geography of soma: the cradle of human ciilization (tp verma, 2013)

7/27/2019 Geography of Soma: the cradle of Human ciilization (TP Verma, 2013)

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Geography of Soma:The Cradle of Human CivilizationProf. T.P. Verma

397A, Ganga Pradushan C. Road,Bhagwanpur,

Varanasi-221 005

Summary[Soma was plant that grew in Central Asia and finds mention in gveda andAvesta. This can be called the cradle of humanity. Later, when the centre of gravity of

gvedic culture shifted to South Asia it became rare commodity for these people; but atthe same time Soma remained a household thing used in different rites and ceremonies.An attempt is made here to fix the geography of Soma. The Nadskta of gveda speaksof three Sapta-Sindhus in the Abode of Vivasvata (land of humanity) and we have triedto identify these three. We have also marked the geological changes in region that arecontained in puranic legends. Sections discussed hereunder:

A.Soma in AntiquityB. Nad-Skta: the Abode of VivasvatC. The Land of SomaD.Soma in Iran: A Common HeritageE. Soma Worshiping PeoplesF. Related Facts and Misconceptions about Soma]

Key words: Soma, Sadane Vivasvata, Tredh-Saptasapta(Sindhu), aryavat,rjky, Suom, Pastyvati, Mjavat,

ASOMA in ANTIQUITYSoma, one of the principal deities was invoked in the Vedic rituals. Its importance

is evident in the fact that, as noted by Mecdonell, all the 114 sktasof the ninth maalaof the gveda and six sktas of other maalas are devoted to this deity besides somefive or six sktasand others that partially refer in connection with the deities like Indra,


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Agni, Pan or Rudra. Soma finds mention singly or in conjunction with others hundredsof times in the gveda, and, therefore, on the basis of frequency it comes at the thirdplace, after Indra and Pan.1 At the same time all the mantras of the Smaveda are inthe praise of Soma. Thus Soma was one of the most frequently mentioned deities of theVedic people.

Soma is also referred to as a sacred plant; the sacred juice extracted from it wasoffered to deities as oblation. It was an invigorating drink that enabled the deities,especially the Indra, to perform valorous deeds. Soma was sacred in ancient Iran alsowhere many references are found in the Avesta. Obviously the worshippers also used this.Some aka tribes of Central Asia are called Haumavarka (Sk. Somavargya) in the OldPersian inscriptions.2 The Rabataka inscription of Kanishka speaks of his grandfatherSaddakshana as Soma sacrificer.3 Thus the tradition of Soma continued in ancient Indiathat included Afghanistan as well till at least up to the Kushana period.

The identification of Soma has been a matter of dispute among the scholars but

here we are mainly concerned with the geographical location of this sacred plant asindicated in the gveda. Our investigation shows that the plant grew in some regions ofCentral Asia in ancient times and there are indications in the gveda that the Vedicpeople shifted from the Soma growing regions resulting in the scant availability of it.There came a period when it became very difficult to procure Soma. But the popularity ofname of Soma was so great that in historical time Suruta in his Sahit4 prescribesseveral varieties of Some and names the regions where these can be found; needless tosay that all the places are located in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. David Frwaley5 hasreproduced a list of the hills and lakes mentioned in this book but it is of little use asSuruta himself announces that the ill-fated and non-believers etc. cannot find it.6 This

closes the discussion because the varieties of Soma described by him do not appear to bethe gvedic Soma.

Modern researchers on gveda have located the Soma producing regions inBharat because Syaa and others commentators have emphatically said so. TheEuropean scholars also followed them blindly because it served their theory of Aryaninvasion as well as their colonial interest. They deliberately suppressed evidences thatindicated the presence of the Hindus in the Afghanistan region.

The recent trend in geographical research of the Vedic people is set by Dr.Shrikant G. Talageri who believes that In the pre-gvedic period and the early period,

the Vedic Aryans were the inhabitants of an area to the east of the Sarasvat. In theEarly Period, and early part of the Middle Period, there was a steady expansion

1 Macdonell, A.A. Vedic Mythology, (Hindi translation, Varanasi, 1984) Section on Soma.2 Old Persian Texts by Ronald G. Kent, 5.20-30.3 Mukhrerjee, B.N. The Great Kushana Testament, Indian Museum Bulletin, 1995, p. 17.4Surutasahit, Cikitssthnam, 20-31.5 Frawley, David Rig Veda and the History of India, 2003, Delhi, p. 148.6Surutasahit, Chikitssthnam, 32.


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westwards.7 This extreme approach appears to be a retaliation of the Indo-Europeanistview. David Frawley also holds similar outlook on matters like Soma and its geography.8Both accept the gveda as a book of the Prus; the latter calls it Rig Veda BharataItihasa. The other recent writer Mr. Bhagwan Singh has nothing to say on thegeographical aspect of Soma.9

Talageri, advancing his view about geography of Soma holds One undeniable factis that the Soma plant wasa native of the extreme northwestern and northern regions: allthe references to the sources of Soma, in the Rigveda make it very clear that the plantgrew in the mountains of Kashmir, Afghanistan, and extreme northwest of the Punjab.10Here he does not cite reference from the gveda. But, in the next page he presentsopposite view by saying that The area of Soma is clearly no part of the Vedic area (nor isthere even the slightest hint anywhere in the Rigveda that it ever was): it is constantlyreferred to as being far away (IV.26.6; IX.68.6; X.11.4; 144.4). This area also known as thedwelling of Tva (IV.18.3); and this is what the scholars have to say about Tva:

Tva is one of the obscurest members of the Vedic pantheon. The obscurity of theconcept is explained... (by) HILLEBRANDT (who) thinks Tva was derived from amythical circle outside the range of Vedic tribes.11 (Italics are in the original).

The reader feels bewildered as to which of these statements he should believe in:whether the plant grew in the mountains of Kashmir as according to him Rigvedamake(s) it very clear; or the area of Soma is clearly not part of the Vedic area (nor isthere even the slightest hint anywhere in the Rigveda that it ever was). He appears tobelieve that the mountains of Kashmir, Afghanistan and extreme northwest of Punjabwere outside of the realm of the gvedic people. He asserts that the evidence in theRigveda shows that:

1. The actual Soma-growing areas were distant and unknown to the Vedic Aryansin the early parts of the Rigveda, and became known to them only later after theyexpanded westwards.

2. The Soma plant and its rituals were not originally known to the Vedic Aryansand their priests, but were introduced to them in very early times by priests from theSoma-growing areas.

3. The expansion of the Vedic Aryans (and, by a chain of events, the dispersion ofthe Indo-Europeans, as we shall see in later chapters) into the west and north-west was adirect consequence of their quest for Soma.

We need not comment on this very difficult postulation about the geography of thegvedic people. This could have been avoided with a little reliance on the puranic andepic sources. But he seems extremely against it for he vehemently asserts that In this

7 Talageri, Shrikant, G. The Rigveda: A Historical Analysis, 2004, New Delhi, p. 104-58 Frawley, David The Rig Veda and the History of India, 2003, Delhi, p. 143 ff.9 Bhagwan Singh The Vedic Harappans, New Delhi, 1995, pp. 434-39.10 Talageri, p. 12811 Ibid., p. 129


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book, we will examine the geography of the Rigveda, not on the basis of interpretationsof verses from the Vlmki Rmyaa or Hanumn Clis, but on the basis of the actualgeographical data within the hymns and verses of the Rigveda itself 12 This attitude isnot healthy for investigating the Vedic civilization.

BNAD-SKTA: THE ABODE OF VIVASVATIt is significant to note that the Soma growing region is connected with the Early

gvedic people; rather we can say that this can be called the cradle of humanity. In thegveda five geographical places are named where Soma used to grow. These are:Suom, aryavat, rjkya, Pastyvati (VIII.7.29) and Mjavat (X.34.1). All these areused in locative sense; and are rivers, mountains or lakes. Among these Suom andrjkya are quoted as the names of rivers that occur in the Nad-skta (River Hymn) of

the gveda (X.75). This hymn invokes a number of rivers in geographical order andpraises the River Sindhu, but however, its Devat is Nad Samha, i.e. the Group ofRivers. This is one of the most important hymns on the geography of the gvedic people.The indirect geological indications point out to the hoary antiquity of the period at thetime of its composition.

The importance of this hymn could not be understood properly. In our opinion thisdescribes the geography of the region where the gvedic people lived at that point oftime. i Sindhukita, son of Priyamedha, declares in the very first mantra of the hymnthat he is going to praise the abode (sadana) of Vivasvat where three sets of seven riversflow (i.e. three Saptasindhus) among which the River Sindhu is the mightiest.13 This

abode of Vivasvat is indicative of the entire region occupied by men at that time.Some European scholars have called it catalogue of rivers because they could not

understand the geographical connotation of the rivers named in the hymn. Zimmer statesthat the catalogue of rivers is unreliable from rjky onwards, while the first part isreliable. On this Alfred Hillebrandt comments I do not share his suspicion, or I do soonly to a small degree, because, although these verses make many streams in to thetributaries of the Indus, which in fact they were not, still the names mentioned at the end,viz., Kubh (Gr. Kophen), Gomat (Gomal) and Krumu (Kurum), rest, except for theirsequence, on an equally solid ground as the first ones so that we could assume that the

names in between are similarly not fictitious.14

There is much weight in his argument but he also seems confused on theidentification of the rivers. To understand it properly we have a suggestion. Actually therivers in this skta are arranged in three sets. In the first set are rivers from Gag to

12 Ibid., p.9713 Rv. X.75.114 Hillebrandt, Alfred Vedic Mythology, Volume I, 1999, Delhi, p. 175-76.


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Vitast, and then in the second set of rivers from rjky to Ras are enumerated whichshould be located in Central Asia; then the i returns to vety (which we wish toidentify with present Swat river in Pakistan) a tributary of the River Sindhu, and in thesecond half of the sixth mantra he again takes up its tributaries like Kubh, Gomat,Krumu and Mehatnu in the reverse geographical order. The reason for this is not difficultto understand. The subject of the hymn is, as announced in the first verse, to eulogize theRiver Sindhu therefore he first described its eastern streams and then leaves thedescription at that point in order to return to Indus after describing the rivers of thenorth. Once we understand this it will not be difficult to analyse rest of the hymn.

We have analysed the geographical position rivers of the Nad-sktaelsewhere15but that can be understood only if one sheds off some misconceptions that occupy ourminds due to modern interpreters. We are repeatedly told, without any justification thatSaptasindhu was the Punjab region but ironically they call it Punjab or Pacanada(i.e.the Land of Five Rivers). The other thing is that we always try to locate all geographical

references of the gveda within the limits of the British Empire which incidentally tallieswith some puranic descriptions.Here the observation of Alberuni becomes more significant when he says As the

name union of the five riversoccurs in this part of the world (in Punjab), we observe thata similar name is used also to the north of the above-mentioned mountain chains, for therivers which flow thence towards the north, after having united near Tirmidh and havingformed the river of Balkh, are called the union of the seven rivers.16 This supports ourcontention that the tributary rivers of Oxus used to form the Saptasindhu region. But, asthe author of this skta declares in the first mantra there were at least two moreSaptasindhus. The other Saptasindhu region may be identified with tributaries of the

River Indus. The third one can be located in Soviet Russia where a region is still calledSemirechye, the land of seven rivers. This region extends northward from the upperreaches of Syr Darya to the valley of the Ili River and to the foothills of the ranges lyingbetween the Altai Mountains and the Tien Shan. Bounded on the south by the line of theTien Shan and to the north by Lake Balkash, this area was known to the Turks as theYeti Su, the Land of the Seven Rivers, hence its Russian name of Semirechye.17 Thisfact is referred to by the Great Indian explorer Rahul Sankrityayana also.18

However, these three Saptasindhus formed the Sadana of Vivasvat; as he was thefirst Man (Manu) the whole region can be called the Cradle of Humanity.

Returning to the list of rivers, the first three rivers are the Gag, the Yamun andthe Sarasvat, all are from U.P. and Haryana have no connection with the Indus

15 Verma, T.P. Rigveda ke Nad-skta ka Bhaugolik Adhyayan, Mnavik, A Bulletin of Humanities andSocial

Sciences, Vol. 1, No. 1 (July-Dec.) 2009 pp. 135-145.16Alberunis India, Edited by Edward C. Sachau, 1964, Delhi, Part I, p. 260.17 History of Central Asia, from Internet.18Madhaya Asia k Itihsa, Part I (1985), p. 61 and Part II (1990), p. 601.


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whatsoever. Next five rivers, the utudr, the Paru, the Asikn, the Marudvdh andthe Vitasta are undoubtedly the eastern tributaries of Sindhu or Indus. As these eightrivers, which we know and can identify with certainty, are mentioned in geographicalsequence from east to west, one can be sure that the i is describing them on personalknowledge and we can trust that the rivers named after Vitast also were known to him.Yska (IX. 26) seems baffled who goes to identify Suom as Sindhu.

Here the i Sindhukita surprised his modern readers by naming Sindhu and itsfive western tributaries in reverse order (from west to east) at the end of the list in thesixth mantra.

Yskas identification of Suom with Sindhu is wrong is proved by the fact thatthese rivers are mentioned together in two mantrasof eighth maalaof the gveda (7.29& 64.11) without any association with Sindhu. Now we can expect this set of rivers also ingeographical order: from north to south in Central Asia. These are rjkya, Suom,Tm, Susartut, and Ras. We exclude vety as it can be identified with the Swat river

in Pakistan which meets Indus and should be included in the third set of rivers that aretributaries of the Sindhu. The names of these rivers are Kubh, Gomat, Krumu andMehtnv from north to south.

The abode of Vivasvat extended up to Uttarakuru in the northern region;provisionally we may identify it with Semirechye. We can relate the Abode of Vivasvatwith another allusion in the gveda. Two mantras of a skta (X.17.1-2) describe thedisappearance of aray, the daughter of Tva, mother of Yama and wife of Vivasvat.The second mantraspeaks of two twins (dv mithun) of Saray, one of which is relatedto Uttarakuru. The tradition of the legend alluded to, according to Syaa, andnarrated in the Puras also, which have probably derived from the Vedas is narrated

thus:Saray, the daughter ofTva, was given in marriage to Vivasvat, and had by

him Yama and Yam. Intimidated by his ardour, she substituted another female, hershadow, Chya, for herself, and going to Uttarakuru, changed herself to a mare. Vivasvatbegot Manuby Chya, when finding his error; he set off to look for his wife. Discovering

her disguise, he transformed himself to a horse, and had by his wife Avins.19

Thus Uttarakuru might be the northern extent of the abode of Manu andwe can identify it with Semirechye (the third Saptasindhu) of the Soviet Russia.The central region was the Meru as related in Puranas. According toMatsyapura (11. 38), Manu, Svari still pervades on Meru. We identify Meru

with Pamir. This also was the Saptasindhu as noted by Alberuni, the central one.The story of Il, the progenitor of the Ailas, also is associated with Meru. TheAilas dispersed all over the world from here.20

19 gveda Sahit vol. IV, by H.H. Wilson, ed. by Ravi Prakash Arya and K.L. Joshi, Delhi, 1997, p. 230.20 See Verma, T.P. Kuru Family in World History (in Hindi), Itihas Darpan, XVII (1), 2012, pp. 10-23;The Ethno-linguistic Identity of Celts: The Vedic Peoples, Ibid Volume XVI (2) 2011, pp. 139-62;Kambojas, The Vedic People who moved allover World, Purm, Vol. L. Nos. 1-2, July 2008, pp. 27-52.


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We can now speculate the southern limits of the Abode of Vivasvat. The Nad-Skta starts with the River Gag. It does not mention the rivers to the east of it. It issignificant in the context that the entire gveda is silent about the important centers likeKosala, K and Videha. This worried scholars. We here advance some suggestionswhich may look strange in the wake of prevalent chronological modules but there aresome geological and mythological evidences that go to prove that the region of UP, Biharand Bengal was a sea at that period of time. In the present model of human history thishas no relevance whatsoever. But in Puranic history in which human history begins about120 million years ago, this constitutes an essential part of it. However, the geologists knowthat there was a fore-deep in front of the high crust-waves of the Himalayas as theywere checked in their southward advance by the inflexible solid land-mass of thePeninsula.21 They also admit that Himalaya emerged out of the Tithes Sea. So was thePamir or Meru which according to Hindu legend emerged first of all. We22 have relatedthe story of Manu and his ark (which was none else than the continent of South Asia) in

some detail. As a consequence of collision of two continents the Orogeny of AsianMountains started. The fore-deep to the south of Himalaya was known to Indians asUttara-Samudra and Saumya-Sindhu till 12th century AC. as it is recorded in twocopperplate inscriptions of the Malayaketu dynasty from Gorakhpur.23 This depressedland still causes havoc in northern parts of eastern UP and western Bihar.

The legend of Agastya (Mahabharata Vanaparva, Ch. 104-05) also supports thiswhich really relates to geological events. It is said that he drunk the water of the sea andstayed the growth of the Vindhya Mountain. Both are geological events. When that areabecame dry it was inhabited and the legend of bringing the River Gag to plains isrelated in the Mahabharata after the legend of Agastya, in the subsequent chapters.

Here it is not difficult to visualise that rivers emanating from the Himalayas werevery short and could reach the sea after traveling a little distance. As the marshy landbecame dry and firm people started living there. Thus the rivers existed there and helpedfilling the region with alluvium brought from Himalayas. There was another geologicalphenomenon in the form of Rajasthan Sea whic is now the Great Indian Desert Thar.Rivers Yamun and Sarasvat used to fall in this sea. We can call it Sarasvata Samudra. Itwas due to tectonic upheavals this shallow sea was first closed by land and then dried tobecome an unending source of salt for us. This explains the name Thar (=Thla or plate).It is also possible that the rivers utudri and Vipa also used to meet this sea as

mentioned in the gveda (III. 33. 2).It will benefit to trace the shifting course of Sarasvat which is described as amighty river in the gveda. The region of Haryana faced great tectonic movements thatcan be traced in the shifting bed of the River Sarasvat. It moved westward in stages

21 Edward Suess quoted by A.C. Das in gvedic India, 1971 edition, Delhi, p. 17.22 Verma, T.P. Pauric Itihsa k Vaijnika dhra, (Hindi) Studies in Puranas, Allahabad, 2012, pp. 28.23 Veram, T.P. Itihas Darpan, 13 (2), 2008, pp. 82-86.


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during a very long period of time which are not difficult to trace. At times it used to flowin more than one streams sometimes visible here sometimes there. Perhaps Dadvat alsowas a stream of Sarasvat. At one place gveda mentions the two in a hymn that indicatesexistence of both at one time. Rivers change their course gradually when that happensdue to movements in upper crust of the earth. The River Yamun also was a tributary ofSarasvat but later changed its course shifting to east. The River utudr also (perhapsVipa or Vyas too) was a tributary of Sarasvat but due to tectonic changes in the crustof earth it took a westward turn to meet Indus. Still later Sarasvat flowed throughCholistan in present Pakistan and meet Sindhu Sagar (Arabian Sea) in Kutch. However,we have reference of a Sarasvat flowing in the Meru region in the Mahabharata.24

Perhaps Punjab of present day Pakistan also had a different geographical set up.During the earliest ages the whole alluvial land of Punjab might have been a sea and therivers of Punjab used to fall in that sea. Naturally these were of short length. This can bevisualised in the fact that the plain between Indus and Jhelum-Chenab is called the

Sindhu-Sagar Doab. Sindhu Sagar is the name of Arabian Sea and thus there must be atime when the Arabian Sea was extended up to this region.Thus the age of the gveda, particularly of the Nad-Skta, should be dated in

geological times. The age when the River hymn was written the Arabian Sea must havecovered most of the southern Pakistan and that is now filled by the alluvium brought bythe five rivers of Punjab. The rivers of Uttar Pradesh also were not yet formedcompletely. The rivers of Haryana used to meet Srasvat Sgar. Thus the geography ofthis region was quite different at that time. We need more geological knowledge of theregion.

The story of Videgha Mthava25 can be reproduced in support of this inference of

our. The Agni Vaivnara (fire of Earth) started moving eastward from the RiverSarasvat with king Videgha, the son of Mathu, and his priest Rhugaa and on reachingthe river Sadnr (Gaak) it stopped. This can be interpreted as the land up to thatriver had become habitable, and the other side of it was marshy (srvitram), but could bemade suitable for human habitation. The Agni pointed out that Videgha Mthava canoccupy the region and inhabit. He did so. Thus the land was named Videha after him.This story can be accepted as the early history of Bihar. The sea gradually recededeastward and acquired the present state.

We can sum up our discussion by confessing that though it is not easy to confirm

the southern limit of the land of Vivasvat at the time of i Sindhukita Praimatheyathere is no reason to believe in Aryan Invasion Theory advanced with malicious

24 Ray, Ram Kumar, Mahbhrata Koa, Varanasi, VS 1982, p. 701, He enters Sarasvat mep&:Qe srSvtI

cmsew izvaed!-ede naged!-ede c d&:yte, but however we could not trace the exact location of the text.25atapathabrhmaam, I. 4. 1. 10 and following.


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intensions. The second thing is that we have enough ground to believe in the highantiquity of our history as delineated in the Puranas.

CTHE LAND OF SOMAWe have in the gveda five geographical places where Soma used to grow. These

are: Suom, arysvat, rjkya, Pastyvati (VIII.7.29) and Mjavat (X.34.1). All theseare used in locative sense; and are rivers, mountains or lakes and according to our studywere situated in the Central Asia around Meru, i.e. Pamir. This was the original inhabitatof the Vedic people. Due to climatic and other historical reasons the gravity of gvediccivilization gradually shifted south-eastward and Kuruketra became the centre ofhistorical events. Till the War of Mahabharata the scion of the Kuru family were rulingover Balkh or Bactria. But as a result of that war the centre shifted south and a tendencygrew to limit all the trthaswithin the limits of Haryana and the River Gag. With this

background we can proceed to identify places of the Land of Soma.The Mahabharata and even one of the Brhmaas have expressly asserted that

some of the places in the above list are trthas in the Kuruketra region. For example theJaiminya Brhmaa (III.64) says that aryavaddha is Saraka (trtha) nearKuruketra.26 Similarly the 83rd chapter of Vanaparva of the Mahabharata is devoted tothe scared places of pilgrimage in the Kuruketra region. There Ilspadtrtha(83.77) andSaraka trtha(83.75 and 81) are placed near Kuruketra. We know that Ispad/Iyspadis mentioned in the gveda (I.128.1; II.10.1; III.23.4, 29.4; VI.1.2; X.1.6, 70.1, 4; 91.1)which we have connected with the Ilvttavara on the Meru on puranic evidence.Similarly the Saraka trthaof the epic should be identified with aryavat of the gveda.The Matsyapura (11.44) calls this aravaa. Thus aravanaand Saraka-trthaare sameas aryavat of the gveda. Association of this place with Kuruketra can be attributedto Syaa.

Dr. Shrikant Talageri suggests the geography of the Land of Soma which is withinthe limits of ancient Bhrata. The prime Soma-growing areas are identified in VIII.64.11as the areas near the Suom and rjky rivers (the Sohan and Hro, northerntributaries of the Indus, in the extreme north of the Punjab and north-west of Kashmir)and aryavn (a lake in the vicinity of these two rivers). In VIII.7.29, the reference is tothe Suom and rjky (in the masculine gender, signifying mountains; while the rivers

of these names are in feminine gender), clearly the mountains which gave rise to theSuom and rjky rivers, along with aryavn (which also appears in X.35.2 as amountainous area, perhaps referring to the mountains surrounding the lake of the samename).27 We agree with his exposition that Suom, rjky and Saryavn aremountains that gave rise to the rivers of these names. But he is not correct when he

26aryavaddha nmaitat kuruketrasya jaghanrdhe saraskam, David Frawley op. cit. p. 145, fn 137.27 Talageri, S.K. p. 130.


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identifies the first two named rivers with the Sohan and Hro, northern tributaries of theIndus, in the extreme north of the Punjab and north-west of Kashimir because he doesnot substantiate with further evidence. Similarly aryavn also cannot be placed in thevicinity for similar reasons.

Only five places are referred to in the gveda as Soma producing area. Amongthese aryavati occurs seven times28, rjka/rjkya five times29, Suoma/Suomthree times30, Pastyvati/Pastynm two times31 and Mjavat only once.32

We get a hint for the geography of the Land of Soma in the Atharvaveda33 whereit is indicated that Mjavat or Mjavanta was situated in the vicinity of Bhlka, identifiedwith Balkh or Bactria. This helps us to trace other Soma producing places nearby. Wehave already reached this region in connection with the Nad-Skta as the Abode ofVivasvat which might be considered for the Land of Soma.

aryavt in gveda is alluded to as a mountain, a river as well as a lake. We couldfind a phonetically resembling geographical region in Zeravshan Valley in Central Asia.

Here we have at present a mountain, a river and a series of lakes called Zeravshan Valley.Here are some excerpts from Zeravshan travel guide from Wikitravel. In northernTajikistan, embedded between the impressive mountain ranges of the western Pamir-Alaimassive. Zeravshan--- which means Golden River in Tajik --- is the main streamwhich crosses the valley and which supplies its inhabitants with a most precious resource:water. The area is famous for its unique mountain landscapes and its beautiful lakes: theAlauddin lakes, the Kulikalon lakes, Iskanderkul Lake, the seven lakes of Shing amongmany others. ... The Tajik ancestors--- fire worshippers called the Sogdians--- have livedmore than 1500 years along the Zeravshan valley--- a history which is still visible at theOld Penjikent archaeological site and the remote Yangob valley.34 The Columbia

Encyclopedia adds: Zeravshan: Zeravsan river, c. 460 mi (740 km) long, rising inTurkistan Range of the Pamir-Alai mountain system, in Tajikistan. It flows westwardthrough the agricultural Zeravshan valley, then into Uzbegistan, past Samarkand andBokhara, and disappears in the desert near the Amu Darya, N of Charjew. The valley,irrigated by the Katta-Kurgan reservoir, is one of the chief oases of Central Asia and is onthe site of ancient Sogdiana. The Zeravshan Mountains, forming the southern watershedof the river, rise to c. 18,480 ft (5,630 m)....The Zeravshan range (or ZeravshanMountains) rises to the south of the river. The range extends over 370 km in the east-westdirection along the south of Sughd Province in Tajikistan, reaching the highest point of

5,489 m (Chimtarga peak) in its central part. South-west of Penjikent the range crosses28 gveda. I.84.14; VIII.6.39; 7.29; 64.11; IX.65.22; 113.1; and X.34.1.29 Ibid. VIII.7.29, 64.11; IX.65.23; 113.2; X.75.5.30 Ibid. VIII.7.29; 64.11; X.75.531 Ibid, VIII.7.29; IX.65.22.32 Ibid,, X.34.2.33 Av. V.5, 7 and 8.34 Zeravshan: Wikitravel.


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from Tajikistan into Uzbagistan, where it continues at decreasing elevations (1,500-2,000m) along the internal border between Samarkand and Surkhandarya provinces, until itbends into the desert south-west of Samarkand.35

In this connection we can note that it is almost impossible to find a Vedic andpuranic name of these geographical localities in the face of fanatic changes made by theconversion of the people of the area to Islam. But here we are fortunate to find aphonetically cognate old name of aryavat/ryavan in Zeravshan. Here one can feelsatisfied and amply rewarded. Encouraged with this we can also venture to identify somemore phonetic similarities in geographical names in the vicinity. In Alai in Pamir-Alaialso we can see allusion to Il, the daughter of Manu who according to Puranas was thefirst ruler of the region with her capital at Pratihna (meaning plateau of Meru orPamir). Her progeny is called Aila and Alai can be associated with this. The River Ilican also be another example. However, there are some more geographical names butthose do not concern us here.

Some geographical names have undergone changes in epic and puranic texts alsothe reason may be assigned to ease in pronunciation. As already mentioned Saraka foraryavat in the Mahabharata is one such example. aryavat or aryavn can beequated with aravan of the Matsyapurana wherein it is stated that Il was transformedinto a woman at the site of aravan. The story goes on that the place was forbidden formen because iva was amusing here with his consort Um. On entering there king Ila orSudyumna suddenly found him along with his horse to have become female.36 This gardenmust have been in the vicinity of Ilvtavara on the Meru (Pamir), according to Puranas.This is called Ilspada and nave of the earth (nbh pthivy) as well as the best place onearth (vara pthivy) in the gveda (III.29.4 and III. 23.4). Many other episodes are

associated with the place. Prajpati Daka was ruling here whose daughter Um wasmarried to iva. Thus in the earlier period the region was associated with iva; afterwhich he shifted to Kailsa in Himalaya. Now we can relate aryavat, river, lake ormountain, with Soma growing region. In the wake of this its location in Kuruketra maybe discarded.

aryavat is also related with the legend of Dadhyaca where Indra found thehorse-head of the sage, and slew ninety times nine Vtras with the weapon made of thebones of Dadhci. (I.84.13-14). The legend is related as follows:

Dadhyaca, also named Dadhca and Dadhci, is a well-known sage in Paurika

legend, of whom, it is said that his bones formed the thunderbolt of Indra. The storyseems to have varied from the original Vedic fiction, as we shall have subsequent occasionto notice (I.116.12). In this place, the story told by the Scholiast also somewhat differs. Herelates, that while Dadhyca, the son of Atharvan, lived the Asuraswere intimidated andtranquilized by his appearance, but when he had gone to Svarga, they overspread the

35 Zeravshan: Information from Answers.com36Matsyapura, 11.44-47.


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whole earth. Indra, inquiring what had become of him, and whether nothing of him hadbeen left behind, was told that the horses head with which he had at one time taught theMadhuvidy to Avins, was somewhere in existence, but no one knew where.37 At theother place it is said that Indra, having taught the science called Pravargya vidy andMadhu-vidyto Dadhyac, threatened that he would cut off his head if ever he taught toany one else; the Avinsprevailed upon him, nevertheless, to teach them the prohibitedknowledge, and to evade Indras threat, took off the head of the sage, replacing it by thatof a horse; Indra, apprised ofDadhyacsbreach of faith, struck off his equine head withhis thunderbolt; on which the Avinsrestored to him his own.38

This horses head of was found by Indra hidden in the mountains at aryavati.Here the female gender of name suggests it to be a river. The epic Mahabharata placesthe rama of Dadhci on the river Sarasvati in the Kuruketra region. 39 It also placesUttaravedi40 in this area a trtha which cannot be accepted in the light of AitareyaBrhmaas (1.28) assertion that this is the abode of Il, the Uttaravedi-nbhi.41

Some archaeologists have noted that horses were sacrificed in the mortuary rites ofthe Sintashta culture (in Russia) that has been related with the Dadhyac legend.42 If thiscan be relied upon, archaeology also can be brought in to relate the region with Vedicculture beside BMAC.

The significance of aryavat (Zeravshan) is related in some other places in thegveda. The 113 skta of maala IX is dedicated to Soma (devat). Its first mantrarelates that Indra, showing great prowess, killed Vtra after infusing great strength in himby quaffing the Soma in aryavat. In another mantra (6) of the same hymn it is saidthat Brahm Pavamna recites chhanda (Veda) in this place. This is the place whereVaivasvat (Manu) is the king (8). Vtrasymbolizes a glacier-demon who arrested water

and after being killed by Indra the rivers flow. This skta distinguishes aryavat(Zeravshan) as the earliest region where episodes of Vaivasvat Manu and Il took placeand Brahm Pavamna recited Vedic chhandas. This was also the place where Soma usedto grow in abundance.

In another hymn of gveda (VIII.64.11), where devat is Indra, it is said thatSoma, most dear to Indra, grows in aryavat, Suom and rjky. Wilson43 translatesthe mantra as follows: This is your beloved most exhilarating Somawhich grows in thearyavat lake by the Suom river in the rjkya country. Thus according to himaryavat is a lake, Suom is a river and rjkya a country. We have seen that gveda,

in Nad-skta specifically mentions rjkya as a river. Alfred Hillebrandt translates it still37 Wilson Rigveda Sahitvolume I, p. 201; note to I.84.13-14.38 Ibid., p. 289; note to I.116.12.39 See Mahabharata, Vanparva, 83.186; 100.7,13,18,19,21; alyaparva, 51.5 ff.; etc.40 Ibid. alyaparva, 53.24.41 @td!va #laSpd< yd!%rveidnai-> Ait.BrI.28. quoted in Atharvaveda(6.64.4) Bhya of Syaa.42 Bryant Edwin The Quest for the Origins: Vedic Culture: Indo-Aryan Migration Debate, 2001, p. 205.43gveda, Vol. III, p. 561.


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another way. According to him, This Soma is dear to you at the Saryavat, at theSuom, but it is the sweetest in the rjkya.44

We will now venture to identify rivers Suom and rjky mentioned in theNad-skta (v. X.75.5) but by identifying the aryavat with Zeravshan (river, lake andmountain) in the north and the River vety with Swat in northern Pakistan it is certainthat these two rivers must have situated in between the two.

The other place where Soma is said to have grown is Pastyavati (VIII.7.29;IX.65.23). According to Frawley Pastya is identified with Aditi and perhaps (is) thename of a river (Rv V.55.3, sic IV.55.3). Pastya is the place of Aditi (Rv VIII.26.5 sicVIII.27.5) in a hymn of Manu.45 According to Monier Williams Pasty is also 2 halves ofSoma press (X.96.10).46 Here it may be pointed out that Pastyvati might be a river valleynamed after a people called Pastya because in IX.65.23 we find the word Pastynm inplural and along with Five People (janeu pacasu).

The mention of Mjavat (Mjavanta) near Bahlka (Balkh or Bactria in

Afghanistan) in the Atharvaveda (V.22.5, 7 & 8) confirms our contention because herewe find a region called Munjan. The language of this region is called Maunjani.47 Thisguided us to trace other Soma growing areas mentioned in the gveda in this section.

At the same time it seems pertinent to point out that the epic mention for thelocation of these regions near Kuruketra may be taken as later interpolation to enhanceits importance where all the trthasare said to have situated. Modern scholars also havesupported the view because they are willing to trace these places within the limits ofancient Bhrata like Scholiasts. They perhaps did not feel the necessity to criticallyexamine the problem. David Frawley, though he himself believes Himalayas to be theabode of Soma, is right when he says that Sharyanavat is associated with the place where

Indra defeated Vritra (IX.113.1), symbol of both glacier and cloud. Sharyanavat in theRig Veda occurs as a great place of mountains.48 Perhaps he wanted to point out thatthis does not fit with Kuruketra; for which he also found a reference about this in theJaiminya Brhmaa (III.64).49 Syaa explains the compound as aryavat sarasasabandhina parvatn meaning the lake called aryavat on the mountain is nearKuruketra.50 This is in the centre of all confusion that misled scholars. There is nomountain near Kuruketra where glaciers can be seen. Scholars believing this have triedto identify these places in the vicinity of Kuruketra.51 Now the reader himself can decidethe geography of the Land of Soma.

44Vedic Mythology, Vol. I, p. 175.45 Frawley, David p. 14446 MW, p. 612. col. 3.47 Kambojas- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.48 Ibid. p. 145.49 Frawley, David p. 145.50 gveda Sahit of Syacrya, edited by Ramagovinda Tripathi Varanasi, 2007, Saptamaoaka, pp.

538-39.51 See Talageri, p. 115 ff and, David Frawley, p. 145-46.


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DSOMA IN IRAN: A COMMON HERITAGEIndo-Iranians (i.e. Indian-Iranians; its different from Europeanist Indo-Iranian)

and Vedic Aryas lived together for a long time in the area which the Iranians calledAiryanem Vaezah and the Puranas Ilvtavara (=la is replaceable with ra to make itAiln Vara). Perhaps this is more convincing explanation of the name than to relatefirst word with ryna and leave Vaezah unexplained. Aila is ethnic term like Kuruand Puru. It has nothing to do with the following of Vedic or Zoroastrian religions. TheAchaemenian Emperors belonged ethnically to Kuru-Kamboja race because there arekings with names like Kuru (Cyrus) and Kambojas (Cambyses). They also call them Puruin their inscriptions.52 Some other people and kings of Kuru family are known to historycoming from different civilizations.53 This is a reminiscent of common racial origin.

Soma also is one of such common Indo-Iranian heritage about which we can beproud of. The others are discernible in names like Deva (Daeva), Asura (Ahura),Puruaspa (the father of Zoroaster, English spelling being Pouroshaspa), Dughova(=from dugdha i.e. milk) his mother). It is wrong to say that Both Avestan haomaandSanskrit soma are derived from proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma. The linguistic root of theword haoma, hu-, and of soma, su suggests press or pound. It is an Indo-Europeanhoax because there is no such proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma; it is from Sanskrit root su topress out, extract (esp. the juice from the Soma plant for libations).54 The Yasna IX ofAvesta, like the 9th maala of the Rigveda, is dedicated to Haoma. Soma or Haoma, aswe have seen, was a Central Asian plant as well as a deity that has played a vital role in

the legend surrounding the conception of Zoroaster. It is said that his father Puruspa(Pouroshaspa) took a piece of the Haoma plant and mixed it with milk. He gave to hiswife Dugdhova one half of the mixture and he consumed the other. They then conceivedZoroaster who was instilled with the spirit of the plant. According to tradition, Zoroasterreceived his revelation on the riverbank while preparing parahaoma for the Ab-Zohr,that is, for the symbolic purification of Aban (the waters). This symbolic purification isalso evident in Yasna68.1, where the celebrant makes good for the damage done to waterby humanity: These offerings, possessing haoma, possessing milk, possessingpomegranate, shall compensate thee.

Haoma or Soma is also associated with Vivanhat (Vedic Vivasvat, father of Yima(Yama and Manu) was first of the humans to press haoma, for which Haoma rewards himwith a son, Jamshid. Yasna9.3-11 has Zoroaster asking the divinity who (first) prepared

52 See Old Persian Textsby Ronald G. Kent, Persipolis inscription of Xerxes C. XPc 1.5; XPf 6-11;.53 To go in some detail see T.P. Verma Viva Itihs men Kuru Vaa (Kuru Family in World History),

Itihas Darpan, Volume XVII (1) 2012, pp. 10-23.54 Monier Williams p. 1219, col. 2.


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haomaand for what reward, to which Haoma recalls Vivahngvant (Persian: Vivanhat) towhom Yima Xashaeta (Jamshid) is born; Athway (Abitin) to whom Thraetaona (Ferdon)is born; and Thrita to whom Urvazshaya and Keresaspa (Karshaspa) and Garshaspa) areborn. Zarathustra himself, who is made out in this Yasht as the gift to Pourushaspa ofHaoma (as similarly, in the bn Yashta, he is made out to have been the gift to Ahuraof Ardvi Sra Anhita), which naturally breaks forth into a veritable paean ofglorification of this divinity, wherein Haoma is described as the good and well-endowed,exact and righteous in nature, healing and nutritious, and the best of drinks, beautiful ofform, golden-hued with bending sprouts; and he prays to him for strength andinspiration. The rhapsody is continued through the next Yasna (X) in which in one ofthe verses he proceeds to praising all the plants of Haoma of the gorges of the valleys, incliffs of surrounded hillsides, cut for the bundles bounded by women. From the silver cupI pour thee to golden chalice over. Haoma is charged not only with the power to inspirebut power also to lead to victory.... from Yasna X it appears that Haoma was the god to

be worshipped by unwed maidens looking for good husbands and married women yarningfor brilliant offspring and a righteous line.55This description of Haoma (Soma) shows that it was much more popular in Iranian

society. In Vedic hymns it appears to be popular among deities and the priests for thereligious purposes; but in the Iranian society Haoma played vital role in household affairsalso.

ESOMA WORSHIPING PEOPLESSoma, as a deity or in the form of juice for oblation, was not confined only to the

Vedic rituals. In the Rigveda it was a somewhat rare commodity that grew in far offregions. We have discussed the geography of the Soma growing areas and found that itwas in the north-eastern part of Afghanistan which was known to Puranas as Meru(Pamir) region. It is natural that in the geographically cogent regions its use was muchwider. For example, in Iran the society, as we have seen, Soma was used in many othermanners also. There was a Scythian tribe in Central Asia which was known as the Hauma-Varga or the people related with the Soma ritual. We are inclined to call the whole regionSapta-Sindhu where the Ailas, the progeny of Il, the daughter of Manu, lived. These

were the Vedic people related to the Soma cult. It should be emphasized that in theearlier phase there was no Vedic and Avestan distinction; all were deva-worshippers andfor them Soma was a deity that granted wishes.

Here our concern is not to identify the plant or explore its medicinal effects but wewish to talk about its social aspect in the light of historical facts and its spread amongother peoples of Vedic origin.

55 Ghose, Nagendranath The Aryan Trail in Iran and India, 1937, Calcutta, p. 203-04.


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According to Talageri out of ten families of the Vedic is only two are moreprominent: the Angirases and the Bhgus. He notes:

While all the other families of is came into existence at various points of timeduring the course of composition of the Rigveda, these two families alonerepresent thepre-Rigvedic past: they go so far back into the past that not only the eponymous foundersof these families (Agiras and Bhgus respectively) but even certain other ancient isbelonging to these families (Bhaspati, Atharvaa, Uan) are already remote mythicalpersons in the Rigveda; and the names of the two families are already names for mythicaland ritual classes: the Agirases are deified as a race of higher beings between Gods andmen (as Griffith puts it in his footnote to I.1.6), and the Bhgus or Atharvaas aresynonymous with fire-priests in general.56

He concludes by saying: But an examination of the Rigveda shows a strikingdifference in positions of these two families:

a. The Agirases are dominant protagonist priests of the Rigveda.b. The Bhgus are more or less outside the Vedic pale through most of the courseof the Rigveda, and gain increasing acceptance into the Vedic mainstream only

towards the end of the Rigveda.The situation is particularly ironic since not only are boththe families equally old

and hoary, but it is the Bhgus, and not the Agirases, who are the real initiators of thetwo main ritual systems which dominate the Rigveda: the fire ritual and the Somaritual.57

In the light of these observations of Talageri it is pertinent to point out that whathe designates the pre-Rigvedic past must, historically speaking, be the period when Iland his son Pruravas, as well as other succeeding Ailas were ruling over Ilvtavara on

Meru with Pratishna as capital in Central Asia. At that time of period, as stated above,all were one people, the worshippers of the gods (devas) and the Iranian Arya and thegvedic Arya were not separated. The Agirases and the Bhgus also were not separated;though distinguished. It is said that Atharvaa (later Bhgus) was the eldest son ofBrahm who initiated the fire worship. They are also credited with the initiation of thecult of Soma. The Iranian priest was called thravan. Thus there is a prima facecase forthe Bhgus being the priests leading to the Iranian section of population (if we can callthem at this stage) in general and the Agirases were leading the gvedic ones; but someBhgus continued to be with the main current. Talageris brilliant exposition in this regard

is remarkable:The Agirases have two whole Maalas (IV and VI) exclusively to themselves(no other family has a Maala exclusively to itself, and the Bhgus do not have a FamilyMaala at all), and are the dominant family in two of the four non-family Maalas (Iand X) and second in importance in IX.62, 65, which are composed by late descendants of

56 Talageri, pp. 164-5.57 Ibid., p. 165.


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Jamadagni), the overwhelming majority of them even attributed to pre-Rigvedic Bhguis, all of which were kept outside the Vedic corpus and included in it only in the LatePeriod.58

He further notes:And all the Bhgus of the Rigveda (excluding, of course, the pre-Rigvedic

Bhgus whose hymns are accepted into the corpus in the Late Period) and of later IndianTradition are clearly members of one single branch descended from Jamadagni, or ofgroups later adopted into this branch.

Significantly, Jamadagni is half a Pru: his mother is the sister of Vivmitra whobelongs to a branch of Prus who also call themselves Bharatas.

Talageri calculates that the Agirases are referred to in at least 76 hymns (97verses), while the Bhgus are referred to in 21 hymns (24 verses).

It appears that, at some later stage, there emerged at least two groups amongst theBhgus: one of them is clearly the favorites ofdevaswhile the other was in sharp revolt

with them. The gveda is silent about the conflict between the Asura (Ahura) and theDeva worshippers; rather Asura is lauded in many hymns. But the Avesta, as a rebel,does not conceal its anti-deva feelings. As Talageri puts it:

1. The Avesta clearly represents the opposite side in the conflict:a. In the Avesta, the Asuras (Ahura) are the Gods, and Devas

(Daeva) are the demons.b. Here also the Bhgus or Atharvaas (thravan) are associated

with the Asuras (Ahura), and the Agirases (Angra) with theDevas (Daeva).

2. The Avesta also shows the movement of a group from among the Bhgus

towards the side of the Deva-worshippers: there are two groups of thravanpriests in the Avesta, the Kavis and the Spitamas, and it is clear that the Kavis hadmoved over to the enemies.The pre-Avestan (and pre-Rigvedic) Kavi Usana (Kavi Uan or Uan Kvya) is

lauded in Bahrm Yat (Yt.14.39) and bn Yat (Yt. 5.45). Also (the most importantdynasty in Avestan and Zoroastrian history) of kings from among the Kavis is twicelauded in the Avesta, in the Farvardn Yat (Yt. 13.121) and the Zamyd Yat (Yt. 19.71).The kings of this dynasty, named in these Yats, include Kavi Kavta (Kaikobd of latertimes) and Kavi Usadhan (Kaikaus of later times, who is regularly confused, in later

traditions, with the above Kavi Usana).However, the Kavis as a class are regularly condemned throughout the Avesta,right from the Gths of Zrathustra onwards, and it is clear that they are regarded as arace of priests who have joined the ranks of enemies even before the period ofZarathustra himself.

58 Ibid., p. 167.


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Hence, it is not the Bhgus or Atharvaas as a whole who are the protagonistpriests of the Avesta; it is only the Spitama branch of the thrvans. Hence, also, the nameof the Good Spirit, opposed to the Bad Spirit Angra Mainyu (a name clearly derived fromthe name of the Agirases), is Spenta Mainyu (a name clearly derived from the name ofSpitamas).

The picture that emerges from this whole discussion is clear:a. The Agirases were the priests of the Vedic Aryans, and the Bhgus were the

priests of the Iranians.b. There was a period of acute hostility between the Vedic Aryans and the

Iranians, which left its mark on the myths and traditions of both thepeoples.59

First thing is that there was no pre-gvedic period so far as the history ofZoroastrians is concerned. gveda gives no indication of a rift between the Deva andAsura worshippers; rather the word Asura highly venerated. The uniqueness of Asura-

hood of great Devas is eulogized in the 55th

hymn of third maala of the gveda. Its iis Prajpati Vaivmitra who was a Pru. Asura was as venerable as any one of the Devas.This can be substantiated from the puranic history that in the beginning both weresimilarly worshipped. Dr. Talageri admits that Bhgus were elder and some Brhmaasalso tell us that the Asuras were the elder brothers. But here we wish to relate the story ofYayti who married Devayn, the daughter of Bhgu crya ukra the priest of theDnava king Vaparv. Devayn in her arrogance compelled armih, the daughter ofthe Dnava king to become her ds (slave). The story is well known. Yayti begotchildren from both of them and knowing this Devayn became very angered and hisfather cursed his son-in-law. But circumstances so developed that Pru, the youngest son

of armih inherited the Aila Empire. The history is silent about what happened in theDnava kingdom; but we can guess from the situation in the Zoroastrian period whenKavi became the synonym of king. From this we can infer that Kavi Uanas demoted hisking and usurped the throne. No wonder if the rift between the king and the priest waswidened and later became the king. But this does not mean that Deva worship wasabandoned in favour of the Asura worship. Zoroasters campaign against the Devaworship shows that it was most popular in Iran during his time. This assumption issupported by the fact that Zoroaster had to face public resistance and as a result he wasassassinated. It is also a fact that he sought royal help to propagate his new religion which

was offing since some time earlier. Our Western scholars are not right when theyassociate Iranians with West. Historically speaking the Iranians are culturally, ethnicallyand linguistically nearer to the Vedic society.

We have seen above that majority of Iranians are ethnically related to Prus andKurus. Zoroaster himself belonged to Vedic culture before he attempted to lead anti-Vedic religion. His ancestors were Atharava priests. His fathers name was Pourushaspa

59 Ibid., pp. 178-9.


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Spitma (Pauruva), who was the son of Haechadaspa Spitma, and great-grand son ofHaechataspa of the Spitma family. They were thravan belonging to the Bhrgava clanof Vedic is. Zoroasters mother was Dugdhova. He and his wife had three daughters,Freni, Pourucista and Triti; and three sons, Isat Vastar, Uruvat-Nara and Hvare Cithra.Zoroaster usually bears the surname Spitma. His wife, children and a cousin namedMaidhyaoimangha, were his first converts after his illumination from Ahura Mazda at age30. Even centuries after Zoroaster the Achaemenian kings of Iran also had their namessuch as Kurus (English spell as Cyrus) and Kambojas (English spell as Cambyses), etc.These evidences show a continuity of Vedic or Aila culture till long after Zoroaster.According to Zoroaster Airyanem Vaejah (Ailna Varta) was the first country createdby Ahura Mazda, and according to the puranas also Ilvtavara on Meru was the countrythat emerged first. Thus geographically they shared the same country for origin and livedfor a very long period together. Some were ethnically Dnavas and Daityas but all werenot opposed to the gvedic culture. The Brhmaas retain earlier history in the form of

Deva-Asura conflicts. The progeny of the Dnavas and the Daityas spread all overEurope which some of them, like Celts, still remember.60The Avesta itself testifies that the Daeva-worshippers (i.e. Vedic Deva-

worshippers) were dominant in Iran when Zoroaster raised his voice against the Daevaworship. In the Gathas, the oldest text of the Zoroastrian canon, the daevasare wronggods or false gods or gods that are (to be) rejected. This is also evident in thePersepolis inscription H. of Xerxes where Deva temples were demolished by royal decreeand those of Ahuramazda were established.61 In the Younger Avesta, the daevas arenoxious creatures that promote chaos and disorder. In the later tradition and folklore, thedews (Zoroastrian Middle Persian; New Persian divs) are personification of every

imaginable evil. But it is strange that no Vedic devais named for condemnation. Perhapson account of the popularity of Deva-worship among the Iranian people. It is said thatthe daevas were once the national gods of pre-Zoroastrian Iran; and to reconcile withthe testimony of the Gathas, where the daevas, though rejected, were still evidently godsthat continued to have a following.62

Thus there is no need to speculate a movement of a group from among the Bhgustowards the side of the Daeva-worshippers: there are two groups of tharvan priests inthe Avesta, the Kavis and the Spitamas, and it is clear the Kavis had moved over to theenemies. But here opposite is the case. It was Zoroaster who revolted against the

established Deva-worship. Perhaps an air of resentment against it was in the Iranian(Arya) society earlier and Zoroaster Spitmas took the lead; progression from thenational gods to demons to be attributed to the genius of Zoroaster. It was clearly a

60 Verma, T.P. Ethno-linguistic Identity of Celts: The Vedic People, Itihas Darpan, volume XVI (2), 2011,pp. 163-178.

61 Old Persian Texts, No. H (XPh).62http://en. wikipedia.org./wiki/Daeva


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revolt against the regime of the Kavis (priests) who, perhaps assumed political power alsoand established a dynasty. There seems no difficulty, as stated above, in assuming that theKavis were the descendants of Kavi Uanas or Bhrgava crya ukra of the epic andpuranic fame, the father of Devayn and father-in-law of the Aila king Yayti. Hishaughty manners cursed Yayti culminating in the installment of Pru, half Dnava, onancestral throne and other four sons, Yadu, Turvau, Anu and Druhyu remaineduninstalled. All these five are called Pacajana in the gveda. Undoubtedly Vaparv,the Dnava king, whose priest was Kavi Uanas, must have suffered on this accountbecause Pru was his daughters son. Though not recorded in the epics or in the puranasit is most likely that the descendants of deva-worshipper Kavi priests grabbed more andmore power and established their dynasty. Due to their political and religious excessesthey became unpopular. The Kavis are repeatedly condemned throughout the Avesta,perhaps, only on this account. The rival priest family of Zoroaster Spitmas tookadvantage of this and advocated the worship of the Ahura Mazda and made the

condemnation of the Daevas their capital. However, this was possible only after the deathof Zoroaster. He is assigned a date between 6000 BCE and 600 BCE. The earlier date hascome from the classical sources like Pliny the Elder (1st c.), Plutarch (1st c.), DiogenesLaertius (3rd c.), Lactantus (3rd c.) and Syncellus (8th c.). The date is typically described as5000 years before the Trojan War or 6000 years before Plato. These classical sources,otherwise most authentic, are labeled as extravagant, fantastic and extraordinaryby Europeanists because of biblical constraints. However, at present 600 BCE is mostacceptable date.63

Perhaps the deva-worship by kindling fire in Vedicyajasin Iranian regions mighthave suspended for some time. If this assumption is true, we find an echo of this in the

hymn 124 of the X maala of the Rigveda. The is and the Devat of the hymn areAgni, Varua and Soma; which seems strange. All the verses are significant but in verseNo. 4 Agni specifically says I have spent many years within this altar. I come out frommy father Arai preferring Indra. When I become invisible Indra, Varua and Somabecome powerless (and then) I protect the country. The next one says The Asuras aredeprived of their magical power; O Varua! If you desire me (then) come and separatetruth from falsehood and enjoy the sovereignty over the country. This appears to be aclear indication of the cease of the deva-worship by kindling the fire ofYaja; but it isdifficult to co-relate with any known incident.

S. G. Talageri is opposed to Central Asian home for the Vedic people and now ithas become necessary to discuss his contention. He claims to have created a picture ofRigvedic geography... on the basis of the evidence in the Rigveda:

1. Pre-Rigvedic Period: Haryana and areas east.2. Early Rigvedic Period: Haryana and the areas east, eastern and central Punjab.3. Middle Rigvedic Period: Haryana and areas east, Punjab.

63 http://wikipedia.org./wiki/Zoroaster.


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4. Late Rigvedic Period: Haryana and areas east, Punjab, southern Afghanistan.The direction of origin and movement is clear:1. Originally, the Vedic Aryans were in Haryana and areas to the east,

while the Iranians were in Punjab and to the southern Afghanistan.2. Towards the end of the Early Period of the Rigveda, the Vedic Aryans

had started moving westwards and penetrating into the Punjab, enteringinto direct conflict with Iranians.

3. In the Middle and Late Periods of the Rigveda, the Vedic Aryans werenow together with the Iranians in the Punjab and southern Afghanistan,and Iranians had also spread out further northwards and westwards.64

This hypothesis of Talageri, claimed to be on the basis of the evidence in theRigveda limiting the gvedic Aryas to Haryana and Punjab regions, does not evenqualify preliminary conditions described in the gveda. Most of the deeds of Indra arerelated to glaciers and mountains from where he releases the waters of rivers and they

flow swiftly by making their paths. In these legends of Indra gvedic Aryas seem moreconcerned with fresh water that is most congenial for all kind of life. But there are nomountainous hills with glaciers in Haryana and Punjab. He appears disillusioned by thetrtha-ytrchapter on Vanaparva of Mahabharata, referred to above, where all trhasaresaid to concentrate in Kuruketra area without any geographical consideration; ratheragainst all geographical norms and in utter disregard of puranic and epic legends. SriTalageri does not seem to have much regard for puranic history and is highly critical ofVlmki Rmyaa by comparing it with Hanumn Cls.65 He seems so engrossed withthe gveda that, perhaps, he never saw the Rmyaa of Vlmki, not to expect to haveread it. Lack of the puranic history has marred his brilliant exposition of the Rigveda.

There can be no controversy about his thesis of westward movement of some Rigvedicjanasbut the shortcoming of co-relating with the puranic history has arrested all its force.He has neglected the puranic advice that the Vedas should be supplemented andreinforced by the Itihsa and the Pura. He, in his historical analysis, has not onlythreatened the Vedas but to some extent has hurt it.66 The geographical rigidity in hisexposition appears a direct retaliation of Indo-European theory of Aryan home.Paradoxically, he has accepted epic and puranic trha-ytrchapters, which are definitelylater interpolations. Certainly Syaa was in the centre of all this.

Hence Vedic and Iranian Aryas were the early Soma worshippers and even after

separation and traditional animosity the tradition continued for long time; the IndianParasis are said to still follow in some form. Many of the physical attributes as described

64Talageri p. 185.65 Ibid, p. 97.66yae iv*aCcturae vedaNsaaepin;dae ij>, n ceTpura[< s.

#ithaspura[a_ya< ved< smupv&


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in the texts of the Avesta coincide with the choice of plant used in present-dayZoroastrian practice. Although it cannot be ruled out that the plant, as it is used to-day, isa surrogate of the plant that was revered by ancient Zoroastrians, the choice of such asurrogate would presumably have been made to suit ancient practice. In present-daypreparation ofparahaoma:

the twigs are repeatedly pounded in the presence of a little water, whichsuggests ancient haomawas also water-soluble.

the twigs have to be imported by India- Zoroastrians, who believe that theyare, for climatic reasons, not obtainable on the Indian sub-continent.

very small quantities are produced.According to Falk, Parsi-Zoroastrians use a variant of Ephedra procera,imported from the Hari River valley in Afghanistan.67

The other people associated with Soma rituals were a branch of the akas. In theAchaemenid Empire, as declared by Darius in his inscription, much of their range made a

satrapy, Saka, named after them. They also resided in other provinces of Iran.Achaemenians knew Saka in four divisions characterized by their regions. They wereSaka paradarya (who were by Danube river), the Saka tigraxauda (who were withpointed hats), the Saka haumavarga (who were in the Pamir region), and Saka paraSugudam(who were beyond Sogdiana on the Jaxartes river.68 No doubt these akas,like Iranians, were connected with Rigvedic ritual of Soma worship. We intend to dealVedic and puranic affiliation of the akas in some other chapter.

FSOME RELATED FACTS andMISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT SOMAAbove we have indicated that trtha-ytrportions of the epics and the puranas are

later interpolations and their use should be avoided in historical analysis. These sourcesusually avoid references to geographical locations and often bring historical events withinthe geographical limits of ancient Bhrata. Since eleventh century CE Afghanistan hassevered from rest of the country due to total Islamization and all historical and religiousspots were allowed to go into oblivion. By the middle of the last century Pakistan wascreated and several trthasof that region like Hingulaja became difficult to visit, though

places of pilgrimage like Nanakana Sahib are still visited. However the Puranas arereliable in many other respects in the sense that though modified at times, the oldportions are not expunged, thus the opportunities for search and research are noteliminated.

67 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haoma68 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakas


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As regards the geography of Soma-growing regions some late Sanskrit works havestated that Soma was available in several varieties within the limits of the Hindu India; i.e.to south of Himalaya and to the north of the sea. Dr. David Frawley is of the opinion that... the main Soma lands are Kashmir, particularly its lakes, and beyond it across on theIndus in the mountains, the regions of Gilgit and Laddakh. These Somas are named afterthe meters of the Vedic hymns, showing their special importance in the Vedic ritual. Inhis support he quotes from Suruta Sahita, Chikitsa Sthan XXIX.28-31 as follows:

In the Himalayas, Arbudas, Sahyas, Mahendras, Malayas, Sriparvatas,Devagiris, Giris, Devasahas, Pariyatras, Vindhyas, Devasundas and Hladas (lakes)are the inhabitants of the Soma plants.

Somas of the best kind, the Chandramah species, are often found to befloating here and there on the mighty stream of the river Sindhu, which flows downat the foot of five large mountains beyond the north bank of the Vitasta River. TheMunjavat and the Amshumat species may also be found in the same region, whilethose known as the Gayatri, Traishtubha, Pankta, Jagata, Shankara, and others

looking as beautiful as the Moon are found to float on the surface of the divinelake known as the little Manasa in Kashmir.69

It is noteworthy that work of Suruta is quite late to be cited to refer to Soma ofgvedic period. These places do not occur in the gveda rather there are references thatit was brought from far away. Hence it is surprising that Soma was so abundantlyavailable in the Vindhya Mountains during the time of Suruta and that too in so manyvarieties. Dr. Frawley himself confesses that The main sacred Soma lands in the RigVeda are called Sushoma, Arjikiya, Sharyanavat and Pastyavat. It is a matter ofcontroversy that these regions were located in Vindhya and Kashmir, or even Sarasvat.Talageri also has noted that Soma is regarded as growing in distant areas: this area is sodistant that it is constantly identified with the heavens (IV.26.6; 27.3, 4; VIII.100.8;IX.63.27; 66.30; 77.2; 86.24, etc.).70 But he also goes to search Soma growing area withinthe limits of ancient Bhrata.

Similarly, Sarasvat as a Soma growing area, as advocated by Dr. Frawley, is notacceptable because gveda does not mention this. Sarasvat is the river that findsmention in maximum number of hymns in the gveda, but not once in connection ofSoma. He claims without giving reference that Soma, like the other Vedic Gods, reflectsthe view of a great land from the mountains to the sea, centered on the Sarasvati River.71At the last, after two full pages of discussions, he falls upon the Kuruketra Mhtmya

chapter 83 of Vanaparva of the Mahabharata to prove his point and says This place ofSoma and Dadhyach (sic.) is in the northern region of Kurukshetra, so not far removedfrom mountains. It must refer, therefore, to the upper region of the Sarasvati and the

69 Ibid. pp. 147-48.70 Talageri, p. 129.71 Frawley, p. 143.


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nearby Himalayas.72 He does not cite any evidence in his support from the gveda. Heseems to create a myth in the gvedic history by saying It cannot be a coincidence thatthe loss of Soma in the Vedic religion and the demise of the Sarasvati River went togetherand occurred about the same time! The loss of the Soma plant and the loss of theSarasvati River reflect the same geological, climatic and cultural changes at the end of theVedic Age! Vinashana Soma and Vinashana Sarasvati represent the same phenomenon!That Sarasvati and Soma lost their earthly counterparts and became mythological in latertexts shows their close connection.73 (Italics in original)

Here he forgets that he had just cited Suruta for abundant availability of Soma inIndia knowing well that he flourished centuries after the vinashana of Sarasvat.

At one place he cites that Sarasvati is connected to Soma (Rv IX.67.32).74 Buthere the mantra Nos. 31 and 32 are Pavamn adhyet stuti i.e. for the Pavamn or onewho studies the praise of Pavamna (Soma) not for the Land of Soma. Therefore thiscannot be an evidence for the Land of Soma in Sarasvat region.

In conclusion we can say that Soma was a very popular Vedic deity as well as aplant that grew on mountainous rivers and lakes such as Suom, rjky, aryavatand Pastyavat. Mjavanta also is cited along with Bhlik which the Balkh region out ofBhrat. Our analysis shows that these places were located in the Meru-Pamir region orthe middle Sapta-Sindhu area of the Sadana of Vivasvat. While the gvedic people, onaccount of shifting to the southern regions, confined its use to rituals only the Iraniansand the akas had social use also because of proximity and easy availability. No otherevidence is needed for the land of Soma. This also confirms that the early Vedic peoplehad intimate knowledge of the geography of the region which is called the best place onthe earth and nave of the earth besides the abode of Il in the Uttara Vedi. Most of

the feats of Indra, the lover of Soma, like killing of Vtra and release of rivers, wereperformed in this region. We have also seen that the whole region was called Sadana ofVivasvat. Most likely this was the Jambudvpa of the Puranas. i Sindhukita assertsthat there were three Sapta-Sinddhs; and we have tried to ascertain their location. TheLand of Soma was located in the middle Sapta-Sindhu, Oxus (Vaku or Caku),Zeravshan (rayavan), Suom, rjkya, Pastyvati were the rivers. We are not in aposition to identify all these rivers.

Undoubtedly the Land of Soma was the cradle of humanity and the Iranians andthe gvedic Indians formed the earliest civilization.

72 Ibid,, p. 145.73 Ibid., 147.74 Ibid., p. 146


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Select BibliographyA. Sanskrit Texts:Atharvaveda Sahit, along with Padapha and Syaabhya, Hindi translation by Pt.

Ramagovind Tripathi, 8 volumes, Varanasi.Atharvaveda k Subodha Bhya, S.D. Satavalekar, Paradi.Mdhyandin atapatha Brhmaam, edited and illustrated by Prof. Yugal Kishor Mishra,

2 vlumes up to 6 adhyyas, Varanasi.Mahabharata, Gita Press, Gorakhpur, in 6 volumes.Matsyapura, Gorakhpur

gveda Sahit, 4 Volumes H.H. Wilson, edited by Raviprakash Arya & K.L. Joshi,1997. Delhi.

gveda Sahit, 2008, Shriram Sharma crya, 4 volumes, 2008, Mathura

gveda k Subodha Bhaya, S.D. Satvalekar, 4 volumes, Paradi.veda Sahit, along with Padapha & Syaabhya, Hindi translation by Pt.Ramagovind Tripathi, 9 volumes, Varanasi.

The atapatha-Brhmaa, translated by Julius Eggling, in 5 voulmes, New Delhi.atapatha Brhmaam, in the Mdhyandin-kh, edited by Albrecht Weber, Varanasirmadbhgavat Mahpura, 2 volumes, GorakhpurSuruta Sahit, 2 volumes, Varanasi.Vyupuram, Allahabad, 1987.

B. Books and Articles:Bryant, Edwin The Quest for Origins: Vedic Culture: Indo-Aryan Migration Debate,

2001, DelhiDas, Abinas Chandr gvedic India, 1971 edition, New DelhiFrawley, David Rig Veda and the history of India, 2003, first reprint, DelhiGhosh, Nagendranath The Aryan Trail in Iran and India, 1937, CalcuttaHillebrandt, Alfred Vedic Mythology, 2 volumes, 1999, Reprint, DelhiMacdonell , A.A. Vedic Mythology, (Hindi translation) 1984, Varanasi.Mukherjee, B.N. The Great Kushan Testament (Rabatak Inscription of Kanishka),

Indian Museum Bulletin, 1995.

Ray, Ramkumar Mahbhrata Koa, 1982 VS, VaranasiSankrityayana, Rahul Madhya Asia k Itihas, 2 volumes, 1986, 1990, PatnaSingh, Bhagwan, The Vedic Harappans, 1995, New DelhiTalageri, Srikant, G. The Rigveda: A Historical Analysis, 2004, Reprint, New DelhiThe Cambridge History of India, volume 1, (second Indian Reprint), 1962, DelhiVerma, T.P. Science of Manvantaras, 2006, Bangalore--------- 2008 (1) Kambojas, The Vedic People who moved allover World, Puram,


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(Half-yearly Bulletin of the Pura-Department), volume L, Nos. 1-2. July, 2008.

-------- 2008 (2) The Malayaketu Dynasty of Daradagandaki Dea, Itihs Darpan,Research Bulletin of Akhil Bharatiy Ithas Sankalan Yojana, NewDelhi, volume XIII (2), pp. 71-87.

--------- 2009 gveda ke Nadi-skta ka Bhaugolik Adynayan, Mnavik, ABulletin of Humanities & Social Sciences, volume I, No. 1 (July-Dec.)2009, pp. 135-145.

-------- 2011 The Ethno-linguistic Identity of Celts: the Vedic People, ItihasDarpan, Research Bulletin of Akhil Bharatiya Ithas SankalanYojana, New Delhi, volume XVI (2), 2001, pp. 163-78.

--------- 2012 Viva Itihas men Kuruvaa, (Hindi), Itihas Darpan, ResearchBulletin of Akhil bharatiy Itihas Sankalan Yojana, New Delhi,volume XVII (1), pp. 10-23.

Williams, Monior Sanskrit English Dictionary, Delhi

C. Internet:Daeva- Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaHaom- wikipedia.org./wikiKambojas- wikipedia, the free encyclopediaOld Persian TextsRonald G. KentSakas- wikipedia.org./wikiZeravshan- wikitravelZeravshan-Answers.com

Zoroaster-wikipedia.org./wiki

geography of soma: the cradle of human ciilization (tp verma, 2013)

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