Political History of Ancient India, from the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty c9.s3.83

c9.s3.83

According to epic tradition the kings of Kurukshetra belonged to the **Puru-Bharata** family. The *Paurava* connection of the Kurus is suggested by the *Ṛigvedic* hymn,⁴ which refers to "Kuru-śravaṇa" (lit. glory of the Kurus) as a descendant of Trasadasyu, a famous king of the Pūrus.⁵ The connection of the Bharatas with the Kuruland is also attested by Vedic evidence. A Rigvedic ode⁶ speaks of the two Bhāratas, Devaśravas and Devavāta, as sacrificing in the land on the Dṛishadvatī, the Āpayā and the Sarasvatī. Some famous *gāthās* of the *Brāhmaṇas*⁷ and the epic tell us that Bharata Dauḥshanti made offerings on the Jumna, the Ganges (*Yamunām anu Gaṅgāyām*) and the Sarasvatī. The territory indicated in these laudatory verses is exactly the region which is later on so highly celebrated as Kurukshetra.