Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c19.55

c19.55

Kavaṣa lived in Sudās’s reign and was drowned apparently at Sudās’s battle with the ten kings; he was old (vṛddha) then and famous (śruta).⁷ He was no doubt Kavaṣa Ailūṣa,⁸ the reputed author of hymn x, 33, because that is in praise of king Kuruśravaṇa Trāsadasyava, and that king, as a near descendant of Trasadasyu who was a contemporary of Divodāsa (ante), would have lived about the time of Divodāsa’s fourth and fifth successors Cyavana and Sudās. The two Kavaṣas thus lived at the same time and were no doubt the same rishi. He was thus contemporary with Saṃvaraṇa. Further, Tura Kāvaṣeya consecrated Janamejaya Pārikṣita and was his purohita.¹ Tura was by his patronymic a descendant of Kavaṣa, and Janamejaya was Janamejaya II, son of Parikṣit I who was Saṃvaraṇa's grandson. They would thus have been contemporary. Kavaṣa appears to have been on Saṃvaraṇa's side, and his near descendant Tura consecrated Saṃvaraṇa's great grandson Janamejaya.