दशराज्ञ-युद्धम्

Source: TW

Dashrajna War (Battle of the Ten Kings) - The First Epochal War of India

The great war of Mahabharata and the epic of Mahabharata is deeply embedded in our collective memory. But long before the Mahabharata war, perhaps there was another great war, which is told in the Rigveda - the Dashrajna War aka the Battle of the Ten Kings.

While its archaeological evidence is not yet available, we find its memories in the Rgveda. They tell us the story of a great war that once took place amongst the kingdoms of the ancient Indian civilization. In the war, on one side were King Sudās of the Bharata clan and the Paijavana family. He was supported by the Tṛtsu family and the seer Vasiṣṭha.

On the other side was a conglomeration of many kings: Pūru, Yadu, Turvaśa, Anu, Druhyu, Alina, Paktha, Bhalānas, Alina, Viṣāṇiṇ, Śiva, Vaikarṇa, Matsya, Śimyu, Bheda, Aja, Śigru, Yakṣu, Bhṛgu, Kavaṣa, etc. These kings were supported by the seer Viśvāmitra.

During the war, King Sudās and Bharatas were attacked by the conglomeration of kings on the banks of the high-flowing river Paruṣṇī (modern-day Ravi in Punjab and Pakistan). Given the magnitude of the adversity, Sudās retreated and crossed the river. Some of the allies tried to pursue Sudās. In the face of the imminent peril, seer Vasiṣṭha prayed to Indra and Varuna. And as the opposite confederates attempted to cross the river, a torrential flood drowned some of them.

Some tried to dig channels to divert the river and make it a bit shallower. They failed and faced a disastrous fate. Those who could still make it to the other side were defeated by Sudās. The remaining tried to flee and left all their possessions for Sudās to take home.

Sudās vanquished two Vaikarṇas on the shores of river Paruṣṇī. He traversed to the bank of river Yamuna and destroyed King Bheda.

Sudās’s victory of decisive and defining. In the wake of it, his supporters Ajas, Śigrus, and Yakṣus offered him their tributes. The outcome of the war established the pre-eminence of the Bharatas in the region. In his description, King Sudās is exalted as an astute king and a wise statesman. As per the literary evidence, Dāśārajña War was a defining moment in the history of Vedic India.

Last year, on August 15, we released an open lecture on the Dāśārajña War. In the talk, Dr. Mugdha Gadgil provides a detailed account of the war, its interpretations by modern scholars & its mentions in the various mandalas of the Rigveda.