126 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
praising thee as guilty of wickedness; hurl, INDRA, thy sharp thunderbolt against him.”
“The dwellers on the Yamuna and Tritsus glorified INDRA when he killed BHEDA in battle; the Ajas, the Shigrus, the Yakshas. offered to him as a sacrifice the heads of the horses killed in the combat.”
“Thy favours, INDRA, and thy bounties, whether old or new, cannot be counted like the (recurring) dawns; thou hast slain DEVAKA, the son of MANYAMANA and of thine own will hast cast down SHAMBARA from the vast (mountain).”
In this batte the kings who fought against Sudas were: [1] (1) Shinyu,
(2) Turvasha, (3) Druhyu, (4) Kavasha, (5) Puru, (6) Anu, (7) Bheda,
(8) Shambara, (9) Vaikarna, (10) another Vaikarna, (11) Yadu,
(12) Matsya, (13) Paktha, (14) Bhalanas, (15) Aleena, (16) Vishanin,
(17) Aja, (18) Shiva, (19) Shigru, (20) Yakshu, (21) Yudhyamadhi,
(22) Yadva, (23) Devaka Manyamana, (24) Chayamana Kavi,
(25) Sutuka, (26) Uchatha, (27) Shmta, (28) Vriddha, (29) Manyu, and (30) Prithu.
Obviously, the war was a much bigger war than its name indicates. The war must have been a very great event in the history of the Indo-Aryans. No wonder the victorious Sudas became a great hero of his time. [2] We do not know what exactly led to this war. Some indication is given by Rig Veda, vii.83.7, where the kings arrayed against Sudas are described as irreligious which suggests that it was probably a religious war.
IV. Sayanacharya, as well as tradition, declare the following hymns of the Rig Veda to have had the under-mentioned kings for their rishis :
“Vitahavya (or Bharadvaja) x.9, Sindhudvipa, son of Ambarisha (or Trisiras, son of Tvashtri) x.75,Sindhukshit, son of Priyamedha; x.133, Sudas, son of Pijavana; x.134, Mandhatri, son of Yuvanasa; x.179, Sibi, son of Usinara, Pratardana, son of Divodasa and king of Kasi, and Vasumanas, son of Rohidasva; and x.148 is declared to have had Prithi Vainya.”
It will be noticed that in this list there occurs the name of Sudas as a composer of Vedic hymns.
V. Sudas performed Ashvamedha Yajna. There is reference to this in Rig Veda, iii.53.
- “The great RISHI, the generator of the gods, attracted by the deities, the
1 The list is taken from Chitrava Shastri’s Prachin Charitra Kosh, p. 624. There is no unanimity whether all the names are of kings. Sayanacharya says that 13 16 are names of the Purohitas. There is also doubt about 27-29.
2 The name of Sudas occurs in the Rig Veda in 27 places. It shows what a great hero he must have been regarded by the Vedic people.