The Early History of the Deccan (Parts I–XI) v1.c6.s5.4

v1.c6.s5.4

The case is different with another Vedic work, namely, the *Aitareya Brāhmaṇa*. That treatise mentions the *dakshiṇā diś*, southern region, beyond the Kuru-Pañchāla country, that is, beyond the Chambal which, according to the tradition recorded in the *Mahābhārata*, marked the southern boundary of Pañchāla. The region in question was under the sway of ‘Bhoja’ kings. From the age of the epics and the *Kauṭilīya Arthaśāstra*, Bhojas are located in the Deccan and are especially associated with Vidarbha in the valley of the Wardhā, and Daṇḍaka skirted by the Godāvarī. The Bhojas of the *Aitareya Brāhmaṇa* may have been in the same areas. The clear reference to king Bhīma of Vidarbha in the *Brāhmaṇa* strengthens this conclusion. The country in question is, in the *Jaiminīya Brāhmaṇa*, noted for its dogs which killed even tigers. It is interesting to recall in this connexion that packs of wild dogs in the Yeotmal district of Berār, ancient Vidarbha, are known to have mauled a panther even in recent times.¹ The name of Kuṇḍina, the capital of Vidarbha in epic times, probably accounts for the designation Kauṇḍinya applied to certain Vidarbhan teachers in the *Bṛihadāraṇyaka Upanishad*.