Re-examining the Aryan Invasion Theory Through the Internal Evidence of the Ṛgveda

Abstract

‘The theories propounded by the Aryanists and Dravidianists are utterly groundless and mere dreams of very learned men, and perhaps even more imaginative than learned’. —John Crawford 1861 ¹

‘The theory is a perversion of scientific investigation. It is not allowed to evolve out of facts. On the contrary, the theory is preconceived, and facts are selected to prove it. The theory of the Aryan race is just an assumption and no more’. —B. R. Ambedkar ²

The Ṛgveda eulogises Divodāsa and Sudās as the great Ārya kings and recounts several times the heroic battle fought by the chief deity Indra against Vr.tra to protect Dāsadya. The hymns describe Vr.tra not only as an Ārya but also as a Dāsa and a Dasyu. The Ṛgveda equally demonises certain Āryas and Dāsas as the enemies of yagña. Several sages identify the opponents of the yagña form of worship as their own brothers—sajātā´n and jāmim, and friend—sákhā. This article attempts to explore these contradictions and the validity of the argument that the fair-skinned Aryans subjugated the dark-skinned Dāsas and Dasyus. It also analyses the representation of colour and its importance in the Ṛgveda and factors in the writings of Herodotus. It looks at the complex relationship among Āryas, Asuras, Dāsas and Dasyus before and after Dāśarājña—the Battle of Ten Kings. It traces the reason for their migration to the Gangetic plains. It examines the interpretations of British Sanskrit scholars like William Jones and R. T. H. Griffith and Orientalists like H. T. Colebrooke, James Prinsep, H. T. Prinsep, H. H. Wilson, Max Mueller and others. It also brings B. G. Tilak and B. R. Ambedkar’s perspectives into the debate.