Buddha: His Life, his Doctrine, his Order c11.s1.63

c11.s1.63

The Turvaças, standing in closest connection with the Yadus, belong of course to the stocks most frequently mentioned in the Rik-Samhitâ; they are sometimes mentioned in a friendly and sometimes in an unfriendly tone. From the Brâhmana their name has almost completely vanished;† nevertheless we have one passage which gives us a key to the place in which we have to search for the ancient Turvaças among the people of the later age. In the lists of kings who have offered the Açvamedha, we find the Pañcâla king Çona Sâtrâsâha (“Çat.” xiii, 5, 4, 16), regarding whose horse-sacrifice a Gâthâ is quoted: “When Sâtrâsâha makes the Açvamedha offering, the Taurvaças arise, six thousand and six and thirty clad in mail (varminâm).” The commentary explains: Taurvaçâh açvâh; the construction (cf. also the following Gâthâ, § 17) clearly shows that the Taurvaças are rather the “varmin,” i.e., the mail-clad escort of noble races, who have to follow the offered horse (or the horses offered), so that it be not lost (“Çat.” xiii, 1, 6, 3; 4, 2, 16; “Kâty. çr.” xx, 2, 11).