The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c15.210

v1.c15.210

The Indo-Āryan languages have now extended very considerably to the south of Āryāvarta, ‘the Region of the Āryans,’ as defined by Manu (II, 22), i.e. the country between the Himālayas and the Vindhyas from the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea. Orthodox Brāhmanism, as represented by Manu, directed that all members of the ‘twice-born’ social orders, Brāhmans, Kshatriyas, and Vaiçyas, should resort to this region, and enjoined that every man of these orders should be instructed in his religious and social duties by a Brāhman belonging to one of the peoples of Brahmarshideça (Kurus, Matsyas, Pañchālas, and Çūrasenas). These, as we have seen, inhabited the northern portion of the Midland linguistic area. If we follow the course of the Jumna-Ganges we shall pass from the languages of the Midland through those of the Inner and Outer Bands, and we shall pass from Brahmarshideça through Kosala (Oudh), Videha (N. Bihār) and Vaṅga (Bengal), which mark successive stages in the spread of Brāhmanism to the eastern limit of Āryāvarta as they are reflected in the literature¹.