Battle of the Ten Kings

The Battle of the Ten Kings (dāśarājñá) is a war bettwen the Indo-Iranians alluded to in Mandala 7 of the Rigveda (hymns 18, 33 and 83.4-8). It is a battle between Indo-Aryans who consider themselves as true Aryans (an "internecine war", as the 1911 Britannica puts it), fighting the allied with other tribes of the Aryan tribes that are led by Sage Vishvamitra, and are defeated in an epic battle through the inspired power of the priestly singer Vasishtha, the composer of the hymns. K. F. Geldner in his 1951 translation of the Rigveda considers the hymns as "obviously based on an historical event", even though any details save for what is preserved in the hymns have been lost.

Origin of the War

The tribes in opposition to King Sudas were pre-dominantly devotees of Lord Varuna while the Purus were of Lord Indra. Furthermore, the Iranians advocated that the Daityas (offspring of Diti) are the true gods (known to them as Asuras) but the Purus reguarded Adityas (offspring of Aditi) as the true gods (known to them as Devas.) The Asura-worshippers were led by Sage Vishwamitra.

The tribes

• 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
• Anu: They were said to be a dynasty that lived in Kashmir
• Bhrigus: Said to be descended from Lord Varuna. They are also related to the composition of the Atharva Veda.
• 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.
• Matsya
• 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.
• 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 goddess Antariksa is also known by the name Bharati.[1] The Prthas were also a clan from the Puru tribe[2] 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.
• Tritsu
• 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.' In the Rig Veda, Danu like Dasyu refers to inimical people and is generally a term of denigration (RV I.32.9; III.30.8; V.30.4; V.32.1, 4, 7; X.120.6).
• Druhyus: From them came Ghandari. who gave his name to a region he settled in the Gandhara Valley.
• Panis: Possibily the Vedic scholor who came to India to learn Sanskrit and added to the langauge, Panini was a member of this tribe.

During the War

Hymns 7.18 and 7.83 are dedicated to Indra and Indra paired with Varuna, respectively, thanking the deity for helping Sudas defeat his enemies, while hymn 7.33 is addressed to Vasishtha himself, praising him for moving the gods to take Sudas' side by his prayers (Indra preferred Vasishtha's prayers over those of Pasadyumna, son of Vayata, 7.33.2) and addressing him as a son of Mitra and Varuna (7.33.11). However, the tribes in opposition to King Sudas were pre-dominantly devotees of Varuna while the Purus were of Indra. Furthermore, the Iranians advocated that the Daityas (offspring of Diti) are the true gods but the Purus reguarded Adityas as the true gods. The hymn makes sure to stress the importance of the priests (Vasistha is named along with Parasara and Satayatu) in winning Indra's favour, even though they were not present on the battlefield but invoked Indra "from at home" (grhāt, 7.18.21)

The situation leading up to the battle is described in 7.18.6: The Turvasas and Yaksus, together with the Matsya tribe (punned upon by the rishi by comparing them to hungry fish (matsya) flocking together) appear and ally themselves with the Bhrgus and the Druhyus. Their confederation was further increased by the Pakthas, the Bhalanas, the Alinas, the Shivas and the Visanins (7.18.7), while the Trtsus relied solely on the help of the "Arya's Comrade" (aryasya sadhamad), Indra.

The "ten kings" are mentioned in both 7.33 (verses 3 and 5) and 7.83 (verses 6, 7 and 8), but not in the most extensive account of 7.18 so that it is not made explicit how this number was broken down: Sudas himself is not to be included in the number (the Trtsus are surrounded by ten kings in 7.33.5), and if of the tribes mentioned in 7.18, the Turvasas, Yaksus, Matsyas, Bhrgus, Druhyus, Pakthas, Bhalanas, Alinas, Shivas and Visanins are counted, the full number is reached, leaving the Anavas (7.18.14), the Ajas and Sigrus (7.18.19) and the "21 men of both Vaikarna tribes" (7.18.11) without a king, and implying that Bheda (7.18.19, also mentioned 7.33.3 and 7.83.4, the main leader slain by Sudas), Shimyu (7.18.5), and Kavasa (7.18.12) are the names of individual kings. The Bharatas are named among the enemies in 7.33 but not in 7.18. The Bharatas were actually a clan within the Puru tribe. Some were good and some were enemies.

The battle itself took place on the banks of the Parusni. The warriors of Sudas are described as white-robed (shvityanca), wearing hair-knots on the right side of their heads (daksinataskaparda), and as pious (dhiyamjinvasa), flying banners (krtádhvaj) , while the ten kings are impious and do not worship (áyajyava). It appears (7.18.5) that Sudas was forced to retreat, and managed to cross the Parusni safely, while his foes, trying to pursue, were scattered in the crossing and either drowned or slaughtered by Sudas' men, Sudas himself slaying Bheda:

7.18.9 As to their goal they sped to their destruction: they sought Parusni; e'en the swift returned not.

Indra abandoned, to Sudas the manly, the swiftly flying foes, unmanly babblers.

7.18.9 They went like kine unherded from the pasture, each clinging to a friend as chance directed.

They who drive spotted steeds, sent down by Prsni, gave ear, the Warriors and the harnessed horses. (trans. Griffith)

Kavasa and the Druhyu were "overwhelmed by Indra" while still in the water (7.18.10). the slain of the Anavas and the Druhyus are numbered 6,666 (7.18.14).

In the aftermath of the battle, the enemies amongst the Bharatas came under the dominion of Sudas (7.33.6), the Ajas, the Sigrus and the Yaksus likewise pay tribute (7.18.20), and Indra destroyed the seven castles of the enemies, and gave the treasures of Anu's son (or "the foreign man") to Sudas (7.18.13). 7.18.17 stresses that this was a victory against all odds, compared to a goat defeating a lion.

After the War

The war was won by the Deva-worshippers and the worshippers of the Asuras migrated to the Middle East and created their own nations. The Bharatas of course created Bhārata, the Parsus created Persia, the Pakthas became the Pashthuns and founded Afghan kingdoms the Druyus became Gandhari and perhaps many even migrated to Europe and became the preistly-caste of the Celts, the Druids. Later from the traditions of the Iranians, the Magi Brahmana Zoroaster founded Zoroastrianism.

References

• Karl Friedrich Geldner, Der Rig-Veda: Aus dem Sanskrit ins Deutsche übersetzt Harvard Oriental Studies, vols. 33, 34, 35 (1951), reprint Harvard University Press (2003) ISBN 0-674-01226-7
• Ralph T.H. Griffith, Hymns of the Rig Veda (1896)