''For other uses, see
Suda (disambiguation) and
Souda (disambiguation)
Sudās Paijavana was an
Indo-Aryan tribal king of the
Bharatas, during the main or middle
Rigvedic period (c. 14th century BCE). He led his tribe to victory in the
Battle of the Ten Kings
The Battle of the Ten Kings (, ) was first alluded to in the 7th Mandala of the Rigveda (RV) and took place between a king of the Bharatas named King Sudas versus a confederation of tribes. It resulted in a decisive victory for the Bharatas ...
near the Paruṣṇī (modern
Ravi River
The Ravi River is a transboundary river in South Asia, flowing through northwestern India and eastern Pakistan, and is one of five major rivers of the Punjab region.
Under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, the waters of the Ravi and two oth ...
) in
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
, defeating an alliance of the powerful
Puru tribe with other tribes, for which he was eulogized by his
purohita 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, 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
The Ashvins (, ), also known as the Ashvini Kumaras and Asvinau,, §1.42. are Hindu deities, Hindu Divine twins, twin gods associated with medicine, health, healing, sciences, and the twilight. In the ''Rigveda'', they are described as youthf ...
.
Rigveda
Sudas is mentioned in ''
Rigveda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...
'' as the chief of Bharatas who conquered the ten-kings confederacy. It is further mentioned that the king had replaced
Vishwamitra
Vishvamitra (, ) is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of ancient India. Vishvamitra is one of the seven Brahmarshi. According to Hindu tradition, he is stated to have written most of the Mandala 3 of the Rigveda, including the Ga ...
with
Vasishtha as his priest,
thereby creating a rivalry between the two. The ten-kings, viz.
Puru,
Yadu, Turvasu, Anu,
Druhyu, Alina,
Paktha
Pakthas or Pakhtas was an ancient Vedic Indo-Aryan tribe living in the northern borderlands of South Asia. They are considered to be one of the possible ancestors of modern Pakhtun people. They are sometimes identified with the "Pactyans" of H ...
, 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
*
Krishna
Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...
References
Citations
Sources
*
*
{{hindu-bio-stub
Rigveda
14th-century BC Indian monarchs
Bharatas