Book Review: The Rigveda, A Historical Analysis - By Shrikant Talageri

The importance of Rigveda need not be overstated in the context of world history and culture. While being the oldest literary work of any kind in India, it is the oldest spiritual/philosophical work in the world as well at the same time. Philosophically its importance for India needs no exaggeration, although it is yet to occupy such a place for the whole world. It really belongs to the world philosophically as well apart from being historically important. The colonialists and Indologists overindulged in Rigveda from a historical stand point but not so much from the philosophical perspective. Indian tradition and Indian intellectuals of any originality have indulged more in the metaphysical and spiritual dimension ignoring its historical treasure, leaving that completely to the European Indologists of 18th/19th century and their Marxist, Liberal counterparts in US, Europe and India in the post colonial era who feel blessed to be in the path and tradition of the 18th/19th Century Indologists of Europe.

Cut to the end of 20th Century - enter a new breed of Indologists such as Konraad Elst, Michel Danino, SN Balagangadhara et. al. While all of them are academics with a solid University grounding and Doctoral degrees of eminence, Shrikant Talageri, is an important addition to this and he is a Banker. Through his book "The Rigveda: A historical analysis" he may have created history in the truest sense of the word and time alone will tell that. 

His book is no mean feat. He has to ventured into such uncharted territories through this book which others have either missed in their journey or scared to even consider. That a complete outsider to academics should have achieved such a great academic feat and that too swimming against an international current consisting centuries of piled up content and a strong caucus of current vested interests requires him to be celebrated, by atleast, the modern educated India. That he remains on the margins is a testimony of our current exposure to our heritage. He has been subjected to immense vitriol by his opponents - which he does cover in his book. If he has stood like a rock much credit goes to his inner strength, the strength that a true knowledge of our civilization brings (not just faith certainly not dogmatic belief) and the support of men of unimpeachable integrity such as Dr. Konraad Elst and Dr. Michael Danino. This emotional prelude was required, the man deserves justice, appreciation, celebration and recognition - which is he slowly but definitely getting. Beyond this, let the book reveal itself.

Why is the book so important

It is best to demystify the book in the beginning itself in terms of what it achieves. This  make an easy reading of the rest of this essay. Devil, of course, is in the detail but the detail is so complicated that one may get lost completely in it - missing the crucial insight and achievement. That should not happen ideally but it sadly will. The reasons are simple. Most of us have had no introduction to Rig Veda. In any other country, any school curriculum would have had a deep introduction to the Vedas introducing its structure and content in appropriate detail. But then we live in liberal India.

So what does this book achieve? It makes a rock solid case for Rigveda to be seriously considered as text for historical studies. This means, although it is a metaphysical and spiritual text, and not composed with history making in mind, it contains enough unimpeachable historical information. It throws light into Indian history, world history, who were are Indians and demolishes a lot of history written by 18th/19th Century European Indologists. It has the potential turn the world of history academics upside down and set ourselves in a new path.

How does it achieve the above?

1. Rig Veda has 10 books which are referred to as Mandalas. It establishes a chronological order of those 10 books based on information available within Rigveda and painstaking scientific analysis that is unimpeachable. This is a crucial step that prepares ground for all insightful research.
2. It throws light into the very formation and structure of Rig Veda.
3. From the enormous detail and complex rendering, it extracts insightful detail about the composers of Rigveda, the sage families involved, sages of the time referred to, Kings and Dynasties referred to in the RigVeda etc., Further, it extracts information about the relationships between the Sages, Families and Kings, and establishes a time period over those relationships.
4. Once the chronological ground is prepared and family/period relationships established across Mandalas, it analyses references to Rivers, Places, Animals in each Mandala of the Rig Veda. This leads to interesting and startling conclusions which is the most important insight from his study.
5. In Rigveda the word Arya appears many times. It gives a very precise answer the question who Rigveda refers to as Aryans. That in turn demolishes the colonial era perspective of who the Aryans were. The post independent India academics of India have largely followed the colonialists with minor changes and hence much of the post colonial theory too falls flat on its place.
6. Through the above it establishes that Aryans seem to have migrated from India further towards Iran and then towards Europe which is referred to as the Out of India Theory (OIT) rather than Aryans migrating into India which is referred to Aryan Migration Theory (AMT). An earlier version of AMT, called as Aryan Invasion Theory AIT, is already discredited and even acknowledged by even the Liberal academics who are in awe of their colonial era Indologists. This is the most important conclusion of this book which can alter the course of history. This is also the reason why the entire academic fraternity, including the bigwigs of Harvard University, are pouncing upon this sole individual called Shrikant Talageri. Either they are attacking him and trying push him away from the scene, or trying to ignore him into irrelevance.
7. Beyond this, it throws a great deal of insight into Sagely families who composed Rig Veda and the conflicts/resolutions of those times that have shaped the culture of our of our country. These conflicts are depicted later in our Puranas too which clearly establishes a thought continuity. The Bhrigu vs Angirasa conflict is fascinating and insightful and its importance to the cultural foundation of India cannot be overstated.
8. It compares Zorashtrian book Zend Avesta with Rig Veda - a Mandala by Mandala comparison and establishes that the latter is older. Through similar references between the two the book establishes that all conflicts referred to between dynasties/people in Rig Veda and Avesta refers to the same people. The Dasyus of Rig Veda who were the enemies of Aryans were largely the people that formed Avesta. The Avestan evidence too corroborates the earlier conclusions.
9. It establishes how India is the common homeland of the Indo-Iranians and Indo-Europeans which is a consequence of all of the above. 
10. Of course, it establishes that the so called Aryans were indigenous people of India and any migration from anywhere could not have had a significant altering of the culture of this land. Aryans did not push Dravidians to the South.

The above achievements are no mean ones. If his book stands the test of time, in 50 years this book will be heralded as an epoch making book. It will alter the course of historical studies in India. The book is no exploration of the spiritual or metaphorical territory and that is not a limitation. That is what lends the Rigveda for a methodology based historical study. It is a simple study of the structure and references, painstakingly performed and relationships established. It is almost mathematics like and hence it is accessible for most of the modern educated. Further, this makes it intellectually accessible and interesting to any modern educated Indian - an audience that needs it and deserves it. If it were in the territory of spirituality, metaphysics or metaphor it would have been beyond the reach of the disinterested serving a smaller segment. 

That such a structural analysis completely missed the average academic studying Rig Veda is quite baffling and at the same time indicative of the kind of bias that has come to be the defining character of humanities academics in India.

The Structure of the Rigveda and the Anukramanis

The Rig Veda consists of 10 Books referred to as 10 Mandalas by the Rig Veda. Each Mandala has many hymns referred to as Sookta (Sa + Ukta which means "Thus said" or "Well said" crudely). Each Hymn has many verses. There are 1028 hymns or Sooktas in Rigveda across the 10 Mandalas. Each hymn is dedicated to either a god/goddess or a a philosophical purpose. It has a specific theme. 

Further, the entire Rig Veda has indices referred to as Anukramani-s which provide a description of each hymn in certain terms. Talageri begins his book with an introduction to the Anukramanis, which forms the basis of his entire study. The Anukramanis describe the Sage (Rishi) who has composed the hymn, the Devata (deity) of the hymn and the Chandas or the metre in which the hymn is composed. Out of this only the Rishi associated with the hymn provides any historical insight and is of interest in the book. The book establishes two fundamentals about Anukramanis.

1. Generally the erstwhile Indology scholars have discredited the Anukramanis as not having any historical significance because of certain contradictions/corruptions they present across their descriptions of the composers of each hymn. Talageri, on the contrary, resolves these contradictions and upholds the consistency (thereby importance) of the Anukramanis. Every single objection about the Anukramanis raised by earlier Indology scholars is answered by the book quite satisfactorily. 
2. The book acknowledges certain corruptions in the Anukramanis but explains the corruptions convincingly along with reasons. It explains how the corruption can be resolved, almost the same way in which noise in a signal is eliminated.
3. This renders Anukramanis ready for historical analysis. Talageri uses the Anukramanis to study the composers of each hymn and draw important conclusions of far reaching importance in history based on their relationships.

What can be said about the Composers of RigVeda

What is the insight we gain from the Anukramanis of RigVeda with specific reference to its composers?

1. The composers of RigVeda belong to 10 priestly families namely - Kanvas, Angirasas, Agastyas, Grtsamadas or Kevala Bhrigus, Vishwamitras, Atris, Vasishtha, Kashyapas, Bharatas, Bhrugus. With the exception of Bharatas, all others are Sagely families. Note that they are the same as the Sapta Rishis of two separate lists. Bharatas alone are a Royal Family.
2. Each of these 10 families identify and distinguish themselves with a special Hymn (Sookta) called the Apri Sookta. Its an exclusive privilege. The Apri Suktas consist of special invocations to a series of deified objects and is a source of important historical information.
3. 5 Rig Veda books are referred to as Family Mandalas because the hymns of these Mandalas are largely composed by the Sages of one of these Families. The other 5 Mandalas have hymns composed by multiple families. There are exceptions to this which the book explains satisfactorily.

Now, with the above ground information, Talageri establishes a chronology of the 10 Mandalas of Rigveda which makes a fascinating reading. He performs the same employing the following information from the Anukramanis.

1. The family tree/familial interrelationships among the composers of the hymns
2. The references to a composer of a hymn outside of the hymn and outside of the Mandala.
3. General references to Sages and Kings in each hymn.

Talageri fundamentally establishes a tree or a graph of relationships between composers, kings, sages in Rigveda through descriptions appearing in the text that refer to one being the ancestor or successor or son or father. The references are good enough to establish a chronology in a scientific manner. This results in the following chronology

1. Mandala 6, 3, 7, 4, 2, 5, 1, 8, 9, 10
2. Mandala 1 in reality has a common time period from Mandala 4 to Mandala 5
3. The order of the Mandalas in Rigveda (1, 2, 3, 4, 5...) is not in chronology because it is more concerned about a conceptual organization as required for the ritual/philosophical purposes of the Veda.
4. The most important Kings in the Rig Veda are the Kings of Bharata dynasty. Just about 3 important Kings belong to the Trksi or the Iksvaku dynasty, who were contemporaries of those Bharata dynasty Kings. It can clearly be said that much of Rigveda was composed during the Bharata dynasty Kings ie., the RigVeda is a Bharata vamsa enterprise. It is not any surprise we call our country Bharat.

However, there are many contradictions, complications, difficulties and deviations to this synthesis (references to Atri, Kutsa, Athitigva, Aushija, Trikshi). Talageri not only recognizes them but also resolves them satisfactorily in a manner that the above synthesis continues to hold. That is not only painstaking but also brilliant and fascinating, an effort that requires enormous and multiple readings of Rigveda with a combination of microscopic and telescopic eye. It also bears testimony to his commitment to exploration and truth rather than brushing things under the carpet in a simplistic manner. It is intellectual integrity of the outstanding order. He, of course, knows that he is up against the most powerful academics of the world and that it is imperative for him to demonstrate that rigour.

This establishment of chronology and recognizing the importance of Bharatas is of great significance as that alone leads of historical patterns of significance across the Mandalas.

What does the Geography of the Rigveda say

Having established an unambiguous chronology of the RigVeda Mandalas, the book then ventures into a textual analysis of each of the Mandalas within that chronology, extracting useful patterns from which important historical conclusions could be drawn. (Once again, it is important to reiterate that this is not a spiritual, metaphysical, philosophical or metaphorical analysis of the text.) It is a simple analysis of specific pieces of content on which there can be no ambiguity or dispute. It is an analysis and pattern extraction of references to

• Names of Rivers
• Names of Places
• Names of Animals

The conclusions are stunning.

1. The chronologically earlier Mandalas have references to only the Eastern Rivers of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
2. The chronologically middle Mandalas have references to Rivers of Punjab in addition covering Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Sindhu (Satadri, Vitasta, Asikni, Parusni, Vipasa, Sindhu). In the early Mandalas the Punjab Rivers are totally absent.
3. The later Mandalas have references to Rivers of Afghanistan which are the Western Tributaries of Sindhu (Indus).

With this it is quite logical and Talageri argues that the migration and evolution of the Vedic civilization ought to be from East of India towards the West and hence any migration of the Aryans has to be from India to the rest of the world ie., the Out of India Theory, atleast from the dimension of references to Rivers. 

If it were otherwise, the rivers of Afghanistan or Punjab would appear first. It is logically impossible that a large scale migration from outside of India does not have any reference to rivers or regions in the early books of Rig Veda and worse they should forget everything in the early Rig Veda but remember them only in the later Rig Veda Mandalas. This clearly goes against the conventional history that Aryans migrated to India from Central Russia and influenced the culture and the language of the sub-continent so significantly. Even more interestingly, Saraswati is the most important River of Rigveda and it flows in the regions of UP, Haryana, Rajasthan and into Gujarat and not in the Afghanistan/Pakistan/Kashmir/Punjab.

Talageri then performs a similar study of names of places and names of animals. This is quite a complex study - much more than the rivers - as it entails complex deciphering of the meaning and what words indicate through multiple commentaries and logic.

1. Chronologically early Mandalas have references to places in Bihar (Keekata), Uttar Pradesh (Kashi) and Haryana (Kurukshetra). The Middle Mandalas have references to places in Punjab (Sapta Sindhu) in addition. Afghanistan (Gandhari region consisting of Gandharvas) has reference only in the later Mandalas.
2. The Elephant (Uttar Pradesh) appears in early Mandalas and the Camel (Desert region - Pakistan, Afghanistan) appears in the later Mandalas.

The pattern is unmistakable and consistent with the references to rivers. From three independent directions a similar result is obtained. The references to rivers, places and names in the Mandalas, in relation to regions of the sub-continent, indicate that the migration should be from East to West -  which means any Aryan Migration is Out-of-India and not into India.

There are, of course, exceptions and complications. Two things of immense significance to plains of India and Himalayan Forests are conspicuous by their absence in Rigveda. Rice and Tiger - both common in all the regions of India. Once again, Talageri explains their absence satisfactorily that there are many other things common to India that dont have a reference in Rig Veda. Simha may have been a reference to both Tiger and Lion. But this complication needs a greater resolution.

The Soma Rasa and the Soma Plant

A fascinating part of the book is the analysis of references to Soma Plant and Soma Rasa in the Rigveda. This assumes importance due to a complication. The proponents of the AIT theory refer to the central importance of the Soma Rasa/Ritual in the Rigveda right from the chronologically first Mandala. The Rituals around Soma are most important to Vedic Civilization. However, the Soma Plant is only found in the extreme regions of Kashmir, Afghanistan and further North Western regions, making a very strong case for the migration of the so-called Aryans from outside of India into the regions of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. 

This is one place where Talageri's analysis does not remain merely textual and their structural presence. He goes into the world of what those references are and mean, the context, the situations and the stories around them to extract the right patterns with rest to movement of people and migration. As a result, the following reality emerges

1. In all the early Mandalas, Soma is referred to as coveted but very distant from the homeland of the sages and the composers. Clearly, the North western regions growing them were not known to the Vedic Aryans according to the chronologically early Mandalas.
2. The Ritual around the Soma Plant itself was introduced to the Vedic Priests by the the Priests of the North Western region as it appears in the initial Mandalas.
3. In the later Mandalas, there is a greater understanding of the regions growing the Soma Plant.
4. The expansion of the Vedic Aryans towards the west, as it appears in the later Mandalas, itself was a consequence of their quest for the Soma Plant or Soma Rasa.

Further, an Analysis of the Vedic priestly families and their association with Soma also corroborates the same.

1. Out of the 10 priestly families of Rig Veda only 2 families, the Bhrigu and Kashyapas, are associated with Soma Plant. 
2. The Rigveda clearly indicates that it was the Bhrigus who introduced Soma to the Vedic Aryans and Kashyapas are the chief Soma Priests. 
3. Kashyapas are associated with Kashmir.
4. Bhrigus were the official priests of the Parthians of the North Western region (Persia), the culture that composed Avesta under the spiritual leadership of Zaratushtra.
5. The hymns composed by Bhrigus and Kashyapas have maximum references to Soma whereas the central Vedic Priest families of Angirasa, Vishwamitra and Vasishtha have least references to Soma in their hymns. This is a significant insight. This means that the Priestly families of great significance to the Vedic Aryans composed less about the Soma Plant inspite of their ritual significance.
6.  Throughout the early Mandalas, they were through and through in conflict with rest of the Vedic priests and resolved their conflict only by the time of the later Mandalas. This aspect of the conflict is corroborated even by the later Puranas. 

Hence, the Rigvedic evidence is overwhelmingly clear that Vedic Aryans did not come from the North Western Soma growing regions. Instead, two Priestly Families of the region introduced Soma to the Vedic Aryans who coveted it and aspired for it, as a consequence there was a westward migration of them seeking ownership of Soma growing regions.

This is a 4th dimension from which the Out-of-India theory is corroborated.

Who are the Vedic Aryans

Yet another crucial question that the book answers is the question of "Who are the Vedic Aryans" ie., whenever there is a reference to the "Arya" in the Rig Veda what is it referring to. 

Indology scholars of the west have propounded the theory that they were people from South Russia who migrated to South Asia and eventually spread to India, Iran and Europe. Different Indology scholars have outlined different routes of migration but all centred around the same basic theory. However, Talageri turns this topsy turvy and identifies the Vedic Aryans of Rigveda differently and all from the same sources and same methodology. At the same time this identification of Vedic Aryans further corroborates the Out of India migration theory from a 5th dimension, as we will shortly see.

Just to clear the suspense - Talageri establishes Vedic Aryans as belonging to Puru dynasty in particular and Bharata sub-clan of the Puru dynasty in particular. Incidentally this is the same dynasty to which the Kuru Kings (Kauravas, Pandavas) and Panchala Kinga (Drupada) belong to. This also means that the Rig Veda is the enterprise of Bharata clan, starting from Bharata himself. It is in that particular period that Rig Veda was composed. As an aside, this also helps us understand why Bharat is the original name of this region (bharata varSha, bharata khaMda).

Talageri establishes this based on the following insights.

1. Most Kings, who are prominently presented in Rigveda around 8-10 of them, belong to the Bharata-Puru clan.
2. 3 Kings who are very prominent and belonging to Ikshvaku dynasty (that of Lord Rama but his ancestors) are so because they aided one Bharata King Sudasa and his descendents in crucial wars.
3. Puru-Bharata Kings are extremely prominent even in the post Rig Veda - Samhitas of Vedas.
4. Any non Puru King presented prominently is so only because of support extended to a Puru King at the time of a dire need.
5. Most of the references to non-Puru tribes ie., Anu tribe and Druhyu tribe are with hostility and not as Arya.
6. References to the tribes of Yadu-s and Turvasu-s are either hostile or as somebody other than an Arya (either needing support or coming to the aid of an Arya). There is no reference to them as an Arya.

The word Arya - how is it used in the Rigveda?

• It appears just 36 times in 34 hymns of Rigveda
• It refers to individuals only 3 cases all refering to Puru-Bharata Kings
• In a tribal sense of the word, it only refers to Purus
• It appears more in the hymns composed by Priestly families fully and militantly affiliated to the Puru-Bharata Kings - Angirasas and Vasishthas.
• A negative use of the word Arya is only in cases where there is a conflict between a Bharata King (Arya) and a Puru King (also an Arya)
• The word Dasa or Dasyu is used in reference to other clans such as Anu-s, Druhyu-s. Dravidians dont even appear in these references in any which way.

The references to Puru-s in general and Bharata-s in particular are in total corroboration.

1. The only Royal Sage family that has an Apri Sukta and is prominent in one Mandala is the Bharata dynasty.
2. The only river common to all Apri-Suktas (the hymn that identified the priestly families of Rig Veda) is River Saraswati. It flowed through the lands belonging to Puru Dynasty. This cannot be a mere co-incidence.
3. Bharatas referred to as gods
4. Bharatas referred to as heroes
5. Gods as belonging to Bharatas
6. Absolutely no hostility towards Bharatas throughout
7. Vedic gods referred to as gods of Purus
8. The word Purusha which means both the Supreme Being as well as the man is derived from the word Puru.

If you look at it from the dimension of the Apri-Suktas - they refer to three Great Goddesses. One of them is Bhaarati. This clearly is a reverent reference to the Bharata dynasty. There is more to it and it is difficult to dismiss them as co-incidence.

1. The Apri Suktas of Angirasa, Bhrugu, Vishwamitra, Vasishtha and Agastya always refer to Bhaarati first whenever there is a reference to the Great Goddesses. 
2. Atris and Kanva Apri Sukta refer to Mahi. Mahi is an epithet of Bhaarati. 
3. Only the Apri Sukta of Bharata family does not have a reference to Bhaarati. This is because you cannot have a self referential reverence. This absence is not an aberration but a corroboration.

Further, if we explore the relationship between the Vedic Priestly families and the Puru-Bharatas the following emerges

1. The Angirasa and Vasishthas are fully affiliated to the Bharatas throughout Rigveda.
2. Vishwamitras themselves originated from Purus and were fully affiliated to Bharatas in the early Rig Veda.
3. Kashyapas and Ghrutsamadas are associated with Bharatas but not affiliated.
4. The families that are not affiliated/associated with Bharatas/Purus appear in the Rigveda after the dominance of Bharatas reduce and Puru dynasty becomes more open to include other families in the Vedic field. The inclusion of Atri, Kanva, Bhrigu and Agastya in later Rigveda is a result of that.
5. The only hostile reference to Purus is when they are in conflict with a Bharata king.

This clearly establishes who the Vedic Aryans are in Rigveda. It refers to the Puru-Bharata clan. The region governed by them Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan are the greater regions of Vedic Aryans and Vedic culture. The regions of Anu-s, Druhyu-s are not the primary regions of Vedic culture.

Further, the Puru-Bharatas expand themselves west-wards fighting a great battle. It occurs between King Sudas of Bharata clan against 10 other Kings belonging to 10 different clans and hence referred to as Dasharagna Yuddha. A clear victory to King Sudas results in his westward expansion as a result of which Anu-s and Druhyu-s expand themselves further deeper into Central Asia and Iran. That once again establishes that the migration was from East to West, that is from India to Iran and then towards Europe. This migration was both a Vedic Aryan migration as well as that of other clans originating from India.

Section-I of the book ends here. Section-II reads like another book and requires an independent review.

Summary

The book is an extra-ordinary compilation of insights, theory and proof. It is a must read for every Indian as it throws such light on Rigveda and who we are as a People. The academic integrity and commitment to truth that the books shows is of a highest order. The book overindulges in some rhetoric but that is understandable given the nature of the political battle between the two sides - if anything the rhetoric seems to be controlled and to a lesser extent. There is no vitriol.

The greatest and arguably the only limitation of the book is that it is not the greatest of the needs. Talageri has focused on unimpeachability, integrity and truth. He has not given sufficient attention to readability, narrative and the experience of the reader. However, that does not reduce the importance of the book in any which way.

It is a must read for all Indians who have any sense of interest in history and with a curiosity to know who we are as a People.