The First Aryan

by Paramu Kurumathur

  Agastya asked, ‘What happened to the people who won and stayed back in their kingdoms?’

  ‘After the Indra worshippers left them, as a reaction, they became more rooted in their new ways of worshipping the terrestrial gods. They started evolving methods of worship that were milder and simpler than before. They established temples where they could meditate and pray to the gods; they reduced the use of sacrifices and slowly started introducing new methods of worship, like the offering of flowers, not into the fire, but in the temples at the feet of the statues of the gods.’

  ‘And what about the rebels who fled?’

  ‘We, who call ourselves Aryans, are the descendants of the Indra worshippers who were defeated and who later established small kingdoms on the fringes of the traditional kingdoms. Our ancestors initially lived in harsh conditions and the only way they could justify this to their people was to tell them that they were superior and more noble compared to those who had stayed behind in their original kingdom. This feeling of superiority and nobility allowed them some level of dignity after their calamitous defeat. They called themselves Aryans because they “split” or “went away” from the original group. They started referring to the people who stayed behind in their original kingdom, worshipping the terrestrial gods, as Dasas and Dasyus, or “slaves”, because they were slaves to change for change’s sake. I am sure that in the so-called Dasyu kingdoms, they had their own way of referring to the two sets of peoples and, in their reckoning, they were the ones who were superior and not the Aryans.’

  Bhārgava asked, ‘Are there not physical differences between us and the Dasyus?’

  ‘Only if you look at them with an intention to find differences. Small differences exist because, with time, the two sets of people diverge in their way of life and worship. After a point, intermarriages became very rare. And when one group is considered inferior to the other, it is easy to conjure up physical differences to justify the gaps. When the small Aryan kingdoms regrouped to form large kingdoms under powerful chieftains, the Aryans became more powerful and were able to annex many of the Dasyu kingdoms and understandably, as time went on, their notion of superiority grew. They have bequeathed unto us this constructed notion.’

  Kaśyapa asked, ‘So, the prince marrying the Dasyu princess is only a step towards bringing together two peoples who were originally one?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Bhārgava asked, ‘How can we be sure of what happened so many generations ago? Could it not be that some of our ancestors, who were Dasyu-friendly, like many of our current citizens, created hymns making the claims we now hear and base these assumptions on?’

  Vasiṣṭha said, ‘It is possible, but highly improbable, considering that we have always been very truthful in rendering our poems.’

  Bhārgava asked, ‘The religious dissent in our kingdom now, with the move to give Varuṇa the supremacy among gods, is part of a higher desire to accord primacy to a different plane of gods: the gods who control and devise the order, ethics and morality. Does this not mean that the genuine intellectuals among the priestly class are simply trying to establish their precedence over the others who simply align with tradition because it benefits them?’

  Vasiṣṭha said sharply, ‘Intellectualism is a hollow word used by people who have no opinions of their own.’

  Agastya asked, ‘Are not the dissenters in our kingdom, like Jaraduṣṭra and Vāyata, who want Varuṇa to be supreme, trying to go back to the original system that you talked about? Before Indra smashed Vṛtra and released the waters?’

  ‘Yes, that is true. But their aim is not really to establish the traditional methods of worship. They feel what they are doing is morally sound. The real reason driving them is to establish what they consider an ethical and moral society. But, yes, the effect is as you pointed out. As I said before, everything is cyclic.’

  Vasiṣṭha continued, ‘Unless we handle the situation carefully, we are heading towards another major social schism in our kingdom.’

  The younger students listened in silence. After the guru stopped speaking, some of them asked questions to clear their doubts. Kaśyapa could see that even among the students, there was a clear division of opinion. Some, like Bhārgava, were not entirely convinced with the equality argument. They still felt that the Dasyus were inferior.

  Bhārgava asked, ‘Sir, are not our sacrifices impious? Why do we need to kill animals and feed them to the gods to satisfy them? Should we not, as priests, support this attempt to move to a higher level of worship giving primacy to the concept of right and wrong?’

  Vasiṣṭha looked at him curiously. ‘I agree with you in principle. In fact, as we evolve, we should perfect our religious practices and rid them of violence and exploitation. Yet, I see two practical problems with supporting the cause for Varuṇa. One is that there will be a great upheaval in the kingdom, like the one during the previous Aryan-Dasyu schism. Our kingdom is not in a position to sustain such an upheaval, especially since the political rule is already shaky. The second reason is fairly selfish. I do not want to see people of the priestly class languish from starvation.’

  Some students, like Kaśyapa and Agastya, felt that they could see the point in what the guru said and could accept that all modes of worship were equal. There were also a few who felt that the alternative, gentler methods of worship practised by the Dasyus were better.

  Kaśyapa suddenly asked, ‘Sir, is Ghoṣā a Dasyu?’ His face was red with embarrassment, but he was unable to contain the question.

  Vasiṣṭha was a little taken aback at the mention of the courtesan’s name, but he responded, ‘Yes, she is. She was a Dasyu foundling who was adopted and brought up by Aryan courtesans in our city. How did you know this?’

  *

  ‘Sire, there were four killings last night. Things are getting out of hand,’ said Vasiṣṭha to King Turvaśa and Queen Menakā on that evening of the fifth day of the month of Tapasya, the thirty-fifth day of the year. ‘People will talk about these. If you don’t act soon, things will spiral out of control and we will not be able to do anything. The rebellion against your administration has begun.’

  ‘Four? Oh, yes,’ Menakā said. ‘A young boy also died, didn’t he?’

  ‘Yes, one of my students was drowned by someone in the small rivulet outside the south gate. Of course, this killing may not have anything to do with the political turbulence, but it may be connected with the religious tension. Nevertheless, people will talk of four killings.’

  ‘What do you suggest I should do?’

  ‘I made a proposal to you regarding a compromise you could enter into with Prince Sudās. Have you given it a thought?’

  Menakā said, ‘Any plan that disinherits our son is unacceptable to us.’

  The king turned to her and asked, ‘Do you have an alternate plan?’

  ‘Can the king not abdicate in favour of our son?’

  To this, Vasiṣṭha responded, ‘Once the king abdicates, the prince will immediately intervene and your child will not be able to defend his position—he will be overthrown and Sudās will declare himself king. As a result, you will lose your throne before the king’s death and will also put your own fate at risk.’

  Turvaśa said wearily, ‘I think Guru Vasiṣṭha’s proposal is the only solution. I don’t think we can afford to think about it any longer.’

  He turned to Vasiṣṭha and said, ‘I accept your proposal. You may go ahead and tell the prince.’

  ‘Sire, you have made the wisest decision for the kingdom. Any other path would have led to bloodshed and hardship for the people. I am happy and grateful that you have accepted the proposal. I will inform Prince Sudās and make preparations for announcing and crowning him as crown prince.’

  Menakā was furious with the king. ‘You coward! I wish you were dead so that we could declare our son king before Sudās could even think about contending against you. You have betrayed our son. What will happen to his future now? What kind of a fat
her are you?’

  The king did not say anything; he continued to look miserable.

  Menakā then turned to hurl accusations at Vasiṣṭha. ‘This was what you were plotting all along. You are the chief adviser to the king and yet you are trying to put another man on the throne. You are a traitor! We will avenge this!’

  Vasiṣṭha kept quiet. He knew that she would be bitter. She had a lot more at stake than the king himself. She would lose all her power and even the custody of her son. He knew it was hurtful, but this had to be done for the larger good.

  The sage walked away, leaving the queen fuming and the king with his head bowed.

  PART II

  9

  Sudās Assumes Control of the Kingdom

  The day for the coronation of Sudās as the crown prince was fixed. It was to be held on the eighth day after the new moon in the month of Tapasya. They would be able to tell by the position of the moon on the night before; it would be near the star of Rohinī.

  Vasiṣṭha conducted the ceremonies for the coronation. Water from the surrounding rivers was sprinkled on the prince to indicate the area of the kingdom he would inherit. The prince himself walked in each direction to affirm his lordship. Finally, the prince was anointed by the guru and a ritual enacting and affirming the Aryans’ history of conquest and warfare was performed by a select group of students with the to-be king. A ritual dice game was played too, which the prince naturally won. He then went out on his horse to receive the acclaim of the people. Vasiṣṭha conducted the required sacrifices to invoke the gods to bear witness to Sudās’s coronation. Then he instructed and wished the new king:

  Be with us; I have chosen thee: stand stedfast and immovable.

  Let all the people wish for thee let not thy kingship fall away.

  Be even here; fall not away be like a mountain unremoved.

  Stand stedfast here like Indra’s self, and hold the kingship in the grasp.2

  Firm is the sky and firm the earth, and stedfast also are these hills.

  Stedfast is all this living world, and stedfast is this King of men.

  Stedfast, may Varṇuṇa the King, stedfast, the God Bṛhaspati,

  Stedfast, may Indra, stedfast too, may Agni keep thy stedfast reign.

  On constant Soma let us think with constant sacrificial gift

  And then may Indra make the clans bring tribute unto thee alone.3

  A grand feast awaited everyone after the ceremonies were over. All the important people of the kingdom were invited. Different kinds of dishes were laid out—barley cakes, vegetables and different kinds of meat cooked in mouth-watering ways by the royal cooks. Intoxicating drinks like soma and surā flowed unrestricted. Everyone ate sitting on the ground in the great hall adjoining the king’s palace. King Turvaśa and Queen Menakā were absent from the ceremonies, as an expression of their disapproval. Kaśyapa thoroughly enjoyed the feast. While living with their guru, they had never come across such a feast. By the time they all had had their fill, he was afraid that his belly would burst.

  And thus, the prince, Sudās, was made the de facto ruler of Parśuvarta and all its vassal kingdoms. His first move in this new position of authority was to reiterate his belief and confidence in the traditional ways of worship, with Indra as the chief god and sacrifices as a medium to reach him and the other gods.

  Jaraduṣṭra and Vāyata had feared this would happen. The prince, as the ruler, had to respect the religion of the kingdom. This meant that they would have to look elsewhere for support, since the prince seemed to have chosen his side. Maybe the now disempowered king and queen?

  Soon the king’s son, Kutsa, was moved to the prince’s palace as his ward, where he would be living away from his parents. The king and queen were allowed to see their son every day for a short period of time in the presence of a nursemaid who was a trusted servant of the prince’s family. A tutor had to be appointed to take care of his education and, on the advice of Vasiṣṭha, Bhārgava was assigned this duty.

  Menakā was divested of all positions of power, and hence was not to attend meetings on behalf of the king any more, but she was still entitled to just as much deference as before as the queen of the kingdom. The guru, Vasiṣṭha, continued as chief minister and adviser to the king. In due course, many administrative officers were dismissed by the prince and new officers were brought in to replace them. However, many of those who were known to be efficient and honest were retained. Yadu’s position was cemented as the commander of the army. Also, while some of the officers who were loyal to the former vice commander were dismissed, those who were seen as threats were executed. A new vice commander, a loyalist of the prince, was appointed. The chief servant of the king, Dāsa, continued in his role, as a result of which the prince’s head servant, Veśa, was left biding his time until he was made the ranking servant of the kingdom.

  Thus was Sudās’s rule established over the whole kingdom.

  *

  It was the first day of the month of Madhu, the official start of the spring season. The prince was in conference with Vasiṣṭha. The guru suggested that the commitment the prince had made to the Dasyu king must be honoured, the kingdom must prepare for his marriage to the ally king’s daughter. Sudās was more than happy to do so.

  Vasiṣṭha spoke further, ‘Let us send a delegation to the Dasyu king and formalize the union. I myself will go with a few other people.’

  The prince was grateful for the guru’s support. ‘Yes, sir. You are the best person for this. Who else would you like to take with you?’

  ‘I think Ghoṣā should go with me. She is respected in both our kingdom and the Dasyus’. She is a Dasyu herself and will be able to form a better bond with their queen than any of us. Dīrghaśravas should also accompany us. We have a good trade relationship with their kingdom and he knows some of the important people there.’

  The prince readily agreed to the proposed arrangement and decided that the embassy should start at the earliest. Vasiṣṭha asked Kaśyapa to accompany him as his helper; he wanted his students to get as much exposure as possible. They were to leave for the Dasyu capital in two days.

  10

  The Embassy to the Dasyu Kingdom

  The Dasyu capital was less than eighteen yojanas to the east and about five yojanas southwards on the eastern banks of the Yamunā. It would take six days to reach there on the horses provided to them by Prince Sudās.

  The morning on which the emissaries were to set off from Parśuvarta, Sudās sent some warriors on fast horses to notify the Dasyu king and queen about Vasiṣṭha, Ghoṣā, Dīrghaśravas and Kaśyapa’s arrival. They had about fifty horses in their train. The guru was on one with two of his servants by his side, followed by Ghoṣā and her two attendants. Dīrghaśravas was behind them, as were two officials from the king’s ministry who had been sent by the prince, and then there was Kaśyapa. There were also servants and cooks. About twenty-five horses carried supplies. They were escorted by a troop of twenty heavily armed soldiers and ten archers, under the command of a military captain, to protect them against highway robbers, bandits and outlaws.

  They crossed the Sarasvatī near their city and travelled on the road going eastwards. The area they were passing through lay between two river systems and was mainly a long stretch of marsh land that could get quite hot and humid during the day. The nights, in contrast, were more pleasant with the breeze from the rivers blowing across the land. The whole party had been anxious since they crossed the border, travelling through this no man’s land between the two kingdoms. The captain was constantly on the vigil for fear of robbers and bandits—a common threat in desolate stretches which were subject to no king or law. A robber or a bandit caught in these areas could not be legally tried or convicted. But, of course, they could be killed and no questions would be asked!

  They planned to travel about three yojanas a day and then rest in temporary camps. There were not many people to be seen along the way except for the occasional peasa
nt or workman. Most of the time people avoided them since they looked very intimidating. The caravan arrived at the borders of the Dasyu kingdom on the evening of the sixth day. That night they camped in the quarters provided for them by the Dasyu king within the borders of his kingdom. They wanted to be well-rested for their important meeting. The next morning, they made their way to the capital city.

  They were received at the city gates by an officer of the Dasyu king and were taken to a large house near the royal palace, where the arrangements for their stay had been made. Here again, they rested and enjoyed the hospitality offered by Cumuri.

  *

  Two days had passed since their arrival and it was finally time for them to meet the Dasyu king in his magnificent palace. It surpassed their own king’s palace both in beauty and size. Kaśyapa wondered if the Dasyu princess, Jabālā, would feel let down when she discovered that she was to get married to live in a palace and city that were not as opulent as her father’s.

  The Dasyu king and queen were seated in the great hall where visitors were received. After a formal reception, Vasiṣṭha asked for his daughter’s hand for the crown prince. The Dasyu king and queen had many questions about the Aryan kingdom and their daughter’s future there. Vasiṣṭha reassured the Dasyu royal couple on all accounts. He also told them that the princess’s descendants were sure to be the inheritors of the Aryan throne. The Dasyu king and queen were quite pleased and graciously accepted Sudās’s proposal to wed Jabālā. The guru then invited the Dasyu royal family and other influential people of the kingdom to be their honoured guests at the wedding once the date was finalized.

  Soon after the meeting, they had a grand lunch as the royal guests. Kaśyapa found that the food served was very similar in preparation to their own, except that there were more vegetable items. This was only natural, Kaśyapa knew, since the land here was more fertile than in Parśuvarta, and hence they were able to cultivate more vegetables.