The History and Culture of the Indian People v1.c19.s2.4

v1.c19.s2.4

The Pūrus have been mentioned in the *Ṛigveda* along with Anus, Druhyus, Turvaśas, and Yadus. Though defeated in the *Dāśarājña*, the Pūrus were a very important tribe in the days of the *Ṛigveda*. They were closely connected with the Tṛitsus and the Bharatas, and lived on either side of the Sarasvatī. The unusually large number of kings of the Pūrus suggests the importance of the tribe. The various names indicate the following genealogy of the Pūru kings: Durgaha—Girikshit—Purukutsa—Trasadasyu. Purukutsa is mentioned as a contemporary of Sudās and a conqueror of the Dāsas; a son Trasadasyu is said to have been born to Purukutsa at a time of great distress, probably indicating his death or capture in the famous *Dāśarājña*.¹⁴ The mention of Sudās or Divodāsa and Purukutsa or Trasadasyu in a friendly relation in some passages of the *Ṛigveda* suggests the union of the Tṛitsus, Bharatas, and Pūrus to form the Kurus. The name "Kuru" is not directly mentioned in the *Ṛigveda*, but the amalgamation of these rival tribes in later Vedic period under Kuru is implied by the name Kuruśravaṇa of a king of the Pūru line as shown by his patronymic Trāsadasyava (*RV*, X. 33.4).