Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c25.s1.5

c25.s1.5

Vatsāra (or Vatsara, as it appears sometimes) is not mentioned in the *Vedic Index*.³ Kāśyapa, he, Naidhruva, Raibhya, Asita and Devala were the six Kāśyapa brahmavādins,⁴ and he is one of the seven rishis now said to be stationed in the sky.⁵ His alleged son Nidhruva’s wife cannot have been the daughter of Cyavana and Sukanyā, for they belonged to the very earliest age, and the reading *Sukanyāyām* should probably be *tu kanyā yā*, meaning that his wife was daughter of a Cyavana, who may have been the king of N. Pañcāla, as will appear in the next paragraph. A Naidhruvi is once mentioned in Vedic literature, and a Kuṇḍapāyin also.⁶ A Nidhruvi is the reputed author of Rigveda ix, 63. Raibhya⁷ (or Rebhya), the name of the other son assigned to Vatsāra, is a patronymic, and should no doubt be Rebha; and if so, he may be the Rebha Kāśyapa who is the reputed author of Rigveda viii, 97,¹ and perhaps also the Rebha who is called a rishi ² and mentioned several times in the hymns.³ Nothing can be fixed about his time, except that he was prior to Kakṣīvant Pajriya, who mentions him.⁴ This synchronism shows that the Cyavana mentioned above cannot be the primaeval rishi and is more probably the N. Pañcāla king (p. 148). The other persons named in the genealogy will be noticed in turn.