Background

Varna Asrama Dharma is a law of societies at all times. If we understand a law we will make better use of it. Same is the case with Varna Asrama Dharma. Over thousands of years, its understanding and implementation has changed continuously. Hence seen from a modern perspective, it is natural that it appears as a retrograde law that is designed to exploit people.

Look at the word Conquest. It means different things to different people. Conquest means subjugation to some. It means winning over people to others. As people merged and diverged conquests of winning over and subjugation would have both happened.

While subjugation gives immediate results, long term stability is achieved by winning over.  I infer that the Rishis of the yore who were present in those times understood this and used it effectively to culture and integrate various groups thus creating a civilization.

Those civilizations adopted a social structuring based on Varna Asrama Dharma. Such societies were called Aryan societies.

The Conquest of Sudas, the receivers of Pitr’s knowledge

As Sudas (the good receivers) realize that it is Earth and not just grass for cattle that sustains human evolution (from Vasishta or the excellent ones), they seek new grounds for their evolution.

*arNAMsi cit paprathAnA sudAsa indro gAdhAnyakRNot supArA

shardhantaM shimyumucathasya navyaH shApaM sindhUnAmakRNodashastIH*

arNAMsi – wave, flood, stream (Waving,f looding, streaming)

cit

• that appears

pa-prathAna

• unfolding

dAsa – receiver of gifts

sudAsa

• good receiver of gifts

Appearing like a wave unfolding/spreading, the Sudasas

indro – conquer, subdue

gAdh – ground

anya

• other

Krnodh – making

supAra – easily crossing over

conquer other firm grounds making easy crossings

zardAntam – acting boldly, defiant

zimyu – the strenuouos/vigorous, labor (hard working)

Acting boldly, the vigorous people

Muca-  set free

tasya – of their

navyaH – become new, become fresh

shApam – curse

are set free, become fresh/new of the curse (get rid of their problems)

sindhU Nama – Sindhu named (People of Sindhu)

kRnoda – making

zasti – chanters (of hymns)

Making the Sindhu people chanters (of Vedic hymns)

Like the wave that unfolds rapidly, the Sudas conquer new grounds, making easy crossings. The bold hard-working people are set free from their curses. They become chanters of Vedic hymns. > > From this it is clear that Sudasas were NOT chanters of Vedic hymns. Only when they crossed the Sindh, they became chanters. How they became the chanters of Vedic hymns is the story of the hymn 18.

*puroLA it turvasho yakSurAsId rAye matsyAso nishitA apIva

shruSTiM cakrurbhRgavo druhyavashca sakhA sakhAyamatarad viSUcoH*

puroLa – Foremost, First

it – the

tur –running, hasten, conquer

vaza – wish, desire

turvaza – one who wishes to run race or conquer

yakzur – Supernatural being

Asid – restrained, controlled,

rAye

• stream of river, current

matsyAso –  water beings

nizitA – night

apI – near

apIva – one who comes near

Firstly, Yakshu’s, desiring to race/conquer, restrain the water beings of the river that approach in the night

zrustim – obediently, willingly, gladly

cakrur – wheel, doing duty, effecting, going around

Zrustim cakrur – Following (obediently going around)

bhrgavo – people who create fire from wood, people who carry fire

druhya – demons, hostile beings

vakS – control

ca – and

sakhA –companion, friend

sakhAyam – help

atarad – conquering, surpassing, cross

visuco – both sides, all directions

Obediently following, people with fire, control the demons (hostile beings more accurately) and help friends to conquer/cross all directions/both sides

At first, when Sudasas tried to cross the Sindh, Yakshas (unnatural forces) restrain the water beings of the river that approach in the night. Then the people with fire (probably refers to sudasas who carried the fire with them) control the hostile beings (probably the hostile beings got scared of the fire) and help their friends to conquer both sides (of the river). > > Yakshas are described as Tur-Vazas, which means those that wish to race/conquer. I interpret them as ‘spirits’ that were considered as guarding the water ways. Conquering water ways required people to control the Yakshas guarding the water ways. Yakshas may be imaginary or friendly people living along the water ways.

Brgus could be Sudasas who created/carried the fire to keep the hostile beings away as they crossed the river or again another set of people who did that for Sudasas.

The conventional interpretation is to see Turvasas, Yakshus and Bhrgus as separate tribes. Even if it is true, the overall purpose of my interpretation does not change much.

*A pakthAso bhalAnaso bhanantAlinAso viSANinaH shivAsaH

A yo.anayat sadhamA Aryasya gavyA tRtsubhyo ajagan yudhA nRn*

A – as , like, those

pakthAso – people who cook (Pakthoons ..?)

balanaso – people who are strong

bhan – declare,  speak, call

antAlina – hidden, concealed

bhanantAlinaso – people who speak hidden or who declare little

viSANinaha – the Horned, the intellectuals

zivAsah – do rest

viSANinaha zivasah – the horned, the intellectual who keeps resting

As people who cook food, people who are strong, people who speak little, horned people who rest

A Yo

• they

anyat – on a side, with others

they with others

sadhamA – became friends, became a group, became companions

Aryasya – of Aryas

Gavya – desire for evolution

Became companions/group/band of Aryas desiring to evolve

Trtsubhyo – To trtsu, for trtsu, by trtsu

Trtsu – the third race of people

ajagan – fiery (out of world), un-people, extra-terrestrial

yudhA Nrn – fighting human

ajagan Yudha Nrn – fiery fighting men

Trtsubhyo ajagan Yudha Nrn – Evolution fighting men to/for Trtsu’s

trtsubhyo ajagan Yudha Nrn – Trtsu’s out-of-world warrior human

Trtsu, the out-of-world (not belonging to this world) fighter human

Those people who cook food, are strong, speak little and have high intellect (horned) and keep resting (penancing..?) with others became a group of Arya’s desiring to evolve as Trtsu (The third people), the un-worldly (extra-terrestrial) warrior for humans. > > These are the Rishis, the trtsu’s the third race of people who became the leaders/fighters for the humans in their battle. They are described as people who cook their food, who are strong, who speak little, who have horns and who keep resting. > > I interpret trtsu’s as third people or third race of people. Compared to the Sudasas and the people whom they meet and integrate with Trtsu’s are the third people, who were probably different. They are called ‘ajagan’, which I interpret as ‘a- jagan’ or out of the world. > > The description of Trtsus as who have horns and keep resting brings an uncanny resemblance to the Rishis who are described with horns and penancing in the Indus valley seals. > > The conventional interpretation is to see Sudasa as a King, Trtsu as the race of people led by Sudasa and see the various depictions such as paktha, balana, bhanantAlina viSANinaH as tribes that Sudas won.  While that makes sense, it does not corroborate with meanings further down, as we go through the hymn.

*durAdhyo aditiM srevayanto acetaso vi jagRbhre paruSNIm

mahnAvivyak pRthivIM patyamAnaH pashuS kavirashayaccAyamAnaH*

durAdhyo – Not learned, illiterates, poor

aditiM

• free ones, destitute, unbounded ones

srevayanto – flowing ones, one who keep moving

Poor (in learning/knowledge) destitutes who keep moving (nomads)

acetaso – insensible ones, imprudent people

vi

• jagRbhre  (awakenly or evidently or overtly seen)

ja-gRbhir – born/arise – holder/container

paruSNIm – the motley group of people (mixed, spotted, variegated)

Poor destitutes who keep moving (nomads), imprudent ones are overtly seen as motley group of people.

mahnAvivyak – Greatly encompassing

pRthivIM – earth,

The greatly encompassing earth

patyaMana – throwing down, precipitated, is place of falling down, being put on

pashUs

• herds/groups/cattle (non-intelligent beings)

kavir – intelligent beings

zAya- sleeping, lying, abiding

cAyamAna – pile up, form a mound, assemble

being put on with herds, intelligent beings lying in a pile/mound.

The all encompassing Earth being put on with herds and intelligent beings together in a pile > > The sudasas were a motley group of people, illiterate nomads and lacked thinking.  The all encompassing Earth is put on with herds (Sudasas themselves) and intelligent beings (Trtsus) together in a pile. > > The  Indus Valley Seals and this hymn addressing Vasishta probably would have been around the same time (in span of few centuries), if my interpretations are right. > > Also the Trtsu’s who were already probably on the other side of Sindh made the Sudasas the ‘Chanters’ of Vedic hymns. Sudasas were not chanters to begin with. They were illiterate nomads and a motley group of people. When crossed the Sindh, they met the Trtsus and became chanters of Vedic hymns, learning from them. > > This means the Trtsus were already there in south of Sindh when Sudasas crossed the Curse of Sindh.

Next – From motley groups to structured/integrated society

-TBT