Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c30.26

c30.26

These names, Dānava, Daitya, &c., denoted peoples originally.⁶ Thus king Yayāti married Śarmiṣṭhā, daughter of Vṛṣaparvan (p. 87) who was king of the Dānavas and a Daitya.⁷ The Śālvas were a people of note, who occupied the country around Mt. Ābu,⁸ and they are called Dānavas and Daiteyas.⁹ Bhīma killed the Rākṣasa chief Hiḍimba, and had by his sister Hiḍimbā a son Ghaṭotkaca,¹ who was king of the Rākṣasas ² and took part and was killed in the Bhārata battle.³ Bhagadatta, king of Prāgjyotiṣa (north-east Bengal),⁴ took part in that battle with a contingent of Cīnas,⁵ and his kingdom is called mleccha,⁶ and it and his city belonged to Dānavas, Daityas and Dasyus.⁷ In all these cases these names obviously refer to human beings. Similarly the Rākṣasas in the story of Rāma were the inhabitants of Ceylon and the Godāvarī valley (p. 277).⁸