PARAMU KURUMATHUR
THE FIRST ARYAN
The Legend of Vṛṣākapi
PENGUIN BOOKS
Contents
A Note on the Author
Glossary
Prologue
PART I
1. A Student Dies
2. A Secular and a Religious Rebellion
3. Three More Deaths
4. The Guru Has a Proposal for Peace
5. Kaśyapa Is Smitten
6. Kaśyapa Starts Investigating
7. The King Accepts the Guru’s Proposal
8. The Origin of the Aryans
PART II
9. Sudās Assumes Control of the Kingdom
10. The Embassy to the Dasyu Kingdom
11. Sudās Is Married
12. A Kidnapping Attempt on the King’s Son
13. The King’s Son Is Dead
14. The Vassal Kings Rebel
15. Kaśyapa and Agastya Talk to a Few People
16. Kaśyapa Continues His Investigations
17. Journey to the Northern City
18. Settling Down in the Northern City
19. The Vassal Kings Capitulate
20. Vāyata Dies
21. The King, Queen and Jaraduṣṭra Flee
22. Sudās Becomes King
PART III
23. Rebellion in the Capital City
24. Sudās Quells the Rebellion
25. Sudās Reviews the Kingdom’s Preparedness for Battle
26. Another Death Is Reported
27. Kaśyapa Talks to Sudās
28. An Attack on the Queen
29. Preparing for Battle
30. The Battle
31. Kaśyapa Talks to Yadu
32. Two More Deaths
33. Bhārgava Defects
34. The Killer
35. Kaśyapa Explains
Epilogue
Notes
Acknowledgements
Follow Penguin
Copyright
A Note on the Author
Paramu Kurumathur is an avid reader of historical works, who has been exposed to diverse cultures and religious works over decades. A keen traveller, he has visited and stayed in around forty countries. He is also an ardent student of Sanskrit and has published a series of online tutorials on learning the language in easy steps—these can be accessed on www.oursanskrit.com. His research into the Rig Veda seeded the idea for The First Aryan.
Paramu is an alumnus of IIT Madras. He has been working in the international software services industry and global IT management since 1980. His interests include studying and interpreting ancient Indian writings, writing limericks and promoting humour as a way of life.
Dedicated to the memory of my father, K.H. Nambudiripad,
who encouraged and pushed me to write and publish this book
Who verily knows and who can here declare it, whence it was born
and whence comes this creation?
The Gods are later than this world’s production.
Who knows then whence it first came into being?
He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all or did not form it,
Whose eye controls this world in highest heaven, he verily knows it, or perhaps he knows not.
—Rig Veda 10.129.6–7
Glossary
Time Period of the Story
The story mentions that the star Jyeṣṭhā (Antares, Alpha Scorpii) is to the north of the celestial equator but soon to move south. [The refrain of hymn 10.86 of the Rig Veda says ‘víśvasmād índra úttaraḥ’, which could also mean that Indra (or Indra’s star, Antares) is to the north.]
The story also mentions that Alpha Draconis (Thuban) is the closest star to the North Pole. This was around 4000 BCE.
The year in the story is longer than usual since there is an intercalary month. The year in modern terms corresponds roughly to a year between 3905–3900 BCE, which is around 6000 years ago.
The period 4000–2500 BCE, when the vernal equinox was near Orion, was termed the Orion period by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. For more on this, you can refer to Tilak’s The Orion, or, Researches into the Antiquity of the Vedas. According to Tilak, many of the hymns in the Rig Veda can be traced back to this period.
Though the story does not mention the signs of the zodiac, which is a later adoption, for our understanding, the situation around 4000 BCE can be understood like this: the vernal equinox was in Taurus, the summer solstice was in Leo, and so on. For comparison, currently, the vernal equinox is in Pisces and the summer solstice is in Gemini, and so on. The position of all the stars and constellations relative to the Earth’s coordinates would have been correspondingly different. For example, the current pole star, Polaris or Alpha Ursae Minoris, was far away from the North Pole during that period.
Seasons and Corresponding Months
Śiśira (Dews): Tapa and Tapasya
Vasanta (Spring): Madhu and Mādhava
Grīṣma (Summer): Śukra and Śuci
Prāvṛṣ (Rains): Nabha and Nabhasya
Śarad (Fall): Iṣa and Ūrja
Hemanta (Winter): Saha and Sahasya, and (in the year in the story) the thirteenth intercalary month
The first day of a month is the one after the full moon night. The month then goes on for twenty-nine or thirty days, till the next full moon. If the thirteenth full moon after the start of a new year (the first full moon being the one that started the year) happens before Phalguṇī starts, i.e. between Maghā and Phalguṇī, then we add an intercalary month. If the thirteenth full moon happens in the Phalguṇī stars, then it starts a new year. Whether or not an intercalary month is needed can be decided on the basis of the position of the moon at the beginning of the year. The length of the yearly sacrifice that tracks the year is adjusted accordingly.
The first day of the year in the story is the day after the full moon happened in the Phalguṇī stars. The full moon day also happens to be the day of the winter solstice that year.
Time of Day
In the story, both day and night are divided into five equal parts, each starting from sunrise and sunset. Day and night vary between ten hours and fourteen hours at the latitude of Parśupur.
Stars and Constellations in the Story
Note: Singular forms of the names are used here.
The Phalguṇī Stars:
Pūrvā (former) Phalguṇī: Theta Leonis and Delta Leonis
Uttarā (latter) Phalguṇī: Beta Leonis (Denebola) and 93 Leonis
The Bhadrapadā Stars:
Pūrvā (former) Bhadrapadā: Alpha Pegasi (Markab) and Beta Pegasi
Uttarā (latter) Bhadrapadā: Gamma Pegasi and Alpha Andromedae (Alpheratz)
The Aṣāḍhā Stars:
Pūrvā (former) Aṣāḍhā: Epsilon Sagitarii and Delta Sagitarii
Uttarā (latter) Aṣāḍhā: Zeta Sagitarii and Sigma Sagitarii
Jyeṣṭhā: Tau Scorpii, Alpha Scorpii (Antares) and Sigma Scorpii. Also, Jyeṣṭhā means only the star Antares, especially when mentioned as the star of Indra.
Maghā: The sickle-shaped group of stars in Leo. It includes Alpha Leonis (Regulus), Eta Leonis, Gamma Leonis, Zeta Leonis, Mu Leonis and Epsilon Leonis.
Citrā: Alpha Virginis (Spica)
Rohinī: The V-shaped group of stars in Taurus. It includes Alpha Tauri (Aldebaran), Theta Tauri, Gamma Tauri, Delta Tauri and Epsilon Tauri.
Mūla: The bowl-shaped group of stars in Scorpio. It includes Lambda Scorpii (Shaula), Kappa Scorpii, Iota Scorpii, Theta Scorpii, Eta Scorpii, Zeta Scorpii, Mu Scorpii and Epsilon Scorpii.
Svātī: Alpha Bootis (Arcturus)
The Seven Sages: This refers to the constellation of the Big Dipper (part of Ursa Major, or the Great
Bear).
Vasiṣṭha: Zeta Ursae Majoris (Mizar)
Arundhatī: 80 Ursae Majoris (Alcor)
Punarvasu: Alpha Geminorum (Castor)
Viśākhā: This constitutes the quadrilateral in Libra—Alpha Librae, Beta Librae, Gamma Librae and Iota Librae.
Hasta: This constitutes the quadrilateral in Corvus—Alpha Corvi, Epsilon Corvi, Gamma Corvi, Delta Corvi and Beta Corvi.
Apabharanī (or Bharanī): 41 Arietis, 39 Arietis and 35 Arietis
Aśvinī: Alpha Arietis, Beta Arietis and Gamma Arietis
Kṛttikā: The Pleiades cluster within the constellation of Taurus
Śṇa: Alpha Aquilae (Altair), Beta Aquilae, Gamma Aquilae
Cassiopeia: It is the constellation of five stars that resembles a snake’s hood, shaped like a W. The narrator does not know the name of this constellation.
Alpha Draconis (Thuban): This is the star mentioned by the narrator as being the nearest to the pole during his time.
Tau Hercules: This is the star surmised by the narrator to be the Pole Star when Vṛtra released the waters (around the end of the Ice Age, i.e. approx. 8000 BCE).
Gavām Ayanam (The Cows’ Walk) Sacrifice
Note: This explanation is based on the description given in Tilak’s The Arctic Home in the Vedas.
The chief characteristic of a soma sacrifice, as opposed to other sacrifices, is the extraction of the soma juice and it being offered to the gods. There are three pressings and libations of soma in a day: in the morning, afternoon and evening. All these are accompanied by the chanting of hymns. A soma sacrifice can be classified, according to the duration, into:
Sacrifices performed in a single day.
Those performed in more than one day but less than thirteen days.
Those that take thirteen or more days. Such sacrifices are called sattras.
The Agniṣṭoma (fire chant) is typical of the single-day sacrifice. There are many modifications of this based on the number of hymns to be recited during the libations, the manner of recitation, the number of cups used, etc.
The second category includes two-day, three-day, nine-day and twelve-day sacrifices.
The Cows’ Walk, an annual sattra, is typical of the third class. The sacrifice is divided into six-day performances called ṣaḍaha (six days) and is used as a unit to measure a month in the way we use a week now. A month, thus, is made of five ṣaḍaha. The ṣaḍaha in turn consists of daily sacrifices called jyotiṣṭoma (light chant), goṣṭoma (cow chant), āyuṣṭoma (life chant) and then these three in reverse order. Every ṣaḍaha therefore begins and ends with the jyotiṣṭoma. The ṣaḍaha is further divided into abhiplava and pṛṣṭhya according to the arrangement of the songs sung during the soma libation. An annual sattra comprises a number of ṣaḍaha joined with special rites at the beginning, middle and end of the sattra. The central day of the sattra is called viṣuvān and stands by itself dividing the sattra into two equal halves. The rites in the latter half of the session (after viṣuvān) are performed in an order that is the reverse of the first half.
The above sessions are preceded by twelve days of consecration (dīkṣa) of the sacrificer and twelve days of the sieges (upasad) ceremonies. The building of the sacrificial shed happens during the consecration period. The ceremonial buying (kraya) of soma creepers, the pravargya (hot milk) ceremony and the preparation of the altars happen during the sieges period.
The session starts on the first day of the year, the day after full moon near the Phalguṇī stars.
Measurement of Distance
The three measurements used in the story are:
Yojana: This equals to around 9 miles. The word ‘yojana’ is from the root ‘yuj’ meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’. A yojana is the distance an ox can pull a cart in a single yoking (in a day).
Person-length (pauruṣa): This equals to 6 feet approximately. So, 880 pauruṣas equal 1 mile.
Hand (hasta): This equals to 18 inches approximately.
Sindhu-Sarasvatī System Parśuvarta
Parśupur
Prologue
The old sage knew that he only had a few days to live, but to him the states of non-existence and existence were the same. He had attained the perfect state of detachment, which led to ultimate bliss. He had become one with the One. He had been freed from the bond that chained men in an endless cycle of births and deaths. He had acquired the knowledge of man’s true nature, knowledge that would lead him to liberation from this cycle.
He was naked as he walked along the banks of the Sarasvatī. He felt neither shame nor deprivation. In front of him, about 150 pauruṣas north, he could see the docks where the slaves and servants were busy loading and unloading goods from boats. Further north, just where the river turned back in a shallow curve and swerved to the right, he could make out the thatched structures of the granaries. On the curve was the only entrance to the city from the riverside. The Sarasvatī—the lifeline of the Aryan civilization—flowed gently in the broad direction of the south. The sage knew that while everything was permanent, everything was also temporary. Many rivers had gone dry over the ages and many new ones had sprung up where none existed. Maybe a thousand years from now this mighty river, their sacred river, would not be any more . . .
To his left, towards the city, he could see rows of priests’ houses. North of that was the great field of sacrifice. To his right, across the river, outside the city, he could see the vast barley fields, now lying bare, with the first crop having been harvested a few days ago. A few days from now a second crop would be planted. He could see the wooden huts and small houses where the field labourers lived. On the river itself, large boats carrying grain and other items like sesame, milk products, beans, lentils, pulses and meat were going to other smaller cities along the river. He also saw people bathing on the riverbank.
It was mid-morning on that winter day and the narrow streets leading up to the riverbank were very crowded. The upper-class women there were dressed in fine woollen attire. Gold ornaments adorned their bodies; some of them even had elaborate hairdos. Most of the men had their hair tied in a coil that sat on the right side of their heads; some had their hair down but braided in four plaits. Some men of importance wore large cloaks. The priests were walking to houses to conduct sacrifices. Soldiers on foot or horseback were scattered about, some guarding the city’s borders and others keeping an eye on people. Then there were the traders with goods-laden boats. Some were haggling with men to buy goods directly from their boats on the docks while others had squatted by the roadside to sell vegetables and other essentials. There were servants and slaves of various social standings, walking behind their masters, carrying their chattels. Many of the slaves were carrying on their backs loads of grains, wood for fuel, spices, clothes and other things. The boatmen could be heard calling out to each other, and to the dock workers, with a sense of urgency. The passers-by could also be heard over the din. Adding to this was the jingle of the soldiers’ equipment on the horses and the soft thud of hooves on the watered dirt road. None of these busy people took note of this naked old man seemingly walking without a purpose. This was not something new—was it not ordained that people should take up the life of a wanderer, owning nothing, eating whatever they could get and sleeping wherever they could, when they reached the final stage of their lives?
The sun was in the last phase of its southern journey. In the next few days it would stop and resume its northern journey. The old man would then give up his life.
He saw smoke rising from the main sacrificial field where the annual ritual was underway. He could catch the faint smell of burning ghee, of soma—the popular intoxicating drink—and of meat being cooked—these smells were mingled with the distinct smell of the river, of fish and the plants growing in it.
He looked at the sacrificial field and remembered the days when he was the minister to the king and the leading priest of the kingdom. In his years of service, he had officiated at many sacrifice
s. His patron (the king) and other rich men had showered him with gifts of cattle and slaves. He had been the most influential person in the kingdom. His mind went further back to when he was a student under the greatest and most important priests of the time—a man who was the household priest and adviser to the kings. Those were the days when he would sit with his fellow students at the feet of their guru and chant various hymns, understand their meanings and debate with them about the import of more hymns.
He could remember, as if it had happened yesterday, the great political and religious rebellions that had shaken the very foundation of the kingdom, events that had unfolded during his twelfth year as a student. It was a time of great instability and fear, and the real question was always if one was on the right side of the struggle—if one was on the winning side. A king was overthrown and another was installed in his place, a great religious leader and his followers had to flee the realm. Many people, many innocent people, were killed. Many others lost their loved ones and possessions. He remembered the great battle in the aftermath of the rebellion.
His mind went back to the series of unexplained murders in the kingdom, all apparently unconnected. He remembered, with neither arrogance nor modesty, how, as his guru’s most accomplished student in logic and deduction, he had been asked to investigate the circumstances of these murders. He had been anxious when he was given this great responsibility. Would he be able to justify his guru’s confidence in him? He had gained confidence as he progressed in his investigations. If he had not identified the culprit in the nick of time, the kingdom would have seen two more gruesome murders.
He remembered the first verse of the hymn he had composed to keep alive the memory of those great events:
‘Men have abstained from pouring juice,
They count not Indra as a God,
Where at the votary’s store my friend Vrṛṣākapi hath drunk his fill,
Supreme is Indra over all.’1
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