Myth of Aryan Invasion of India
- Dr. David Frawley.
Index
The Post-Colonial World
The Aryan Invasion Theory
Basis of the Aryan Invasion
Theory
Aryan as Race or Language
The Development of the Aryan
Invasion Idea
Mechanics of the Aryan
Invasion
Harappan Civilization
Migration Rather than Invasion
The Rediscovery of the
Sarasvati River
The Vedic Image of the Ocean
Horses, Chariots and Iron
Destroyers of Cities
Vedic and Indus Religions
The So-called Racial War in the
Vedas
Vedic Peoples
The Aryan/Dravidian Divide
Vedic Kings and Empires
Vedic Astronomical Lore
Painted Grey Ware
Aryans in the Ancient Middle
East
Indus Writing
Sanskrit
Indian Civilization, an
Indigenous Development
The New Model
Ancient History Revised
Political and Social
Ramifications
Footnotes
Vedic Peoples
Battles mentioned in the Rig Veda, whether between those called Aryans
are largely between the "five peoples" (pancha manava). These five are i
as the Turvashas, Yadus, Purus, Anus and Druhyus, which the Puranas des
oRiginating from the five sons of Yayati, an early Vedic king in the lunar d
descended from Manu, and the son of Nahusha. These peoples, both Dasy
Aryans, are also called Nahushas in the Rig Veda.(*24) Of the five the ma
of the Rig Veda are the Purus who are usually located on the Sarasvati riv
central region. The Yadus are placed in the south and west in Gujarat, Ra
and Maharashtra up to Mathura in the north. The Anus are placed in the n
Druhyus are placed in the west and the Turvasha southeast. These are th
given to them in the Puranas.(*25)
In the original Puranic story there were two groups of people, the Devas
or godly and ungodly people, who had various conflicts. Both had Brahmi
the Angirasas for the Suras (Devas) and the BhRigus for the Asuras. Both t
Brahmin groups we might add were responsible for many teachings in anc
including the Upanishads. The battles between the Devas and Asuras invo
struggle between their gurus.
King Yayati, the father of the five Vedic peoples and a follower of the An
had two wives, Devayani, the daughter of Shukra of the BhRigu seers, an
Sharmishta, the daughter of Vrisha Parvan, king of the Asuras. Turvasha a
were sons of Yayati by Devayani of the BhRigus. Anu, Druhyu and Puru we
Yayati by Sharmishta of the Asuras.(*26) Yayati's story shows that the five
people were born of an alliance of Aryan and Asuric kings, and their Angi
BhRigu seers.
Vrisha Parvan and Shukra appear to have come from southwest India, Guj
the BhRigus were descendants of Varuna, God of the sea, and have alway
associated with this region of India (for example, their city BhRigukaccha
Baruch near Baroda). In the Puranic story their territory bordered on tha
who happened upon both Devayani and Sharmishta, while hunting.
Hence three of the original five Vedic peoples had Asuric blood in them t
their mother. Puru, whose group ultimately predominated, had Asuric blo
whereas the Yadus, who were most criticized in Vedic and Puranic literat
no Asuric blood but rather that of the Brahmins. In this story we see that
groups of people - thought by the Aryan invasion theory to be the invadin
and the indigenous peoples - had the same religion and ancestry.
These five peoples were styled either Arya or Dasyu, which mean someth
good or bad, holy or unholy according to their behavior. Their designatio
quickly. The descendants of an Aryan king can be called Dasyu or its equi