Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c9.s1.4

c9.s1.4

Some further light is thrown on the question of the localization of the Rigveda and its culture by a study of the geographical distribution of its principal peoples, each of whom was distinguished by its association with a particular Ṛishi who acted as the Purohita of its king, invoked its gods, and performed its sacrifices with the hymns of his own creation. Thus the settlement of each such people was also a seat of the learning represented by the Ṛishis moving with them. The chief Vedic settlements are mentioned as follows: (1) The *Gandhāras* (known for the wool of their good sheep); (2) the *Mūjavants* whom Zimmer locates on the south bank of the Kubhā up to its mouth in the Indus and down its east side to some extent; (3) the *Pūrus* settled on both banks of the Sarasvatī [*Rv.* vii, 95, 96]; (4) the *Turvaśas*, with the *Kaṇvas* as their priests, moving about the banks of the Parushṇī [*Rv.* vii, 18]; (5) the *Anus* on the Parushṇī [viii, 74, 15; vii, 18, 14]; (6) the *Druhyus* on the same river, with the *Bhṛigus* as their priests [i, 108, 8; vii, 18, 14; viii, 10, 5]; (7) the *Bharatas* settled in the region of the Sarasvatī, Āpayā, and Dṛishadvatī, with the *Kuśikas* as their priests [iii, 33, 11–12; 53, 9; 12, 24]. Under Ṛishi Viśvāmitra they advance to the Vipās and Śutudrī [ib.] and are defeated and rescued with the aid of Vasishṭha [vii, 8, 4; 33, 6], whence they are probably to be connected with the *Tṛitsus* whose subjects they are stated to be [vii, 33, 6, where the Bharatas are called *Tṛitsūnāṁ Viśaḥ*]; and (8) the Tṛitsus who, led by king Sudās and Ṛishi Vasishṭha, were the victors in the famous Battle of the Ten Kings and settled themselves as the paramount power in all that region between the Yamunā and the Parushṇī.