The Battle of the Ten Kings (One Rigvedic Pride, Power, and Providence Story)

-Aritra Biswas

The World of the Vedas

In the olden days when rivers were as divine as gods, and hymns the law and doom of worlds, the tribes of early India lived by bravery and kin and glory. This is a period which was archived in the religious texts of Rigveda, and a period of time when kings did not reign by sword, but by the grace of deities. Of all these stories, none is as brilliant as the dramatic struggle the Battle of the Ten Kings, the struggle which transformed the strength of tribes and added the sound to generations.

The Rise of King Sudas

King Sudas, which was the ruler of the Bharata tribe, was at the center of the story. Young, ambitious and under the guidance of his priest Visvamitra in the beginning and later under the guidance of the wise sage Vasistha, Sudas aimed at building his kingdom along the fertile plains of the rivers. His people were well off, their cows were multiplying, and their rites were an offering to gods. But prosperity easily comes to envy. The Bharatas have been seen to be becoming stronger by their neighbors opposing tribes and envy gradually gave way to fear. Sudas was not simply the opponent anymore, he was now a menace to the equilibrium of power.

The Gathering Storm: A Nefarious Partnership

Ten strong tribes united to oppose Sudas. They were the Puru, the Yadu, the Turvasa, the Anu, the Druhyu, the Alina, the Paktha, the Bhalana, the Siva and the Visanin. Hostility with each other was forgotten, and there was only one object, which was, the defeat of Sudas.

This kind of cohesiveness among tribes was uncommon and bad omen. Warriors were sharpening their weapons, priests were chanting hymns that would protect them, and messengers were riding on lands inviting men to war. The coalition felt that only numbers would win them the battle. How indeed could one king be ten against ten?

The Parusni, or the river of Destiny

The place of battle was decided at a location close to the great river Parusni (which many scholars identify as the present day Ravi River). Its broad unpredictable waters were smooth as fate above, fatal as fate below.

Sudas lead the way in great company despite his lack of numbers. He believed in strategy and also in divine order (rta). His priest Vasistha called in the warrior god called Indra, to support the Bharatas. The hymns ascended the sky as fire, they were in search of Godly judgment.

When the Gods Took Sides

Sudas waited as the allied tribes moved forward in strength and with much noise war-cries. Then in answer to the hymns the river rose. Chaos struck the enemy ranks. A lot of warriors, who did not know the topography, were carried away by the stream. Rigveda talks of how Indra dislodged the formation of the enemy causing confusion and fear. What would have been a clear cut victory was now chaos. Spears collapsed, chariots upset and unity disbanded into panic.

The Turning of the Tide

Sudas took the opportunity to move his army on. The Bharata warriors were sharp in attack, and their spirits were raised by the feeling that they were supported by some deity. The allied tribes one after another crashed. The Puru king who was now secure, withdrew. The river which was to save them turned against them. Sudas possessed the field by the sunset. The ten kings alliance had failed not only because of the use of weapons, but also because of pride and disharmony.

Aftermath, “Victory Beyond the Battlefield”

The overpowering of the ten kings was not just a victory in war. It made the Bharatas the overpowering power in the area. Sudas was not only a conqueror, but a kind of representative of the legitimate kingship that is supported by the cosmic order. The fight also promoted Vasistha, and his hymns were glorifying the victory, and putting it in a moral context: victories without virtuousness are disastrous. With these verses, the battle was destined immortality not as an occurrence but as something sacred.

Legacy in the Hymns

The Battle of the Ten Kings is one of the oldest recorded war in the history of the mankind centuries later. It has been preserved in a poetic form providing the knowledge about the early politics, warfare, religion, and values of Vedic society. It is a good memory of the fact that history is not just determined by the swords and shields, but belief, unity, and narratives that people are willing to keep in mind. The river is roaring in the singing lines of the Rigveda, the warriors are still fighting and King Sudas is again victorious under the gaze of the gods.