Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v2.c4.s2.170

v2.c4.s2.170

Bṛbu is mentioned in a hymn of the Rigveda,¹ where he is described as a most generous giver (sahasra-dātama), and as at the head of the Paṇis. According to the Śāṅkhāyana Śrauta Sūtra,² Bharadvāja received gifts from Bṛbu Takṣan and Prastoka Sārñjaya, a fact alluded to in the Mānava Dharma Śāstra,³ where takṣan is treated as a descriptive attribute, ‘a carpenter.’ Apparently Bṛbu was a Paṇi, though the words of the Rigveda¹ might be taken to mean that he was one who had overthrown them entirely. If so, Paṇi must here certainly mean a merchant in a good sense, Bṛbu being then a merchant prince.⁴ According to Weber,⁵ the name suggests connexion with Babylon, but this conjecture must be regarded as quite improbable. Hillebrandt⁶ sensibly expresses no opinion as to Bṛbu, while Brunnhofer’s⁷ attempt to recognize a people named Τάσκοι, and to connect them with the Vedic word takṣan, is valueless, especially considering the fact that Takṣan is not found as an epithet of Bṛbu in the Rigveda.