In the Vamsa Brahmana of Vedic literature, Aupamanyava is listed as a Vedic teacher and sage of the Sama Veda. The patronymic ''Aupamanyava'' or "Upmanya" establishes him as a descendant of

Upamanyu Upamanyu () is a rishi (sage) in Hinduism, best known for being a devotee of the deity Shiva, and being the leader of the ganas (Gāṇamtya). He is said to be the father or ancestor of the sage Kamboja Aupamanyava referred to in the Vamsa B ...

, while the name ''Kamboja'' suggests an association with the Kamboja kingdom of the (late Vedic) Mahajanapada period. Vamsa Brahmana informs us that ''sage Anandaja'' had received the Vedic learning from sage Samba, the son of ''Sarkaraksa'', as well as from Kamboja, the son or descendant of ''Upamanyu''.

Lineage

''Vamsa Brahamana'' of the Sama Veda refers to one Rsi ''Madragara Shaungayani'' as the teacher of

Aupamanyava Kamboja In the Vamsa Brahmana of Historical Vedic religion, Vedic literature, Aupamanyava is listed as a Vedic teacher and sage of the Sama Veda. The patronymic ''Aupamanyava'' or "Upmanya" establishes him as a descendant of Upamanyu, while the name ''Ka ...

. As the name itself suggests, risi Madragara Shaungayani belonged to Madra tribe, i.e. the

Uttaramadras This is a list of ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes that are mentioned in the literature of Indic religions. From the second or first millennium BCE, ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes turned into most of the population in the northern ...

. Dr Jain also observes: ''"Kamboja Aupamanyava, pupil of Madragara, is mentioned in the Vamsa Brahmana. This points to a possible relationship of the Madras or more probably of the Uttaramasdras with the Kambojas, who probably had Indian as well as Iranian affinities"''.

As a grammarian

Aupamanyava is repeatedly quoted as a

grammarian Grammarian may refer to: * Alexandrine grammarians, philologists and textual scholars in Hellenistic Alexandria in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE * Biblical grammarians, scholars who study the Bible and the Hebrew language * Grammarian (Greco-Roman ...

by Yaska in his ''Nirukta'', and also mentioned in respect of the ''Nisadas and the Panca-janah''. Aupamanyava is also stated to have authored one Nighantu—a collection of Vedic words Pt Bhagva Datta points out that, Dr G. Opart has referred to one nirukta (etymology) whose authorship he attributes to a certain Upamanyu

Vamsa Brahmana

Commenting on the Vamsa Brahmana list of Vedic teachers, Albrecht Weber writes: ''"One fact deserves to be especially noticed here, namely, that several of the teachers mentioned in the Vamsa Brahmana, by their very names, points us directly to the north-west of India, e.g. Kamboja Aupamanyava, Madaragara Saungayani, Sati Aushtrakshi, Salamkayana and Kauhala" ''. And commenting on the same list, R Morton Smith also writes: ''“The names Kamboja Aupamanyava, Sati Austraksi and Madragara Saungayani suggest a North-west connection for the main branch of Vamsa Brahmana''. Among the entire lists of ancient Vedic teachers of the Satapatha Brahmana as well as the Vamsa Brahmana, Kamboja Aupamanyava appears as the first "Aupamanyava"' (i.e. ''son or descendant of

''). This Kamboja Aupamanyava was the guru of Anadaja Chandhanayana who in turn was the guru of Bhanumant Aupamanyava. Bhanumant Aupamanyava had instructed Urjayant Aupamanyava. Vedic teachers Bhanumanta Aupamanyava and Urjayant Aupamanyava of the Vamsa Brahmana list were probably the son and grandson of Kamboja Aupamanyava.

Aupamanyava/Upamanyu Gotra

''Upamanyu'' also is one of the gotras of Hindu brahmins. The people with Upamanyu gotra live in far western part of Nepal and eastern Parts of Jammu & Kashmir. They are basically present just below the Mount Kailash as they pray to Lord Shiva only. However, according to Dr D. C. Sircar, Upamanyu gotra is not found in early Sanskrit literature and it is difficult to determine at this time whether it is a mistake for Aupamanyava gotra. Prof B. N. Datta comments: ''"...In the list of Brahmana gotras mentioned in the Matsya-Purana, the name "Kamboja" is to be found. It is said to be an offshoot of the Vrigu ( Bhrigus) gotras. This means that a Rishi hailing from the Kamboja tribe was also founder of a Brahmanical class.......Weber says that the appearance of the name of Kamboja (an Indian-sounding name in Vedic text) as a Sama theologian is analogous of the discovery of the name of Gautama in Zoroastrian Mithra-Yesht. Upamanyu was of Kamboja descent, and Ushtaxri (Sati Austrakshi) was probably of Bactrian origin. Further, the name of prominent

Rishi ''Rishi'' () is a term for an accomplished and enlightened person. They find mentions in various Vedic texts. Rishis are believed to have composed hymns of the Vedas. The Post-Vedic tradition of Hinduism regards the rishis as "great yogis" or ...

like Atharva sounds like Atharavan or Atharvan, the Persian fire-cult priest. The names of Atharva and Angirasa are connected with the introduction of fire-cult amongst the Vedic people. In this case, we find another infiltration of the foreign element (Kambojas etc.) in the ethnic composition of the Vedic Aryas" ''.Dialectics of Hindu Ritualism, 1956, p 59, 60, 132, Bhupendranātha Datta.

Notes

External links

*The Vamçabrahmana: (Friedrich Max Müller, 1860)

*The Vamçabrahmana: (TITUS version by Jost Gippert)

*The Vamçabrahmana: ( Arthur Coke Burnell,1873)

{{Rishis of Hindu mythology Rishis