Vārṣāgira battle

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The Rigvedic Vārṣāgira Battle in Afghanistan at the time of Sahadeva and Somaka.

The battle is described in RV 1.100 and RV 4.30.18. Somaka and Sāhadeva are also referred to in hymn IV.15. Its continuity with the Dāśarājña is reconfirmed by the reference to the Śimyus enemies (VII.18.5 and I.100.18).[1]

The Vārṣāgira battle is described in the Kutsa upa-maṇḍala of Book 1 (I.94-115). According to Talageri, this is the only part of the New Books which maintains a historical continuity with the ethos of the period of the Old Books. It may be noted that the word Bharata itself, which is otherwise found only in the Family Books 2-7, is found in only one place in the non-Family Books (Books 1,8-10): in the Kutsa upa-maṇḍala, in I.96.3.[2]

Arṇa and Citraratha (IV.30.18) were "Arya" enemies killed beyond the Sarayu. The five heroes of the hymns are Ṛjrāśva, Sahadeva, Surādhas, Ambarīṣa and Bhayamāna (I.100.17). Another important word in this battle is grāma (I.100.10) which is a special name for the troops of the Vārṣāgiras (the five "heroes" named in I.100.17).[3]

Surādhas is probably a descendant of Sudas.[4]

The Avesta records an Indo-Aryan hero who fought on the Iranian side: Manušciθra. The Pahlavi texts describe him as being born near the Manusha of Yasht 19.1, i.e. in Haryana. According to the Cambridge History of Iran, his name "means 'from the race of Manu', son of Vivasvant. Farvardīn Yasht 131 refers to him as "(Manuš)ciθra, son of Airyu": in the Rigveda Citra(ratha) son of Arṇa.[5]

Ṛjrāśva is directly identifiable. The Iranian traditions distinctly remember the main leader of the Turanian (enemy) side in the conflict: the leader is Arəjəţ.aspa (in later texts, Arjāspa). Sahadeva is also clearly identifiable. The Shahname (chapter 462) records another main companion or brother of Arəjəţ.aspa who led his troops from the rear: Hushdiv. Clearly this is Sahadeva (whose equivalent name in the Avestan language would be Hazadaeva, which becomes Hushdiv in the late Shahname).[6]

Surādhas is probably a family nickname for Sudās (meaning "bountiful", the same meaning as Sudās) and his descendants, and in this case since Sahadeva is already named it must stand for Somaka: In all the six family books (2-7) this word is found only in two hymns: III.33 and 53: exactly the two hymns in Book 3 which deal with the battles of Sudās, and thrice in Book 4, the book of Somaka Sāhadevya: IV.2.4; 5.4; 17.8. And the Avesta (Aban Yašt 113) refers to Arəjəţ.aspa along with his brother Humayāka who is referred to as the "worshipper of the Daevas". Clearly this is Somaka. Parsi scholar E. Sheheriarji also connects up Surādhas with Humayaka on the ground that both mean "one with much wealth".[7]

Ambarīṣa and Bhayamāna could, according to E. Sheheriarji refer to two other family members of Arəjəţ.aspa: Vidarafshnik, a brother of Arəjəţ.aspa, and Vandaremaini, father of Arəjəţ.aspa (who is named in the Aban Yašt 116 with Arəjəţ.aspa) on the grounds that Ambarīṣa and Vidarafshnik both mean "the one with beautiful garments", and Bhayamāna and Vandaremaini both mean "the fearless one".[8]

Grāma: the name for the troops of the Bharata Pūrus. This word is found only twice in the Old Books of the Rigveda (2,3,4,6,7): in III.33.1 it refers to the Bharata Pūru troops under Sudās. In II.12.7 it is found in its later, new and present meaning of "village". In the New Books (1,5,8,9,10) it is found 10 times as "village" and it is only in I.100.10 that it is used for the Bharata Pūru troops of Sahadeva and his companions. • In the oldest part of the Avesta, Zarathushtra (in Yasna 32.12-14) refers to the grәhma as the most powerful and persistent of his enemies.[9]


Elst 2018: A few generations later, another battle pitted the same tribes against each other. The centre of Ānava culture had by then decisely shifted from Panjab to Afghanistan, and the confrontation took place on the then borderline between Vedic-Indian and Afghan-Iranian territory, beyond the Sarayu river (RV 4:30:18) near the Bolan pass in southern Afghanistan. The battle was very briefly sung esp. in RV 1:100, but may be alluded to elsewhere. It features Ṛjāśva the Vārṣāgira, i.e. “descendent of Vṛṣāgir” (RV 1:100:16-17), with Sahadeva (descendant of Sudās and father of Somaka) and three others, as defeating “Dasyus and Śimyus”. The Śimyus are one of the enemy tribes in the Battle of the Ten Kings, the Dasyus are the priests of the enemy camp. The result of this “victory” is that the kings of both sides survive the battle (as we shall see), that the division of territory remains the same, and that the chroniclers of both sides can give their own versions to claim victory. So, with the benefit of hindsight, the war in this case seems to have been pointless. In the Vedic account, it does indeed conclude the period of conflict. Bhārata expansionism into Afghanistan seems to have been overstretched, and subsequent generations left it to the Iranians: “Good fences make good neighbours.” This way, the battle ushers in a period of peaceful coexistence forming the setting of books 2, 5 and 8. The Avestan version of the same battle first of all exists. That means there are two accounts of one event. It makes Zarathuštra’s patron Vištāspa (mentioned by Zarathuštra himself as his friend, follower and champion) fight against “Arjāsp” or “Arejataspa”, meaning the Vedic king Ṛjāśva., as well as against Hazadaēva > Hušdiv and Humayaka, meaning Vedic Sahadeva and his son Somaka. This is related in the Ābān Yašt, Yt.5.109, 5.113, 9.130, in which Vištāspa prays for strength to crush the Daēva-worshippers including Arejatāspa; and much later in the medieval epic Šāh Namah, esp. ch.462. (Talageri 2000:214-224, elaborating on Hodiwala 1913) In the Avestan version, the Iranians are victorious in the end. Unlike in the Battle of the Ten Kings, here the outcome is clearly less black-and-white. A related Vedic hymn could be read as mentioning king Vištāspa: “kimiṣṭāśva iṣṭaraśmireta īśānāsastaruṣa ṛñjate nṝ na” (RV.I.122.13). Wilson, like the medieval commentator Sāyana, identifies it as a name: “What can Iṣṭāśva, (what can) Iṣṭaraśmi, (what can) those who are now lords of the earth, achieve (with respect) to the leaders of men, the conquerors of their foes?” Similarly, translator Geldner: “Werden Iṣṭāśva, Iṣṭaraśmi, diese siegreichen Machthaber, die Herren auszeichnen?” (“Will Iṣṭāśva, Iṣṭaraśmi, these victorious sovereigns, honour the lords?”) Other translators have tried for a literal translation, not as names, but make little sense. Western Iranologists are of the opinion, or implicitly assume, that ṚV 1:122 admittedly does mention one Istāśva, but that this cannot be Kavi Vištāspa, the royal patron of court priest Zarathuštra Spitāma. Some Parsi und Hindu authors, by contrast, consider the name and this person to be linked through phonetic transposition (not necessarily etymologically correct) from the Iranian to the related Vedic dialect. They think that this is one of the rare cases in ancient history where an event with its protagonists is mentioned in two different sources, representing the two opposing camps of the event itself. Iṣṭāśva would mean “chosen horse”, “elite horse”, and Indian Sanskritists do explain the name this way. However, this seems to be a folk etymology. The Iranian original, Vištāspa, has been analyzed by Oswald Szemerényi (cited by Schwartz 2006:57) as “unyoked horse”. Originally, this was thought to be an apotropeic name, i.e. a purposely negative name meant to keep evil spirits at a distance, in casu “horse unfit for pulling a cart”, “good-for-nothing horse”. But this is not necessary, it may simply mean, “(owner of a) free-roaming horse”. At any rate, Szemerényi’s basic interpretation of “unyoked horse” may explain a hitherto mysterious passage. A hymn significantly referring to battles against those without Indra and without Devas, says: “the captor shall yoke the unyoked bullock”. (RV 10:27:9, tra. Griffith) The Vedas contain numerous puns and metaphors, many of them unidentified or not understood. This passage may be one such not-yet-understood pun.

Elst 2018 [1] [archive]


Avestan references[edit]

The five heroes of the hymns

  • Ṛjrāśva, == Arəjəţ.aspa (in later texts, Arjāspa). [10]
  • Sahadeva, == 3. The Shahname (chapter 462) records another main companion or brother of Arəjəţ.aspa who led his troops from the rear: Hushdiv. Clearly this is Sahadeva (whose equivalent name in the Avestan language would be Hazadaeva, which becomes Hushdiv in the late Shahname).[11]
  • Surādhas, == The Avesta (Aban Yašt 113) refers to Arəjəţ.aspa along with his brother Humayāka who is referred to as the "worshipper of the Daevas". Clearly this is Somaka (called Surādhas in the Vārṣāgira hymn).[12]
  • Ambarīṣa and
  • Bhayamāna
  • Citraratha could be Manušciθra (later Manūchīhr or Minocher), In the later Pahlavi texts, the Manusha of Yasht 19.1 (which is the Manuṣa of Haryana in Rigveda III.23.4) is cited as the birthplace of Manušciθra. According to the Cambridge History of Iran, his name "means 'from the race of Manu', and refers to the ancient mythical figure, Manu, son of Vivasvant, who was regarded in India as the first man and founder of the human race. He has no place in Iranian tradition, where his role is played by Yima and later Gayōmard" (YARSHATER 1983:433).[13]