Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s18.175

v1.c3.s18.175

Dasyu, a word of somewhat doubtful origin, is in many passages of the Rigveda¹ clearly applied to superhuman enemies. On the other hand, there are several passages in which human foes, probably the aborigines, are thus designated. This may be regarded as certain in those passages where the Dasyu is opposed to the Āryan, who defeats him with the aid of the gods.² The great difference between the Dasyus and the Āryans was their religion: the former are styled ‘not sacrificing,’ ‘devoid of rites,’ ‘addicted to strange vows,’ ‘god-hating,’ and so forth.³ As compared with the Dāsa, they are less distinctively a people: no clans (*viśaḥ*) of the Dasyus are mentioned, and while Indra’s *dasyu-hatya*, ‘slaughter of the Dasyus,’ is often spoken of, there is no corresponding use of *dāsa-hatya*. That the Dasyus were real people is, however, shown by the epitdet *anās* applied to them in one passage of the Rigveda.⁵ The sense of this word is not absolutely certain: the Pada text and Sāyaṇa both take it to mean ‘without face’ (*an-ās*),⁶ but the other rendering, ‘noseless’ (*a-nās*), is quite possible,⁷ and would accord well with the flat-nosed aborigines of the Dravidian⁸ type, whose language still persists among the Bràhuis, who are found in the north-west. This interpretation would receive some support from Vṛtra’s being called ‘broken-nosed’ if this were a correct explanation of the obscure word rujānāḥ.⁹