Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahabharata: Upayana Parva c5.31

c5.31

Apollodorus attributes the conquest of Bactria to four nomad peoples namely Asii, Pasiani, Tochari and Sacarauli (Strabo. XI, 511). The 'Trogus Source' (Trogus Prol. XLI) formally attributes it to two—Asiani and Saraucae, though subsequently he mentions Tochari. Taking the Trogus source first one of the two names must represent Chang K'ien's Yüe-Chï and as Saraucae are out of the question the Asiani should represent the Yüe-Chï (Tarn, *loc. cit.*, p. 284). The form Asiani is an Iranian adjectival form of Apollodorus' Asii which is the substantival form; the Asii are therefore Yüe-Chï. This identification of Yüe-Chï with Asii lead to the great controversy.²⁶ From 1918—36 it was further believed that the Ārśi of the Central Asian texts was the language spoken by the Tocharians; its very existence was also denied. It has, however, been shown (Tarn, *Loc. cit.*, p. 285) that the Hellenistic world knew of a people called Ārśi even if Central Asia did not. The name occurs in a curious list of people in Pliny.²⁷ This only proves that Pliny was acquainted with the original name of the Asii but not knowing where to place them put them in the refuge list.