The list of composers of Rigveda

Following is the list of composers of Rigveda according to the Sarvanukramani.
There are 1028 hymns divided into 10 Mandalas in Rigveda.

The style of naming is as follows-
If Madhuchhandas is the son of Vishvamitra, his name would be written as Madhuchhandas Vaishvamitra meaning Madhucchandas- the son of Vishwamitra.

MANDALA	HYMN	COMPOSER
1	1-10	Madhucchandas Vaishvamitra
	11	Jeta Madhucchandas
	12-23	Medhatithi Kanva
	24-30	Shunahshepa Ajigarti later Devarata Vaishvamitra
	31-35	Hiranyastupa Angiras
	36-43	Kanva Ghaura
	44-50	Praskanva Kanva
	51-57	Savya Angiras
	58-64	Nodhas Gautama
	65-73	Parashara Shaktya
	74-93	Gotama Rahugana
	94-98	Kutsa Angiras
	99	Kashyapa Maricha
	100	Rujrashva Varshagira
	101-115	Kutsa Angiras
	116-126	Kakshivan Dairghatamas
	127-139	Parucchepa Daivodasi
	140-164	Dirghatamas Aucathya
	165-191	Agastya Maitravaruni
2	1-3	Gritsamada Shaunahotra, later Gritsamada Shaunaka
	4-7	Somahuti Bhargava
	8-26	Gritsamada Shaunahotra, later Gritsamada Shaunaka
	27-29	Kurma Gartsamada
	30-43	Gritsamada Shaunahotra, later Gritsamada Shaunaka
3	1-12	Vishwamitra Gathina
	13-14	Rushabha Vishwamitra
	15-16	Utkila Katya
	17-18	Kata Vishwamitra
	19-22	Gathina Kaushika.
	23-35	Vishwamitra Gathina,Devshrava,Devavat Bharat
	36	Vishwamitra Gathina, Ghora Angiras
	37	Vishwamitra Gathina
	38	Vishwamitra Gathina, Prajapati Vishwamitra/Vachya
	39-53	Vishwamitra Gathina
	54-56	Prajapati Vishwamitra /Vachya
	57-61	Vishwamitra Gathina
	62	Vishwamitra Gathina, Jamadagni Bhargava
4	1-42	Vamdeva Gautama
	43-44	Purumilha Sauhotra, Ajamilha Sauhotra
	45-58	Vamdeva Gautama
5	1	Budha/ Gavishthira Atreya
	2	Kumara/Vrusha Jana Atreya
	3-6	Vasushruta Atreya
	7-8	Isha Atreya
	9-10	Gaya Atreya
	11-14	Sutambhara Atreya
	15	Dharuna Angiras
	16-17	Puru Atreya
	18	Dvita Atreya
	19	Vavri Atreya
	20	Prayasvanta Atreya
	21	Sasa Atreya
	22	Vishvasaman Atreya
	23	Dyumna Vishvacharshani Atreya
	24	Bandhu, Subandhu, Srutabandhu,  Viprabandhu (Gaupayanas)
	25-26	Vasuyava Atreya
	27	Atri Bhauma
	28	Vishvavara Atreyi
	29	GaurivIti Sankruti (Angiras family)
	30	Babhru Atreya
	31	Avasyu Atreya
	32	Gatu Atreya
	33-34	Samvarana Prajapatya
	35-36	Prabhuvasu Angiras
	37-43	Atri Bhauma
	44	Avatsara Kashyapa, various Atreyas
	45	Sadapruna Atreya
	46	Pratikshatra Atreya
	47	Pratiratha Atreya
	48	Pratibhanu Atreya
	49	Pratiprabha Atreya
	50-51	Svasti Atreya
	52-61	Shyavashva Atreya
	62	Srutavida Atreya
	63-64	Arcananas Atreya
	65-66	Ratahavya Atreya
	67-68	Yajata Atreya
	69-70	Uruchakri Atreya
	71-72	Bahuvrukta Atreya
	73-74	Paura Atreya
	75	Avasyu Atreya
	76-77	Atri Bhauma
	78	Saptavadhri Atreya
	79-80	Satyashravas Atreya
	81-82	Shyavashva Atreya
	83-86	Atri Bhauma
	87	Evayamarut Atreya
6	1-30	Bharadvaja Barhaspatya
	31-32	Suhotra Bharadvaja
	33-34	Shunahotra Bharadvaja
	35-36	Nara Bharadvaja
	37-43	Bharadvaja Barhaspatya
	44-46	Samyu Barhaspatya
	47	Garga Bharadvaja
	48	Samyu Barhaspatya
	49-52	Rijishvan Bharadvaja
	53-74	Bharadvaja Barhaspatya
	75	Payu Bharadvaja
7	1-31	Vasishtha Maitravaruni
	32	Vasishtha Maitravaruni, Shakti Vasishtha
	33-100	Vasishtha Maitravaruni
	101-102	Vasishtha Maitravaruni, Kumara Agneya
	103-104	Vasishtha Maitravaruni
8	1	Pragatha Kanva, Medhatithi Kanva,
	2	Medhatithi Kanva, Priyamedha Angiras
	3	Medhyatithi Kanva
	4	Devatithi Kanva
	5	Brahmatithi Kanva
	6	Vatsa Kanva
	7	Punarvatsa Kanva
	8	Sadhvamsa Kanva
	9	Shashakarna Kanva
	10	Pragatha Kanva
	11	Vatsa Kanva
	12	Parvata Kanva
	13	Narada Kanva
	14-15	Goshuktin Kanva, Ashvasuktin Kanva
	16-18	Irimbitha Kanva
	19-22	Sobhari Kanva
	23-25	Vishvamanas Vaiyashva
	26	Vishvamanas Vaiyashva, Vyashva Angiras
	27-31	Manu Vaivasvata or Kashyapa Maricha
	32	Medhatithi Kanva
	33	Medhyatithi Kanva
	34	Nipatithi Kanva
	35-38	Shyavashva Atreya
	39-41	Nabhaka Kanva
	42	Nabhaka Kanva, Arcananas Atreya
	43-44	Virupa Angiras
	45	Trishoka Kanva
	46	Vasha Ashvya
	47	Trita Aptya
	48	Pragatha Kanva
	49	Praskanva Kanva
	50	Pushtigu Kanva
	51	Srushtigu Kanva
	52	Ayu Kanva
	53	Medhya Kanva
	54	Matarishvan Kanva
	55	Krishna Kanva
	56	Prushadhra Kanva
	57-58	Medhya Kanva
	59	Suparna Kanva
	60-61	Bharga Pragatha
	62-65	Pragatha Kanva
	66	Kali Pragatha
	67	Matsya Sammada or Manya Maitravaruni
	68-69	Priyamedha Angiras
	70	Puruhanman Angiras
	71	SudIti Purumilha
	72	Haryata Pragatha
	73-74	Gopavana Atreya
	75	Virupa Angiras
	76-78	Kurusuti Kanva
	79	Krutnu Bhargava
	80	Ekadyu Naudhasa
	81-83	Kusidin Kanva
	84	Ushana Kavya,
	85	Krishna Angiras
	86	Krishna Angiras, Vishvaka Karshni
	87	Krishna Angiras, DyumnIka Vasishtha,  Priyamedha Angiras
	88	Nodhas Gautama
	89-90	Nrumedha Angiras, Purumedha Angiras
	91	Apala Atreyi
	92-93	Sukaksha Angiras
	94	Vindu Angiras, Putadaksha Angiras
	95-96	Tirashchi Angiras
	97	Rebha Kashyapa
	98-99	Nrumedha Angiras
	100	Nema Bhargava
	101	Jamadagni Bhargava
	102	Prayoga Bhargava, Agni Barhaspatya
	103	Sobhari Kanva
9	1	Madhucchandas Vishwamitra
	2	Medhatithi Kanva
	3	Sunahshepa Ajigarti
	4	Hiranyastupa Angiras
	5-24	Asita Kashyapa, Devala Kashyapa
	25	Drulhachyuta Agastya
	26	Idhmavaha Darlhachyuta
	27	Nrumedha Angiras
	28	Priyamedha Angiras
	29	Nrumedha Angiras
	30	Bindu Angiras
	31	Gotama Rahugana
	32	Shyavashva Atreya
	33-34	Trita Aptya
	35-36	Prabhuvasu Angiras
	37-38	Rahugana Angiras
	39-40	Brihanmati Angiras
	41-43	Medhatithi Kanva
	44-46	Ayasya Angiras
	47-49	Kavi Bhargava
	50-52	Ucathya Angiras
	53-60	Avatsara Kashyapa
	61	Amahiyu Angiras
	62	Jamadagni Bhargava
	63	Nidhruvi Kashyapa
	64	Kashyapa Maricha
	65	Jamadagni Bhargava
	66	Shata Vaikhanasa
	67	Saptarshis, Pavitra Angiras
	68	Vatsapri Bhalandana
	69	Hiranyastupa Angiras
	70	Renu Vishwamitra
	71	Rishabha Vishwamitra
	72	Harimanta Angiras
	73	Pavitra Angiras
	74	Kakshivan Dairghatamas
	75-79	Kavi Bhargava
	80-82	Kasu Bharadvaja
	83	Pavitra Angiras
	84	Prajapati Vachya
	85	Vena Bhargava
	86	Praskanva Kanva
	87-89	Atri Bhauma, Gritsamada Shaunaka,  Akrushthamasha, Sikata Nivavari, Prushni Aja
	90	Ushana Kavya
	91-92	Vasishtha Maitravaruni
	93	Kashyapa Maricha
	94	Nodhas Gautama
	95	Kanva Ghaura
	96	Pratardana Daivodasi
	97	Vasishtha Maitravaruni, Indrapramati  Vasishtha, Vrushagana Vasishtha, Manyu  Vasishtha, Upamanyu Vasishtha,  Vyaghrapada Vasishtha, Shakti Vasishtha,  Karnashrut Vasishtha, Mrulika Vasishtha,  Vasukra Vasishtha, Parashara Shaktya,  Kutsa Angiras.
	98	Ambarisha Varshagira, Rijishvan Angiras
	99-100	Rebhasunu Kashyapa
	101	Andhigu Syavashvi, Yayati Nahusha, Nahusha  Manava, Manu Samvarana, Prajapati  Vishwamitra.
	102	Trita Aptya
	103	Dvita Aptya
	104-105	Parvata Kanva, Narada Kanva
	106	Agni Chakshusha, Cakshu Manava, Manu Apsava
	107	Saptarshis
	108	Gauriviti Shaktya, Shakti Vasishtha, Uru Angiras, Rijishvan Bharadvaja, Urdhvasadma Angiras, Krutayasha Angiras, Runanchaya
	109	Agni Dhishnya Aishvaraya
	110	Tryaruna Traivrushna, Trasadasyu Paurukutsa
	111	Ananata Parucchepi
	112	Shishu Angiras
	113-114	Kashyapa Maricha
10	1-7	Trita Aptya
	8	Trishiras Tvashtra
	9	Trishiras Tvashtra, Sindhudvipa Ambarisha
	10	Yama Vaivasvata, YamI Vaivasvati
	11-12	Havirdhana Angi
	13	Vivasvan Aditya
	14	Yama Vaivasvata
	15	Sankha Yamayana
	16	Damana Yamayana
	17	Devashravas Yamayana
	18	Sankusuka Yamayana
	19	Matitha Yamayana, or Bhrigu, or Cyavana Bhargava
	20-26	Vimada Aindra, Vasukrit Vasukra
	27-29	Vasukra Aindra
	30-34	Kavasha Ailusha
	35-36	Lusha Dhanaka
	37	Abhitapa Saurya
	38	Indra Mushkavan
	39-40	Ghosha Kakshivati
	41	Suhastya Ghausheya
	42-44	Krishna Angiras
	45-46	Vatsapri Bhalandana
	47	Saptagu Angiras
	48-50	Indra Vaikuntha
	51-53	Agni Saucika
	54-56	Brihaduktha Vamadevya
	57-60	Bandhu, Subandhu, Srutabandhu,  Viprabandhu (Gaupayanas)
	61-62	Nabhanedishtha Manava
	63-64	Gaya Piata
	65-66	Vasukarna Vasukra
	67-68	Ayasya Angiras
	69-70	Sumitra Vadhryashva
	71-72	Brihaspati Angiras
	73-74	Gauriviti Shaktya
	75	Sindhukshit Praiyamedha
	76	Jaratkarna Sarpa Airavata
	77-78	Syumarashmi Bhargava
	79-80	Agni Shaucika or Sapti Vajambhara
	81-82	Vishvakarma Bhauvana
	83-84	Manyu Tapasa
	85	Surya Savitri
	86	Vrishakapi Aindra, Indra, Indrani
	87	Payu Bharadvaja
	88	Murdhanvan Vamadevya
	89	Renu Vishwamitra
	90	Narayana
	91	Aruna Vaitahavya
	92	Sharyata Manava
	93	Tanva Parthya
	94	Arbuda Kadraveya Sarpa
	95	Pururavas Aila, UrvashI
	96	Baru Angiras, Sarvahari Aindra
	97	Bhishag Atharvana
	98	Devapi Arshtishena
	99	Vamra Vaikhanasa
	100	Duvasyu Vandana
	101	Budha Saumya
	102	Mudgala Bharmyashva
	103	Apratiratha Aindra
	104	Ashtaka Vishwamitra
	105	Sumitra Kautsa, Durmitra Kautsa
	106	Bhutamsa Kashyapa
	107	Divya Angiras, Dakshina Prajapatya
	108	Sarama, Panis
	109	Juhu Brahmajaya
	110	Rama Jamadagnya, Jamadagni Bhargava
	111	Ashtadamshtra Vairupa
	112	Nabhahprabhedana Vairupa
	113	Sataprabhedana Vairupa
	114	Sadhri Vairupa
	115	Upastuta Varshtihavya
	116	Agniyuta Sthaura
	117	Bhikshu Angiras
	118	Urukshaya Angiras
	119	Laba Aindra
	120	Brihaddiva Atharvana
	121	Hiranyagarbha Prajapatya
	122	Chitramaha Vasishtha
	123	Vena Bhargava
	124	Agni, Varuna, Soma
	125	Vak Abhruni
	126	Amhomuk Vamadevya
	127	Kushika Saubhara, Ratri Bharadvaji
	128	Vihavya Angiras
	129	Prajapati Parameshthin
	130	Yajna Prajapatya
	131	Sukirti Kakshivata
	132	Shakaputa Narmedha
	133	Sudas Paijavana
	134	Mandhata Yauvanashva
	135	Kumara Yamayana
	136	Juti, VAtajuti, Viprajuti, Vrishnaka,  Karikrata, Etasha, Rishyashringa (Vatarashanas)
	137	Saptarshis
	138	Anga Aurava
	139	Vishvavasu Devagandharva
	140	Agni, Pavaka
	141	Agni Trupasa
	142	Saranga, Jaritru, Drona, Sarisrukva,  Stambhamitra
	143	Atri Sankhya
	144	Urdhvasadman Yamayana
	145	Indrani
	146	DevamunI Airammada
	147	Suvedas Sairishi
	148	Prithu Vainya
	149	Arcan Hairanyastupa
	150	Mrulika Vasishtha
	151	Shraddha Kamayani
	152	Shasa Bharadvaja
	153	Indramatara Devajamaya
	154	Yami Vaivasvati
	155	Sirimbitha Bharadvaja
	156	Ketu Agneya
	157	Bhuvana Aptya, Sadhana Aptya
	158	Chakshu Saurya
	159	Shachi Paulomi
	160	Purana Vishwamitra
	161	Yakshmanashana Prajapatya
	162	Rakshoha Brahma
	163	Vivruha Kashyapa
	164	Pracetas Angiras
	165	Kapota Nairruta
	166	Rishabha Vairaja Shakvara
	167	Vishwamitra, Jamadagni
	168	Anila Vatayana
	169	Sabara Kakshivata
	170	Vibhrat Saurya
	171	Ita Bhargava
	171	Samvarta Angiras
	172	Dhruva Angiras
	173	Abhivarta ANgira
	174	Urdhvagrava Arbuda
	175	Sunu Arbhava
	176	Patanga Prajapatya
	177	Arishtanemi Tarkshya
	178	Shivi AushInara, Pratardana Kashiraja, Vasumanas Rauhidashva
	179	Jaya Aindra
	180	Pratha Vasishtha, Sapratha Bharadvaja
	181	Gharma Saurya
	182	Tapurmurdhan Barhaspatya
	183	Prajavan Prajapatya
	184	Vishnu Prajapatya
	185	Satyadhruti Varuni
	186	Ula Vatsyana
	187	Vatsa Agneya
	188	Shyena Agneya
	189	Sarparajni
	190	Aghamarshana Madhucchandas
	191	Samvanana Angiras

The Story of Time

Many of us have watched B.R Chopra's Mahabharat serial. The whole story is said to be the recitation of Time- The starting words "Main Samay Hoon" are the most enthralling words to start with. Such is Time- Omnipresent and all-knowing.

Time as Omnipresent. 

Time is one of the important facts of this Universe. It started with the Big Bang and will continue till it's end. It is an abstract quantity which can be made measurable with different parameters. In his existence man has developed a lot of units to measure time. The units may vary, but throughout the world, all the civilizations have agreed that time is one most important thing that affects our lives.
           The same feeling is reflected in the Hindu scriptures. Time or Kaal,as it is called, is said to be the creation of the Brahman and is all pervading. Even the smallest of the indivisible unit, Paramanu, has not escaped from the effect of time. The Pancha Mahabhootas which form this Universe have Time as their property. Puranas state that Time resides in all of the 'stable and moving' things ( Sthavar & Jangam).
In fact, even Time has two types- Time governing the minute particles (Paramanu) and Time governing the formation, evolution and doom of this Universe ( Param-Mahana)

Now let us begin with what the Puranas have to say regarding Time measurement-
Puranas attribute Time to Vishnu. It is this time that decides the Utpatti ( Formation) and Destruction (Laya) of the Universe. But these are quite large units for time like Yugas,Kalpas, Parardhas,etc. But what about the minuscule divisions of Time? If Parardha is the largest unit of Time, what is the smallest?

The smallest unit of Time varies with Puranas.
Nimesha is considered to be the smallest by Vishnu, Shiva, Matsya, Vayu Puranas while Paramanu is considered to be the smallest unit by Bhagvata and Bhavishya Purana. This Paramanu is 16200 times smaller than Nimesha..!!
There are some internal inconsistencies within the Puranas but more or less all agree with the system of time measurement. Since Nimesha itself is made up of Paramanus, we consider the Bhagvata Purana as an authority and state the different units of time-
The main parameter to measure time is the Sun. We know that Indian Astronomy is based on the movement of the Sun through various Ecliptic of stars and planets. The definition of Paramanu is given as the time required by the Sun to cross a length of one Paramanu or minute,indivisible particle.

Here are the units of time-

                                                              2 Paramanu = 1 Anu

          3 Anu = 1 Trasarenu

                                                               3 Trasarenu = 1 Truti

100 Truti = 1 Vedh

3 Vedh = 1 Lava

       3 Lava = 1 Nimesha

3 Nimesha = 1 Kshana

 5 Kshana = 1 Kashta

15 Kashta = 1 Laghu

    15 Laghu = 1 Ghatika

    2 Ghatika = 1 Muhurta

                                                            6/7 * Ghatika = 1 Prahar

             4 Prahar= 1 Night/ 1 Day

                    1 Night + 1 Day= 1 Ahoratra or Day of 24 Hrs

*The reason why 6 or 7 Ghatika make one Prahar is because the length of night or day changes according to the season.  Hence it is either 6 or 7 Ghatikas according to the fluctuation.

There is a problem with the math of Kshana and Kashta. Here, Kshana is a smaller unit than Kashta while in Vishnu Purana it is a larger unit than Kashta. 

Also in Vishnu Purana another unit called Kalaa is introduced between Kshana and Kashta where 30 Kashtas make one Kalaa and 30 Kalaa one Kshana.

Apart from these, certain astronomical measurements also exist which have units like Prana, Vikala, Danda,etc. The Sankhya Parimana cites Varaha Purana for some units of time.

This system of measurement has been common in ancient India and also shows the minute thinking of our ancestors with which they divided time up to Paramanu.

Now looking into the macroscopic measurement of time,

15 Days = 1 Paksha 

( Shukla Paksha= Poornima & Krishna Paksha= Amavasya)

2 Pakshas = 1 Lunar Month *

( Shravan, Bhadrapad, Margasheersha,etc)

2 Lunar Months = 1 Season or Rutu 

6 Lunar Months = 1 Ayana

( Dakshinayan and Uttarayan)

12 Lunar Months = 1 Human Year *

* A normal month is of 30 Days while a Lunar Month is mainly of 29.5 Days.

* 1 Year also has different definitions. 

As I have said earlier, Sun moves around the ecliptic or orbits of different planets and stars. But apart from the Sun ,we have different stars on whom a year can be calculated. They are-

• Sun- Samvatsar (Saurvarsha of 365 Days)
• Jupiter or Brihaspati- Parivatsar (Barhaspatya)
• Moon- Anuvatsar (12 Lunar Months)
• Stars or  Nakshatra - Vatsar 
• Idavatsar- 1 Year of 360 Days

Based on the Lunar months, further Time is classified into Yugas-

There are 4 Yugas- Krita, Treta, Dwapar and Kali of 4000,3000,2000,1000 Human Years respectively. A Sandhi is introduced in the respective Yugas before and after the Yugas which is 1/10th of the time of that Yugas. Thus Kritayug has 4800 Years = 4000 + 400 + 400 Sandhikal and so on.

These 4 Yugas combined make one Mahayuga of 12000 years.

As pointed out in my earlier posts, these are Human years. But it was later modified to Divine years or Divya Varsha where 1 Divine year= 360 Human Years.

So one Mahayuga of 12000 years becomes 12000*360= 4320000 years.

According to the Bhagvata Purana, the above data was limited to the people living in Trilokas- Earth, Swarga and Patal. But beyond these three Lokas, lives Brahmadeva. So the life of Brahmadeva is accounted as follows-

One night or one Day of Brahmadeva is said to be of 1000 Mahayugas. In this time, it is said that 14 Manus live. But as we have seen in Manu and Manvantara, one Manvantara is the time for which Manu and his sons reign and not of such a large time.

                                                 1000 Mahayugas = 1 Kalpa or Day/Night of Brahma

  2 Kalpas = 1 Day of Brahma

50 years of Brahma's life = 1 Parardha

2 Parardha = 100 yrs of Brahma's life

After 100 years of Brahma's life, the Universe is said to dissolve into Parabrahma. 

It is said that 1 Parardha of Brahma's life is over and the second one is going on. In that, the current Kalpa is called Varaha Kalpa while the one before that was Brahma Kalpa.

If we actually trace the age of Brahma with the above data, it comes out to be 15700 Trillion Years..!!!!

But if we consider only human years and not divine years, it comes out to be 438 Billion Years.

Effects of the War of 10 kings (Dashradnya Yuddha)

As discussed in my earlier post, the War of Ten Kings or Dasharadnya Yuddha is one of the major wars described in the Rigved. We have seen how Sudas defeated his enemies and won over much of the land in Sapta-Sindhu region and expanded his kingdom North Panchal which existed in the doab region between Ganga and Saraswati in east Haryana.
But the effects of this war do not stop here. There are many significant effects which can be attributed to this war which in turn was instrumental in giving birth to a contemporary religion to ours- Zoroastrianism
A piece of history which one needs to know is that Sudas' grandson Somaka had also fought with the same people along with the Gautama family rishis. This battle is called Varshagira Battle which took place in Afghanistan. 

Now we all know the Avesta is the scripture of Zoroastrianism and Zoroaster or Zaruthustra is their God. The Avesta in it's Gathas and Vendidad has striking references to Rigvedic people. But how come these people got related to the Vedic people in India?
The answer is, the communities who had to leave India after the War of Ten Kings were indeed those who composed the Avesta...!!!!
Lets have a look at the communities who left India after the war

• Prithus or Parthavas (VII.83.1): Parthians.
• Parshus or Parshavas (VII .83.1): Persians.
• Pakthas (VII.18.7): Pakhtoons.
• Bhalanas (VII.18.7): Baluchis.
• Shivas (VII.18.7): Khivas.
• Vishanins (VII.18.7): Pishachas (Dards).

These were some of the major communities and we find that their names reflect current names in today's Afghanistan and Central Asia.

But apart from this, one more thing in common in these people is that majority of these people belong to the Anu tribe.

Now let us look at the story from the side of the Avesta.

The Avesta states that it's people had roamed 16 lands and gives it's names. The names clearly go in an order from North to south and then towards east. They are-

Sogdiana (Gava), Margiana (Mourv), Bactria (Baxti, Nisaya between Margiana and Bactria, Areia (Haroiva), Kabulistan (Vaekarsta), the Gazni region (Urva), Xnanta, Arachosia (Harax^vaiti), Drangiana (Haetumant), a territory between Zamin-davar and Qal‘at-i-Gilzay (Raya), the Lugar valley (Caxra), Buner (Varana), Punjab (Hapta Handu), Ranha (between the Kabul and the Kurram, in the region where it seems likely the Vedic river Rasa flowed.)  and Airyana Vaejah…
Airyana Vaejah is the 16^th land and by logic if the lands start from north to south and then to east, we say that Airyana Vaejah is to the east of Ranha or the area of Rasa which is obviously Kashmir.With a striking similarity, the Puranas also state that indeed the Anu people lived in Kashmir..!!!!

Let us directly look at the references to Vedic people in Avesta-

• (Y.44.20) of the Gathas directly mentions Ausijas, a branch of Angirasa family.
• The Angirasa family is always condemned and called Angra Manyu or bad spirit and also Karpana, which is a derogatory term.
• The term Anu got itself replicated for a region in Afghanistan called Anauon
• Bhargavas were the priests of the Anus and their names are used interchangeably in the Rigveda RV(5.31.4) with RV(4.16.20) or RV(7.18.14) with RV(7.18.6)
• Ahur Mazda who led the Avestans out of their land Airyana Vaejah says Angra Manyu had created severe cold due to which they had to leave. 
• It is mentioned that Zaruthustra had a debate with a person called Nadhyaongha Goetema which is clearly Nodhas Gautama. And the Rigveda also confirms this part of history as we saw that indeed Somaka had gone to Afghanistan for war with the Gautama family of rishis.
• We know that Kavasha Ailusha was a person who fought against Sudas. This name Kavash also appears in the Avesta. We know Kavi Chayamana was also against Sudas. If these names are combined to Kavi Kavasha, then it sounds similar to Kavi Kavata, the founder of the Avestan dynasty.
• The Avestan people call themselves Dah ( Das), Dahyu ( Dasyu) and Ahur ( Asur) proudly who were enemies in the Rigveda
• Also, Indra who is a Deva in Rigveda is ridiculed in Avesta by calling him Andra. The Daeva ( Devas) are their enemy

This gives us a clear indication that indeed the Avestan people were those who migrated from India after the war of 10 kings. These people were Anus which can be proven from their journey to Afghanistan-

First the Avesta tells they were present in Airyana Vaejah which we have shown to be Kashmir. And as stated, even the Purans tell us that Anus were indeed ruling the Kashmir area. Then the Avesta says they shifted to the region of HaptaHandu or Sapta Sindhu or Punjab. And the Puranic history tells us that during the era of Ikshavku king Mandhata, the Druhyus who were then ruling in Punjab were pushed back by him to the far north-west and the vacant place in the Punjab was occupied by Anus who established Kekaya, Madra, Shivi kingdoms there.

So we can scrutinize the different periods of the Anu migrations with respect to the Rigvedic era-

• Pre-Rigvedic period

The Anus were living in Kashmir. The Avesta was not in existence and very early hymns of Rigveda were in existence

• Early Rigvedic period

The Anus found vacant space in Punjab due to Mandhata's war with the Druhyus and they shifted to Punjab or Sapta Sindhu, The Avesta was not composed in this time but the Avestans remember this period as their stay in the Hapta-Handu area. In this era, the Anus were in cordial relations with the Bharatas. They even had fought the Hariyupiya war together against the Yadus and Turvasus.

• Middle Rigvedic period

This was the era of king Sudas when the relations between the Anus and Bharatas declined and they went on war. The Anus were defeated and some of them left India and went further west to Afghanistan. This is the early era of the Avesta. Zaruthustra was existing in there times when he had a debate with Nodhas Gautama. Sudas's grandson Somaka also went to Afghanistan and had war with the Avestan people. This era was the times of tension.

• Late Rigvedic period

In this era, majority of the Rigved was composed and the Avesta was halfway composed. In this era, the Avestan people got their separate land and the tensions got reduced between them and the Vedic people. Soon everything was forgotten. A new religion of Zoroastrianism had been born in Iran.

One war, and so much effects. And the most positive point of this war description is that we end up proving that the movement of people was from India to central Asia and not vice versa as stated by the Aryan Invasion Theory.

The Battle of Ten Kings- Dashradnya Yuddha

Apart from religious hymns in the praise of Devas like Indra, Varuna, Agni, Soma, the Rigved also contains precious information on certain events that have occurred during it' era. The events like wars, donations to rishis, mentioning certain names of rishis and kings are a regular occurance in Rigved. This makes it an important scripture which has historical data in it.
     The major event in the Rigved is indeed of the Battle of 10 kings or Dasharadnya Yuddha (दाशराज्ञ युद्ध) and the hero of this war is king Sudas of North Panchal kingdom, the ancestor of Draupadi.
Apart from details of what happened in the war, the information is precise enough to tell us what caused the war and where the war took place.

The reason behind the war
The reason behind the war is the rivalry between Vishwamitra and Vasishtha.
As we have seen in Proving the Out of India Theory 5 the Vishwamitras from the earliest times were related to the kings of Purus and Panchalas who are called Bharatas in general. Sudas himself was a Bharata. The profuse references to places in Haryana and hymns in the praise of Sudas prove the same. Specifically, the hymn RV(3.53) composed by Vishwamitra himself praises Sudas and tells us that with the help of Vishwamitras, Sudas had reached the Sindhu river, crossed it and had done a huge Yagya there. The Brihad Devata tells us even the Vasishthas were present there.Along with Vishwamitras, the Jamadagnis were also present. Because of some dispute between some Jamadagnis and Shaktyas ( descendants of Vasishthas's son Shakti), some Jamadagnis fainted. This caused them to utter curses which also find place in RV(3.53). These curses are called Sasarpari (ससर्परी).
Also, we know that before the era of Sudas, the Vasishthas were more or less related to Ikshvakus in Ayodhya or central Indian Yadus. But soon, the relations between Vishwamitras and Sudas began to deteriorate. During the same time, a Vasishtha named Shreshthabhaj was the priest of the Ikshvaku king Kalmashpada. Because of his rivalry with Vasishtha, Vishwamitra sent some Danavas to cook meat for Vasishtha and feed him through king Kalmashpada. The same Vishwamitra had killed Vasishtha's 100 sons along with Shakti,his eldest son. Such was the rivalry between them.
With the Vasishtha getting closer to Sudas and the consequent jealousy of Vishwamitra resulted in Vishwamitra leaving Sudas and consolidating a group of 10 kings and pitching them against Sudas. Hence this war is known as Battle of 'Ten' Kings.
The other people who were involved against Sudas are Kavasha Ailusha and Kavi Chaymana.
Kavash Ailusha himself was against Sudas whereas his son Tura Kavasheya had crowned King Janmajeya II of Puru dynasty. Talking of Kavi Chayamana, he was the descendant of Abhyavartin Chayamana who is mentioned by Bharadvaja in RV(6.27.8) as a Parthav ( or descendant of Pruthu) and was an Anu king and had fought the Hariyupiya war from the side of the Bharatas. But see how politics changes- Abhyavartin was allied to the Bharatas, but his descendant Kavi fought against the Bharata king Sudas !!!

This war is so famous that there is an animation movie made on it.

War Description
The war is described properly in the hymns RV(7.18), (7.19), (7.33 )composed by Vasishtha.For obvious reason ,it has to be Vasishtha who will praise Sudas since it was his rival Vishwamitra who had pitched 10 kings against Sudas.
    According to RV(7.18.5) the war took place on the banks of the river Parushni (Ravi) in Punjab. Following were the enemies of Sudas-

• Paktha  RV(7.18.7)
• Bhalanas  RV(7.18.7)
• Alina  RV(7.18.7)
• Vishanin  RV(7.18.7)
• Shivi  RV(7.18.7)
• Turvasha  RV(7.18.6)
• Matsya  RV(7.18.6)
• Bhrugu  RV(7.18.6)
• Druhyu  RV(7.18.6)
• Vaikarnas  RV(7.18.11) ( 21 in number)
• Anus  RV(7.18.13)
• Pruthus (which includes Kavi Chayamana)   RV(7.18.8)
• Parshus  RV(7.83.1)
• Simyu  RV(7.18.5)

These all were segregated under 10 kings for the war. Along with this, there were many other enemies with whom Sudas fought the war on the banks of Yamuna. They were

• Yakshas  RV(7.18.19)
• Shigrus  RV(7.18.19)
• Aja  RV(7.18.19)

and whose leader was a king called Bheda (भेद)   RV(7.18.19)
There were other enemies who had attacked on the Vasishthas-

• Yudhyamadhi, who were killed by drowning   RV(7.18.24)
• Trushnaj  RV(7.33.5)

The only known ally of Sudas in this war were Trutsu people (Ikshvakus)

Now after knowing the participants of the war, let us now see how the war took place.

The war was started on the banks of the river Parushni. RV(7.18.8) records that the banks of the Parushni were broken and badly damaged by the enemies. The war was a big one and Sudas and his army fought bravely. The enemies were destroyed and finally Sudas won the war, Later on, he had to fight Aja,Shigru and Yakshas on the Yamuna and he defeated them too. They had to pay a war revenue to Sudas.

Sudas emerged as a winner of the war. A total of 6666 people were killed in the war as mentioned in RV(7.18.14).

He donated handsome gifts to the Vasishthas as mentioned in RV(7.18.22-25)

Dasharadnya and Aryan Invasion Theory

We have seen the hymn composed by Vishwamitra RV(3.53) where he mentions that he had helped Sudas to CROSS THE SINDHU RIVER and had done a holy yagya. Now this info has been used by the Aryan Invasion Theory (AIT) propagandists to prove their point. They feel this event of Sudas crossing Sindhu was the 'actual' event of the invasion of the Aryans. They feel that later on Sudas allied with another 'aryan', Vasishtha with the help of whom fought the Dasharadnya war. Such can be the level of scholarship that they can't even think beyond their decided principles.

Since an argument has been made in the favor of AIT, we must refute it too..

A thing of common sense is that Sindhu river can be crossed from east to west or west to east. The assumption made by the AIT scholars is that Sudas crossed Sindhu from west to east. This is not the case. The simple reason for this is based on the geographical data of the Kingdoms provided by the Puranas.

The Puranas tell us that Sudas was the king of North Panchala, a kingdom present in the doab region of Ganga ans Saraswati i,e today's East Haryana and plains of western UP. And it's not that Sudas was the first to come and live there. Right from the time of Nila Ajamidha, who was the starter of this kingdom, the kings of this dynasty have been ruling the area mentioned above.

So if Sudas had actually crossed the Sindhu, in his conquest for new land, he had done that from east to west. This is exactly opposite of what AIT followers believe.

The effects of the Dashradnya war are quite important and require a lot of space. I will deal with them in detail in my next post Effects of the War of 10 kings (Dashradnya Yuddha)

33 Crore Gods ????

The very distinguishing factor that makes Hinduism stand out from other Abrahmic religions is our Polytheism and the splendid variety in the Gods we worship. Every Hindu might be having some or the other God which is totally unique to his area and culture. Not to forget the highly appraised freedom in Hinduism which permits us to worship any God that we like provided his worship falls within the prescribed rituals in the Purans and the Brahmanas.
       According to the popular belief, Hinduism consists of 33 crore Gods which are worshiped in various forms or other. But they really are of that huge number? I will start sweating till I reach a count of 50 or 60. Forget 33 crore..!!!!

Different Gods at Vishvaroop Darshan. But are these 33 crore in number?

 The fact of the matter is, there exist NO 33 crore Gods.. The exact word that occurs in the Vedas for 'crore' is Koti (कोटी) which in many languages like Marathi literally indicate the numerical value of crore. But are we really to take that meaning?
If we go deep in the language of Sanskrit, we understand that the word Koti indeed does mean 'crore' but more correctly, it means 'types'. So 33 Koti Gods means 33 types or families of Gods.
Accepting this, then who are those 33 'families' of Gods which we have?  Plus, do Gods like Durga, Gnpati, Skanda,etc have any place in that?

So here are the 33 families of Gods- 12 Adityas + 11 Rudras + 8 Vasus + 2 Ashwini Kumar = 33 Families
The last two families of Ashwini Kumar are replaced by Indra and Prajapati sometimes. But this seems improbable since Indra or Prajapati was a general post with many people being named as Indra or Prajapati at many times.

Let us see these people in detail-
12 Adityas or द्वादशादित्य are the sons of Aditi and hence called Adityas. The names of these 12 Adityas are Tvashta (त्वष्ट), Pusha (पूषा ), Vivasvan (विवस्वान), Mitra (मित्र ), Dhata (धाता), Vishnu (विष्णू), Bhaga (भग), Varuna (वरुण), Savitru (सवितृ ), Shakra (शक्र ), Ansha (अंश ) and Aryama (अर्यमा). The Rigveda has just eight of these Adityas with certain Brahmanas mentioning all 12 of them. The Puranas unanimously mention the number to be 12. Their mother Aditi along with these are praised in the Rigveda as proper Gods. These were the sons of Kashyapa rishi. One of these Aditya, Vivasvan was the father of Vaivasvat Manu from whom the genealogies of kings started.

11 Rudras or एकादशरुद्र are those Rudraganas who are said to have originated from Brahmadeva's anger. Their names are Manyu (मन्यु), Manu (मनु), Mahinas (महिनस ), Mahan (महान ), Shiv (शिव ), Rutudhvaj (ऋतुध्वज ), Ugrareta (उग्ररेता ), Bhava (भव), Kaal (काल ), Vamdev (वामदेव) and Dhrutavrat (धृतव्रत). Their names vary in different scriptures but the number remains same.

8 Vasus or अष्टवसू are sons bron from Dharma rishi and Vasu. Their names are Drona (द्रोण ), Pran (प्राण ), Dhruva (ध्रुव ), Aka (अक), Agni(अग्नी), Dosha (दोष), Vasu (वसू) and Vibhavasu (विभावसु ).

The 2 Ashwini Kumars were born from the Sun and were the doctors of the Devas. These tow had helped Chyavan Bhargav rishi to regain his youth.

If we see, many scriptures do clarify on the truth of these 33 families of Gods. If one observes, major Gods like Brahma, Vishnu, Ganpati, Shakti,etc don't find place in here. It seems these 33 families of Gods were the oldest and were worshiped but got replaced by Gods having a larger role to play in our lives. But over time the meaning of 'koti' got changed and we started to believe that there were indeed 33 crore Gods.

With time, we believed a cow has 33 crore Gods residing in it.

But does that really matter ? Because looking at the current state, we have at least 100 Gods which are worshiped in some form or other. THAT is our real asset- Our Polytheism and the overwhelming tolerance of people worshiping different Gods. This ability of ours has led us to believe that the whole world is ours. Because, after all, Every type of worship leads to the same thing- Paramatma or Brahman..

|| एकं सत् विप्र बहुदा वदन्ति ||