Sudās Paijavana ( sa, सुदास्) was an
Indo-Aryan tribal king of the
Bharatas
Bharatha People (, ) also known as Bharatakula and Paravar, is an ethnicity in the island of Sri Lanka. Earlier considered a caste of the Sri Lankan Tamils, they got classified as separate ethnic group in the 2001 census. They are descendant o ...
, during the main or middle
Rigvedic period (c. 14th century BCE). He led his tribe to victory in the
Battle of the Ten Kings near the Paruṣṇī (modern
Ravi River) in
Punjab, defeating an alliance of the powerful
Puru tribe with other tribes, for which he was eulogised by his
purohita
Purohita ( sa, पुरोहित), in the Hindu context, means ''chaplain'' or ''family priest'' within the Vedic priesthood. In Thailand and Cambodia, it refers to the royal chaplains.
Etymology
The word ''purohita'' derives from the S ...
Vashistha in a hymn of the Rigveda. His victory established the ascendency of the Bhārata clan, allowing them to move eastwards and settle in
Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra (, ) is a city and administrative headquarter of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty ") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita".
Legends
According to the Pura ...
, paving the way for the emergence of the
Kuru "super-tribe" or tribal union, which dominated northern India in the subsequent period.
Family
Sudās' ancestors include Pijavana,
Divodāsa Atithigva, and Devavant, although scholars disagree regarding the order of these ancestors chronologically.
According to
Witzel, Divodāsa was the father of Sudās, but he includes Pijavana on the grid of Bharata descent as a possible ancestor between Divodāsa and Sudās. Palihawadana also places Pijavana on his grid of Bharata descent between Divodāsa and Sudas, but only states that Sudās was a descendant of Pijavana.
He was married to Sudevī, who is stated to have been given to Sudās by the
Ashvins.
Mention in Rigveda
Sudas is mentioned in ''
Rigveda'' as the chief of Bharatas who conquered the ten-kings confederacy. It is further mentioned that the king replaced
Vashistha
with
Visvamitra
Vishvamitra ( sa, विश्वामित्र, ) is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of ancient India. According to Hindu tradition, he is stated to have written most of the Mandala 3 of the Rigveda, including the Gayatri Mant ...
as his priest,
thereby creating a rivalry between the two. The ten-kings, viz.
Puru,
Yadu
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 p ...
, Turvasa, Adu,
Druhyu, Alina,
Paktha, Bhalanas, Siva and Vishanin, then revolted against Sudas but were defeated by him. He also fought Ajas,
Sigrus and Yakshus soon after.
See also
*
Divodasa
*
Parikshit
*
Sudakshina
Sudakshina ( sa, सुदक्षिण) was a king of the Kambojas and is featured in the Indian epic the Mahabharata.
On the 14th day of battle, Arjuna, with his charioteer Krishna, attempts to reach Jayadratha. Dronacharya and Duryodhana arra ...
*
Krishna
References
Citations
Sources
*
*
{{hindu-bio-stub
Rigveda
14th-century BC Indian monarchs