is named Tārkṣya, which is literally derived from the name Tṛkṣi: i.e. "of the Tṛkṣi".[4]

The westward transfer of the names of the two eastern rivers Gomatī and Sarayu could be connected to the westward migration of the Ikṣvākus.[5]

According to the PurANas, Mandhātā’s father was an Ikṣvāku king, but his mother was a Puru, being the daughter of a Puru king MatInAra. Moreover, the PurANas record that the Druhyus, who, in the earliest pre-Rigvedic period, were inhabitants of the Punjab, were pressing eastwards onto the Purus. In this context, Mandhātā moved westwards, confronted the invading hordes of Druhyus, defeated them, and drove them out into Afghanistan and beyond. (Talageri 2000)

The Rigveda itself records (I.63.7; VI.20.10) that Indra, through Purukutsa, rendered help to the Purus in a war against the DAsa tribes; and VII.19.3 refers to Indra aiding the Purus, through Trasadasyu, in “winning land and slaying foemen”. IV.38.1, likewise, thanks Mitra and Varuna for the help which Trasadasyu, “the winner of our fields and ploughlands, and the strong smiter who subdued the Dasyus”, rendered to the Purus.

See also IkSvAku dynasty of the PurANas.

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