Divodasa- a tribal king

                                                             Divodasa- a tribal king

Divodasa ("heaven's servant") was a tribal king in the Rigveda. He was celebrated for his liberality and protected by Indra and the Ashvin’s in the Rigveda, RV 1.112.14; 1.116.18). He was the son of Vadhryashva RV 6.61.5.

Some sources say that Divodasa was king Bhimaratha’s son. He is the father of the famous king Sudas (RV 7.18.28). His name is mentioned in the Battle of the Ten Kings in which he had participated. Pijavana is the other name of Divodasa according to Rigveda. His son, Pratardana, is mentioned in the Kaushitaki Upanishad. Divodasa had another son called Sudas who became very famous.

Divodasa was invited in the Aswamedha Sacrifice performed by King Dasharatha of Ayodhya. He was the younger brother of Queen Sumitra and was a Brother-in-law of Dasharatha. He was also the son of King Bhimaratha and was a grandson of Lord Dhanvantari. It is also the name of a king of Kashi surnamed Dhanvantari as per the hymn (RV 10.179.2), the founder of the Indian school of medicine called Ayurveda.

A story of Divodasa goes that there was a Vedic or Aryan renovation of India after the Great Flood. This was at a much earlier period of the hymns. Here, the Aryans overthrew a related but spiritually fallen culture, which had troubled them and which at least some of them had fled from. The Vedic Aryans did not fight with unfamiliar peoples but with the members of their own culture who failed to maintain the spiritual law of the land.

Divodasa gave golden treasures to the Rsi Garga. Rigveda refers to niSkagrIva which is a golden ornament on the neck and necklaces of gold reaching down to the chest. Gold was smelted from the ores which evoke the Indian alchemical tradition enshrined in the soma rasa, later elaborated as the science of alchemy: rasa-vada. Gold was won from the riverbeds: Sindhu is called the hiraNmayI; Sarasvati is called hiraNyavartanI.

Ayurveda is described as science of life, and it was recalled by Brahma as mentioned in Ayurvedic treatises. Brahma transformed his noble knowledge to Prajapati Daksha. Later Daksha passed his legacy to Ashwin’s and Indra received knowledge from Ashwin’s. As per Sushruta opinion, Indra taught Ayurveda to Dhanwantari, the surgeon of gods represented as king Divodasa of Banaras (Kashiraja). Divodasa then transmitted medical knowledge with special reference to surgery to the wise men like Sushruta and others who approached him as pupils, out of sympathy for the suffering humanity and in order to prolong their own life. Patanjali, is one falling into folded hands. The name comes from a legend about his birth which says that Seṣa, the divine serpent-king, incarnated as a snakelet and fell into the folded hands (Anjali Mudra) of a Brahmin. Another explanation describes the word as (He for whom the folded hands of people are falling is Patanjali). The compound name Patan jali: "Patan" is 'bank' and "Jal" is 'water', in the Sindhi language of the Indus Valley Civilization.

 

References:

1.            Raj Kumar (18 August 2003). Know The Vedas at A Glance. New Delhi: Pustak Mahal. p. 98. ISBN 978-81-223-0848-8. Retrieved 13 September 2017.

2.K. C. Singhal; Roshan Gupta (2003). The Ancient History of India, Vedic Period: A New Interpretation. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 58. ISBN 978-81-269-0286-6.

3.            M. C. Joshi (1986). Princes and polity in ancient India. Jodhpur: Kusumanjali Prakashan. p. 53.

4.Singh, Rana P.B.; Pravin S. Rana (2002). Banaras Region: A Spiritual and Cultural Guide. Varanasi: Indica Books. p. 31. ISBN 81-86569-24-3.

 

King Sudas

King Sudas, the son of Divodasa was an Indo-Aryan tribal king of the Bharatas, during the main or middle Rigvedic period (c. 14th century BCE).^[1] He led his tribe to victory in the Battle of the Ten Kings near the Paruṣṇi (modern Ravi River) in Punjab,^[2] defeating an alliance of the powerful Puru tribe with other tribes, for which he was praised by his purohita Vashistha in a hymn of the Rigveda. His victory established the dominance and superiority of the Bharata clan, allowing them to move eastwards and settle in Kurukshetra, paving the way for the emergence of the Kuru "super-tribe" or tribal union, which dominated northern India in the subsequent period.^[3]

Sudas is mentioned in Rigveda as the chief of Bharatas who conquered the ten-kings coalition and groupings.^[2] It is further mentioned that the king replaced Vashistha with Visvamitra as his priest, thereby creating a rivalry between the two. The ten-kings, viz. Puru, Yadu, Turvasa, Adu, Druhyu, Alina, Paktha, Bhalanas, Siva and Vishanin, then revolted against king Sudas but were defeated by him. He also fought Ajas, Sigrus and Yakshus soon after.^[4]

[1]. Witzel, Michael (2000). "The Languages of Harappa". In Kenoyer, J. Proceedings of the conference on the Indus civilization.

[2]. Mookherji 1988, p. 1.

[3]. Witzel, Michael (1995), "Early Sanskritization: Origin and Development of the Kuru state", EJVS vol. 1 no. 4 (1995)

[4]. Sen 1999, p. 41.

SOCIAL GROUPING BASED ON OCCUPATION

 SOCIAL GROUPING BASED ON OCCUPATION

"For the three varnas, three pursuits have been indicated in the sacred texts... When these are followed, the world's welfare is ensured."

Social organization in the age of the epics was based on the chaturvarna, a broad, four-fold division of society based on occupation. It is likely that this was initially an open, fluid grouping that became increasingly rigid over time. Conventionally traced to the Purusha Sukia hymn of the Rig Veda, chaturvama looks at society as an organism with its head, hands, thighs, and feet formed by those involved in ritual, administration, trade, and service activities. These make up the four varnas-Brahman. Kshatriya. Vaishya, and Shudra. In the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna explains the origin and function of the caste system to Arjuna, telling him, "This fourfold order was established by me on the basis of the divisions of quality and work. But though I have created it, understand that 1 am incapable of action or change. The division of society into varnas, therefore, assumed divine origin and sanction.

To use the term "caste" for varna is not strictly accurate, for each varna is further divided into smaller groups-jatis-whose rules of membership more closely match the Western definition of caste. However, in common usage, caste is used interchangeably for both varna and jati. It broadly refers to an endogamous group, its position in the social order is defined by occupation and entry into it is defined by birth.

Lal Vakh -'Kokkali sath kula gatchan Patali,' - A saying from a Kashmiri saint poetess.

 Kokkali sath kula gatchan Patali,

Akali zal mal varshun peun,

Mamas tanki ti mus ki piyalai,

Brahman ti chrali ikvath khen.

Lal Ded, a saint poetess from Kashmir (India) says a time will come when shudras will follow the conduct meant for brahmanas. With the change of ‘yuga’ Brahmanas will be seated in the same row and eat the sacrificial food together. She says that there will be men who will be devoted to falsehood, those who are addicted to liquor and flesh, and those who regard their wives as enemies. Thieves will follow the conduct of kings and kings will follow the conduct of thieves. She says that servants will enjoy what they have not been instructed to enjoy. Riches will be praised, and the conduct of the virtuous will not be revered.

Lal Ded refers to the time - when it is the end of a yuga, those who are outcasts will not be condemned. Mortals will be devoid of their senses. They will sport disheveled hair or shave their heads. Without attaining the age of sixteen years, men will have children. When it is the end of a yuga, inhabitants will sell food, auspicious objects will be sold at the crossroads and women will sell their hair. Everyone will speak about the brahman.

The brahmanas will sell austerities, sacrifices, and the truth of the Vedas. When it is the end of a yuga, the seasons will behave in a contrary fashion. Shudras will observe dharma. They will display their white teeth and not lower their eyes. They will shave their heads and dress themselves in ochre garments. There will be many predatory beasts and the number of cattle will decline. When it is the end of a yuga, tasty food will be difficult to come by and learning will decline.

When it is the end of a yuga, inferior subjects will be allowed to go everywhere. When the yuga is destroyed, two-year-old bulls will be used to plough and till and the rain will shower down in extraordinary ways. When the yuga withdraws itself, men will no longer follow dharma. The land will become a desert and highways will traverse through the interiors of cities. When it is Kali-yuga, everyone will become a trader. Sons will no longer render offerings to their ancestors. Driven by avarice and falsehood, they will act against each other and steal each other's shares. When it is the end of a yuga, women who have lost their beauty, form, and riches, will still decorate their hair. When it is the end of a yuga, householders will no longer possess a refuge and will be terrified. They will believe that no one should be loved as much as a wife. There will be many who are wicked in conduct and ignoble. Nevertheless, they will be handsome.

There will be few men and many women. There will be many beggars in this world, and they will give to each other. The kings will punish and afflict those who are not thieves and people will face destruction. Seeds sown will not lead to crops. The young will follow the conduct of the old. When the yuga is over, people will be happy with whatever they obtain in this world. Harsh winds will blow during the rainy season, inferior and laced with showers of stones. When it is the end of a yuga, there will be suspicion about the world hereafter. Kings will follow the conduct of Vaishyas and earn a living from riches and grain. When the yuga is over, brahmanas will also follow this kind of conduct. There will be violations of agreements and contracts. As the yuga starts to decay, debts will not be repaid. When the yuga is destroyed, the pursuit of future fruits will be unsuccessful.

Joy and anger will be successful among men. For the sake of milk, even goats will be milked. Those who do not know the sacred texts will behave as if they are wise. When it is the end of a yuga, they will nevertheless become trainers of the sacred texts. Without consulting the elders, everyone will be presumed to know everything. Kings will generally be thieves.

Shudras, deceitful people, and drunkards become teachers of the brahman and perform horse sacrifices. When the end of the yuga presents itself, brahmanas become greedy for riches and perform sacrifices for those for whom sacrifices should not be performed and eat that which should not be eaten. They desire objects of pleasure and do not study anything. Women adorn themselves with a single conch shell and bind themselves up with gavedhuka.

Sons engage fathers in tasks and daughters-in-law employ mothers-in-law. Men will have intercourse with women who are not from their own varnas. Men who observe agnihotra sacrifices will eat without having performed the required rites earlier. By offering shares of sacrifices as alms, men will themselves eat them first. While husbands are asleep, wives will cheat and go to someone else. While wives are asleep, men will go to the wives of others. Everyone will have some disease and some kind of mental suffering. Everyone will envy others. When the era ends, people will harm others without having been injured earlier.