The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c17.128

v1.c17.128

The man of Magadha is brought into close connexion with the Vrātya in a mystical hymn in the Atharvaveda which celebrates the Vrātya as a type of the supreme power in the universe. A more connected account of the Vrātyas is found in the Pañchaviṃça Brāhmaṇa of the Sāmaveda and the Sūtras of that Veda¹. It is clear that, as their name suggests, they were persons regarded as outcasts; and ceremonies are described intended to secure them admission into the Brāhmanical fold. The description of the Vrātyas well suits nomad tribes: they are declared not to practise agriculture, to go about in rough wagons, to wear turbans, to carry goads and a peculiar kind of bow, while their garments are of a special kind. Their sense of justice was not that of the Brāhmans, and their speech, though it seems Āryan, was apparently Prācritic in form, as is suggested by the significant remark that they called what was easy of utterance hard to speak; for the Prākrits differ from Sanskrit essentially in their efforts to avoid harsh consonantal combinations. Where they were located is not certain, for their habits would agree well enough with nomads in the west; but the little information which we have seems fairly enough to lead to the conclusion that some at least of the Vrātyas were considered to be dwellers in Magadha.