Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahabharata: Upayana Parva c5.39

c5.39

Now coming to the Greek forms of one of the nomad tribes who conquered Bactria and who have been identified with the Yüe-Chï by Tarn, we meet Asii in Apollodorus.³⁰ Asiani in the Trogus Source³¹ is the adjectival form of the Asii of Apollodorus. Tarn has also hunted out the original Arsi from Pliny (VI, 16, 48 Sqq). It is not difficult now to see that the Greek Asii is from Sanskrit Isi or Iṣi, and probably the Greek Arsi may be derived from Sanskrit Ārṣika.