Background

The Varna Asrama Dharma that I have been writing about in this series is different from what is viewed as Varna Asrama Dharma. Simply put, Varna defines the three professions based on three gunas, which is applicable at all times of the world.  They are the knowledge providers (Brahamanas), service providers (Kshatriyas) and Material providers (Vaizyas). Then there is the fourth profession based on Karma, which is manual/hard/slave labor (Sudras).

Today the world population is an inverted triangle with huge labor on top and less knowledge providers at the bottom, which causes all the problems of society.

Similarly the four stages of Asrama are tuned to human and societal evolution. In the Brahmachari stage, youth are ‘wired’ to learn fast. In Grhastaha stage people are ‘wired’ to enter a profession and stable life. In Vanaprastha stage they are ‘wired’ to use their experiences to innovate. In Sanyasa stage they need to live a detached life.

This type of living is tuned to human needs as well as society needs. Except the Grhastha stage, in all other stages, humans live a life of simplicity thereby reducing their demands on society and nature.

It is when our life and times are not tuned to Asrama Dharma, we suffer, which is happening now.

How this definition of Varna Asrama Dharma got morphed into a Caste system, as seen today is the subject of this series, as part of which we are trying to decipher the evolution of Aryan society in Rg Veda days.

The Sudas cross the sindh and get cultured by Trtsus, who are the third race of Rishis (in my definitions here). The motley groups of Sudas then integrate and setup societies in early days.

From motely tribes to two divisions of Aryas

IyurarthaM na nyarthaM paruSNImAshushcanedabhipitvaM jagAma

sudAsa indraH sutukAnamitrAnarandhayan mAnuSe vadhrivAcaH

iyurarthaM

• they go in the manner

Na

• Not

nyarthaM –going amiss, failure, destruction

paruSNim – roughness, violence, mixed or motley group of people

Going in the manner of not failing the motley group

Azu – quick

kSa – loss, destruction

ca – and

ned – not indeed

and not indeed their swift destruction/loss

abhipitvaM

• (eqvalent to apa-pitvam) separation

jagAma – go,  went, departed, returned

their separation departed

Going in the manner of not failing the motley group and not indeed their swift destruction/loss, their separation departed (To avoid destruction their motleyness/separation departed)

sudAsa – receiver of gifts

indraH – conquerors

sutukam – swiftly running

amitra – enemy, adversary

narandhayan –human darkness

The SudAs are conquerors of swiftly run over adversary of human darkness

mAnuse – humanity, manhood

Vadhri – unmanly

Vaca – talk, knowledge

(which is) Human people’s knowledge impotence

The Sudas are conquerors of swiftly running adversary of the human darkness, the human people’s knowledge impotence.

The motley group’s separation departed to avoid their failings and swift destruction. The Sudas swiftly run over and conquer the adversary, the human darkness of human’s knowledge impotence.

The Sudasas guided by the Trtsus realize that the adversary of human beings is not other human beings or tribes, but the impotence of human knowledge or darkness. So they start evolving in knowledge with the help of the Conquerors of Sudas (the Trtsus) by eliminating their motleyness.

IyurgAvo na yavasAdagopA yathAkRtamabhi mitraM citAsaH

pRshnigAvaH pRshninipreSitAsaH shruSTiM cakrurniyuto rantayashca

Iyur – they go

gAvo – evolving

ivyurgAvo – they go evolve, they go moving

na – not

yava – speed, velocity, grain/grass

yavasAd – grazing, pasturing, speeding

agopA – not tended by one

yathA – in that way

kRta – accomplished, done, performed, gained

abhi

• towards

mitraM

• firendly

citAsaH – pile, heap, multitude

They go evolving further, Not by grazing untended, such that they gain multitude of friends. (They are now guided by the Trtsu’s)

pRzni – manifold, different, speckled, motley or mixed character

gAvaH – evolves

pRzninipreSitAsaH – sent or hastening down

The motley characteristics evolves/moves hastening down. The motley characteristics come down.

zruSTim

• willing, glad, obedient

cakrur – doing, going around

The willing/obedient go around/follow

niyuto – fixed, fastened, bound

rantaya

• warriors

akSa  ca – key and

binding all the key people/warriors

The motley characteristic hastens down. The willing people follow binding all key people/warriors

They go evolving further, guided, to gain multitude of friends. Their motley characteristics comes down fast. They go around binding all key warrior groups of the region.

ekaM ca yo viMshatiM ca shravasyA vaikarNayorjanAn rAjA nyastaH

dasmo na sadman ni shishAti barhiH shUraH sargamakRNodindra eSAm

ekaM – ONE

ca – and

yo – one who, whoever, that were

vimzatim – is Twenty, 20

ca – and

Those were of one and twenty divisions

shravasyA – fame, glory

vaikarNayor – people of two tribes

janAn – got born

rAjA – king

nyasta – got placed

Became people of two glorious divisions(probably Brahmanas and Vaizyas or may not be), rule got placed

People who were one or were in twenty divisions became people of two divisions and their rule got placed

dasmon –  The sudasas

na sadmanni – were not dwellers, sitters

zizAti – Sharpening or stimulating

barhiH – their seats (made of Kusa grass)

The receivers were not dwellers, simply sharpening their seats.

zuraH – Brave, Heroic

sargam – times of, millennium, creation

akrnod – not making

indra – conquerors

eSam – of them

They were heroic/valiant (in) times of not making conquerors of them.

People who were one or in twenty groups became people of two divisions and the rule got placed. (It does not mean) The sudasas were just sitting sharpening their seats. They were heroic people living in the times of not making conquests.

adha shrutaM kavaSaM vRddhamapsvanu druhyuM ni vRNag vajrabAhuH

vRNAnA atra sakhyAya sakhyaM tvAyanto ye amadannanu tvA

adha – Then, Partly, Moreover

shrutaM –  the revelation (their revelations), learnings, knowledge heard from the Rishis

kavasam – shield

vrddhaM – Growth, expansion, progress

ap-svanu – work-well

druhyuMni – hostility

vRNag

• consume

vajrabAhu – strong armed

Moreover the knowledge heard from the Rishis shield, work well to progress, consume the hostility of the strong armed (people, ruffians)

vRNAna – Choosing

atra – then, there

sakhyAya – friendliness of

sakhyaM

• friendship

tvAyanto – towards thy (towards Rishis)

ye

• those

amadann – rejoice, cheer

anu tva  – to you

Choosing there friendliness of the friendship towards you (the Rishis), these (people of 2 divisions) rejoice to you

Though the Sudas were not going on conquests, they had the knowledge of the Rishis that shielded them from hostility of the strong armed people. They chose the friendliness of the friendship towards you (Vasishta) and they rejoiced to you.

Thus Sudasas crossed the Sindh, met with Trtsus, became people of two divisions from being motley 20 groups and became Vedic chanters too.

Conventional interpretation by Griffith is as follows

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. 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. The King who scattered one-and-twenty people of both Vaikarna tribes through lust of glory.  As the skilled priest clips grass within the chamber, so hath the Hero Indra, wrought their downfall.

Next- Further evolution of Sudasas

-TBT