Tribes in Ancient India c9.11

c9.11

In the *Rāmāyaṇa*,⁷ we read that Sugrīva, when sending out his monkey generals in search of Sītā, told those who were going towards the north to search the country of the Śūrasenas. In the Bhagavadgītā section of the Mahābhārata, the Śūrasenas are mentioned as forming part of the army of Duryodhana in the Kurukṣetra war. They guarded Bhīṣma, and took a prominent part in the battle, to the point of having their army destroyed.¹ Elsewhere in the Mahābhārata,² we read that Sahadeva, while proceeding southwards in the course of his conquests before the Rājasūya sacrifice, conquered the country of Śūrasenas.