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58-438: Añjana was a king of Koliya dynasty of Nepal, a dynasty that was present around the time of Gautama Buddha , according to Buddhist scriptures. He was the son of the king Devadaha . Añjana had two sons Suppabuddha and Dandapāni , and two daughters Māyā , Pajāpatī and four other. Maya and Pajapati later became the wives of Suddhodana . Maya was the mother of Gautama Buddha . Koliya Koliya ( Pāli : Koliya )

116-625: A Bhikkhu ". This restriction on who could become a Buddhist monastic is found in Vinaya Pitakam i.93, Digha Nikaya , Majjhima Nikāya , Tibetan Bhiksukarmavakya and Upasampadajnapti . In Buddhist scriptures, slavery is a backdrop to the narratives, and dasas (slaves) were among the donations to the monastic community. Various terms were used, like "bondsmen," "proper slave," and "proper bondman", and individuals were treated as property and could be donated as such to monks and monasteries. In various Vinayas , The Buddha permits

174-420: A "servant of god". In later Indian literature, according to Monier-Williams, usage of dasa is used to refer to "a knowing man, or a knower of the universal spirit". In the latter sense, dāsa is masculine, while the feminine equivalent is dāsi . Some early 20th century translators, such as P. T. Srinivasa Iyengar (1912), translate dasa as "slave". Kangle in 1960, and others suggest that, depending on

232-471: A choice either between this interpretation and a nature-poetry or between this interpretation and the reading of human enemies." Dasa and related words such as Dasyu are found in the Rig Veda. They have been variously translated, depending on the context. These words in some context represent "disorder, chaos and dark side of human nature", and the verses that use the word dasa mostly contrast it with

290-483: A common language and way of life. He states that while it has been argued that Dasyu and Dasa were not non-Aryans, it is more true in the case of the latter. Further the Dasas are said to be organized into tribes called viś , a term used for Vedic people or tribes. The god Indra is said to be the conqueror of Dasas, who appear mostly human. There are more references to the destruction of Dasyus by Indra instead of Dasas. He

348-460: A female dasa . Employing a slave ( dasa ) to carry the dead or to sweep ordure, urine or the leavings of food; forcing a slave to be naked; hurting or abusing him; or violating the chastity of a female slave shall cause the forfeiture of the value paid for him or her. Violation of the chastity shall at once earn their liberty for them. When a master has connection (sex) with a pledged female slave ( dasi ) against her will, he shall be punished. When

406-551: A man commits or helps another to commit rape with a female slave pledged to him, he shall not only forfeit the purchase value, but also pay a certain amount of money to her and a fine of twice the amount to the government. A slave ( dasa ) shall be entitled to enjoy not only whatever he has earned without prejudice to his master's work, but also the inheritance he has received from his father. Words related to dasa are found in early Buddhist texts, such as dāso na pabbājetabbo , which Davids and Stede translate as "the slave cannot become

464-536: A person without knowing the person. अकर्मा दस्यु रभि नो अमन्तुरन्यव्रतो अमानुषः । त्वं तस्यामित्रहन्वध र्दास स्य दम्भय ॥८॥ Around us is the Dasyu , riteless, void of sense, inhuman, keeping alien laws. Baffle, thou Slayer of the foe, the weapon which this Dasa wields. – Translated by Ralph Griffith The Dasyu practising no religious rites, not knowing us thoroughly, following other observances, obeying no human laws, Baffle, destroyer of enemies [Indra],

522-489: A simple voting system through either raising hands or the use of wooden chips. The Koliya Assembly elected as the head of the state a head rājā who had the title of mahārājā ("great ruler") or Koliya-rājā ("Ruler of Koliya"). The mahārājā was in charge of administering the republic with the help of the Council. The Koliya Assembly met rarely, and it instead had an inner Council which met more often and

580-640: Is dāsa , and this sense of use is traceable to four verses out of 10,600 verses in Rigveda, namely 1.92.8, 1.158.5, 10.62.10 and 8.56.3. The translation of word dasa to servant or slave varies by scholars. HH Wilson, for example, translates Dasa in Rigvedic instances identified by Sharma, as servant rather than slave, as in verse 10.62.10: उत दासा परिविषे स्मद्दिष्टी गोपरीणसा । यदुस्तुर्वश्च मामहे ॥१०॥ Yadu and Indra speaking auspiciously, and possessed of numerous cattle, gave them like servants , for

638-463: Is a compound name which consists of two parts. Azhi means serpent or dragon and Dahaka comes from the root "Dah" meaning "to sting, to do harm" Michael Witzel compares the etymological root of dasa to words from other Indo-European languages that imply "enemy, foreigner", including the Avestan dahåka and dŋha , Latin dahi and Greek daai . Asko Parpola in 2015, has proposed that dasa

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696-578: Is a key for understanding the character of the Dasyus: Aurobindo explains that in this verse the struggle between light and darkness, truth and falsehood, divine and undivine is described. It is through the shining light created by Agni , god of fire, that the Dasyus, who are identified with the darkness, are slain. The Dasyus are also described in the Rig Veda as intercepting and withholding

754-557: Is also a surname or middle name found among Hindus and Sikhs , typically in northern half of India, where it literally means "votary, devotee, slave of God." For example, Mohandas Gandhi 's first name, Mohandas, means slave of Mohan or Krishna . Also, the name Surdas means slave of Sur or Deva . In the past, many saints of the Bhakti movement added it to their names, signifying their total devotion or surrender to God. Dasa and related terms have been examined by several scholars. While

812-598: Is asked to discriminate between them and the sacrificing Aryas. Sharma states that the word anindra (without Indra) may refer to Dasyus, Dasa and Aryan dissenters. Per the Aryan view, the Dasyus practiced black magic and Atharva Veda refers to them as evil spirits to be scared away from the sacrifice. The Atharva Veda states that the god-blaspheming Dasyus are to be offered as victims. The Dasyus are believed to be treacherous, not practicing Aryan observances, and are hardly human. Tony Ballantyne states that Rig Veda depicts

870-514: Is evidently the same as that sukra or sveta Aryan hue which is mentioned in verse 9. Indra carries forward or increases the "colour" of these thoughts beyond the opposition of the Panis, pra varnam atiracchukram; in doing so he slays the Dasyus and protects or fosters and increases the Aryan "colour", sahatvi dasyun pra aryam varnam avat ." According to Aurobindo (The Secret of the Veda), RV 5.14.4

928-465: Is related to the Old Persian word Daha which also means "man", but refers specifically to a regional ethnic minority of Persia. Parpola contrasts Daha with Arya , stating that the latter also referred to "man" but specifically to the incoming Indo-Iranians from Central Asia. The Vedic text that include prayers to help defeat the "Dasa as enemy people", states Parpola, may refer to the wars of

986-657: Is related to the ancient Iranian and proto-Saka word daha , which means "man". This is contrasted with arya , the word for "man" used by, and of, Indo-Iranian people from Central Asia. Based on the Arya-Dasa conflict described in Rigvedic text, scholars have tried to identify the Dasa as a population in South and Central Asia. Max Müller proposed that dasa referred to indigenous peoples living in South Asia before

1044-440: Is said to have protected the Aryan varna by killing them. The Aryans also fought between themselves. The god Manyu is invoked to overcome both Aryans and Dasyus. Indra is asked to fight against the godless Dasyus and Aryans, who are the enemies of his followers. (X, 88, 3 & XX, 36, 10). The fight between Aryans and their enemies consisted mostly of fortresses and walled settlements of the latter. Both Dasas and Dasyus were in

1102-470: The Caspian Sea in ancient times (and from whom modern Dehestan/Dehistan takes its name). Monier Monier-Williams in 1899, stated that the meaning of dasa varies contextually and means "mysterious forces", "savages", "barbarians" or "demons" in the earliest layer of Vedic literature – in other contexts, is a self-effacing way to refer oneself as "worshipper" or "devotee aiming to honor a deity", or

1160-620: The arrival of the Aryans . Michael Witzel in his review of Indo-Iranian texts in 1995, states that dasa in the Vedic literature represented a North Iranian tribe, who were enemies of the Vedic Aryans, and das-yu meant "enemy, foreigner." He notes that these enemies could have apparently become slaves if captured. Asko Parpola states that dasa referred only to Central Asian peoples. Vedic texts that include prayers for

1218-589: The Cows, the Waters and Swar ("heavenly world"; RV 5.34.9; 8.68.9). It is not difficult, of course, to find very similar metaphors, equating political or military opponents with evil and darkness, even in contemporary propaganda . K.D. Sethna (1992) writes: "According to Aurobindo,(...) there are passages in which the spiritual interpretation of the Dasas, Dasyus and Panis is the sole one possible and all others are completely excluded. There are no passages in which we lack

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1276-632: The Koliyas belonged to the Vyagghapajja gotta . The Koliyas' governing body was a general Assembly of the heads of the kṣatriya clans, who held the title of khattiya and of rājā ("ruler"). The Koliya Assembly was small and consisted of a few hundred members. The sons of the rājā s, who possessed the title of Koliya-kumāra s ("princes of Koliya"), were also their uparājā s (Viceroys), and would hereditarily succeed their fathers upon their deaths. The political system of

1334-626: The Koliyas was identical to that of the Sakyas, and, like the Sakyas and the other gaṇasaṅgha , the Koliya Assembly met in a santhāgāra , the main of which was located at Rāmagāma. The judicial and legislative functions of the Assembly of the Koliyas were not distinctly separated, and it met to discuss important issues concerning public affairs, such as war, peace, and alliances. The Koliya Assembly deliberated on important issues, and it had

1392-761: The Rig Veda, the Saunaka recension of Atharva Veda , the Paippalada Samhita of the Atharva Veda and the Brahmanas text in various Vedas. Such comparative study has led scholars to interpret Dasa and Dasyu may have been a synonym of Asura (demons or evil forces, sometimes simply lords with special knowledge and magical powers) of later Vedic texts. Sharma states that the word dasa occurs in Aitareya and Gopatha Brahmanas , but not in

1450-419: The Sakyas and Koliyas and annexed their state after a long war with massive loss of lives on both sides. Details of this war were exaggerated by later Buddhist accounts, which claimed that Viḍūḍabha exterminated the Sakyas in retaliation for having given in marriage to his father the slave girl who became Viḍūḍabha's mother. In actuality, Viḍūḍabha's invasion of Sakya might instead have had similar motivations to

1508-547: The Sakyas, the Koliyas of Indo-Aryan origin who had participated in colonising the territory of the republic had the right to own land . These landholders were analogous to mediaeval European barons , and held the title of bhojakā s, literally meaning "enjoyers (of the right to own land)," and used in the sense of "headmen." The lower classes of Koliya society consisted of servants, in Pāli called kammakara s (meaning "labourers") and sevaka s (meaning "serfs"), who performed

1566-501: The Sakyas. The son of Maya and Suddhodana was Siddhartha Gautama , the historical Buddha and the founder of Buddhism . During the life of the Buddha, an armed feud opposed the Sakyas and the Koliyas concerning the waters of the river Rohiṇī , which formed the boundary between the two states and whose water was needed by both of them to irrigate their crops. The intervention of the Buddha finally put an end to these hostilities. After

1624-681: The concepts of "order, purity, goodness and light." In other contexts, the word dasa refers to enemies and in other contexts, those who had not adopted the Vedic beliefs . A. A. Macdonell and A. B. Keith in 1912 remarked that, "The great difference between the Dasyus and the Aryans was their religion... It is significant that constant reference is made to difference in religion between Aryans and Dasa and Dasyu." Rig Veda 10.22.8 describes Dasyus as "savages" who have no laws, different observances, a-karman (who do not perform rites) and who act against

1682-634: The conquest of the Vajjika League by Viḍūḍabha's relative, the Māgadhī king Ajātasattu , who, because he was the son of a Vajjika princess, was therefore interested in the territory of his mother's homeland. The result of the Kauśalya invasion was that the Sakyas and Koliyas merely lost political importance after being annexed into Viḍūḍabha's kingdom. The Sakyas nevertheless soon disappeared as an ethnic group after their annexation, having become absorbed into

1740-536: The context and rights granted to dasa by Kautilya , such as the right to the same wage as a free labourer and the right to freedom on payment of an amount, distinguish this form of slavery from that of contemporary Greece . Edmund Leach points out that the Dasa was the antithesis of the concept of Arya . As the latter term evolved through successive meanings, so did Dasa : from "indigenous inhabitant" to "serf," "tied servant," and finally " chattel slave ." He suggests

1798-516: The context, dasa may be translated as "enemy", "servant" or "religious devotee". More recent scholarly interpretations of the Sanskrit words dasa or dasyu suggest that these words used throughout the Vedas represents "disorder, chaos and dark side of human nature", and the verses that use the word dasa mostly contrast it with the concepts of "order, purity, goodness and light." In some contexts,

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1856-735: The cultural differences between the Aryan invaders and non-Aryans of Indus valley. He states that although the inter-Aryan conflict is prominent in its hymns, a cultural opposition is drawn between Aryans and the indigenous people of North India. According to him, it depicts the indigenous tribes such as the Pani and Dasas as godless, savage and untrustworthy. Panis are cattle thieves who seek to deprive Aryans of them. He states Dasas were savages, whose godless society, darker complexion and different language were culturally different from Aryans. They are called barbarians ( rakshas ), those without fire ( anagnitra ) and flesh-eaters ( kravyad ). The Aryas were on

1914-539: The death of the Buddha, the Koliyas claimed from the Mallakas of Kusinārā a share of his relics, over which they built a stūpa at their capital of Rāmagāma . Shortly after the Buddha's death, the Kauśalya king Viḍūḍabha , who had overthrown his father Pasenadi , invaded the Sakya and Koliya republics, seeking to conquer their territories because they had once been part of Kosala. Viḍūḍabha finally triumphed over

1972-418: The defeat of the dasa as an "enemy people", according to Parpola, possibly refers to people from the so-called Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC), who spoke a different language and opposed Aryan religious practices. Parpola uses archaeological and linguistic arguments to support his theory. Among the evidences cited were recent BMAC excavation results where forts in circular shapes were found,

2030-461: The enjoyment. R. S. Sharma translates dasi in a Vedic era Upanishads as "maid-servant". Hermann Oldenberg states that no distinction between historical events and mythology existed for the Vedic poets. For them, the conflict between the Aryans and Dasas extended into the realms of gods and demons with the hostile demon being on the same level as the hated and despised savages. Bridget Allchin and Raymond Allchin suggest Indo-Aryans were not

2088-443: The labour in the farms. The Koliya Assembly possessed a body of peons or police who wore a headdress with a drooping crest. Dasa Dasa , in some contexts, is also related to dasyu and asura , which have been translated by some scholars as " demon ", "harmful supernatural forces," " slave ," " servant ," or " barbarian ," depending on the context in which the word is used. Dāsa first appears in Vedic texts from

2146-493: The loud shouting, six eyed, three headed Dasa , Trita invigorated by his strength, smote the cloud with his iron-tipped finger. Dasa is also used in Vedic literature, in some contexts, to refer to "servants", a few translate this as "slaves", but the verses do not describe how the Vedic society treats or mistreats the servants. R. S. Sharma , in his 1958 book, states that the only word which could possibly mean slave in Rigveda

2204-502: The offering and utilization of household servants and slaves, along with land, mats, livestock, tools, and medicinal items. At times, slaves were tasked with carrying out actions that were explicitly prohibited for monks In Tamil dasa is commonly used to refer to devotees of Vishnu or Krishna . In Gaudiya Vaishnavism , devotees often use dasa (meaning slave of Krishna) as part of their names, as in Hari Dasa . Dasa or Das

2262-459: The only inhabitants of the region when they arrived to Sapta-Sindhava or land of seven rivers and their encounter with Dasyu was not entirely peaceful. Ram Sharan Sharma states that the Rig-Vedic society was primarily organized on basis of tribe, kin and lineage. The " Aryan " tribes mentioned by the Rig Veda therefore may not have been of the same ethnicity, but may have been united by

2320-453: The other hand presented as noble people protected by their gods Agni and Indra . He adds that their names were extended beyond them to denote savage and barbarian people in general. He concurs that this continued into later Sanskritic tradition where dasa came to mean a slave while Arya meant noble. The three words Dasa, Dasyu and Asura are used interchangeably in almost identical verses that are repeated in different Vedic texts, such as

2378-421: The population of Kosala, with only a few displaced families maintaining the Sakya identity afterwards. The Koliyas likewise disappeared as a polity and as a tribe soon after their annexation. The massive life losses incurred by Kosala during its conquest of Sakya and Koliya weakened it significantly enough that it was itself was soon annexed by its eastern neighbour, the kingdom of Magadha, and its king Viḍūḍabha

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2436-480: The possession of them. Sharma states that this reminds us of the later discovery of fortifications of Harappan settlements , though there is no clear archaeological evidence of mass-scale confrontation between Aryans and Harappans. He adds that the Aryans seemed to be attracted to their wealth over which regular warfare took place. The worshiper in the Rig Veda expects that those who offered no oblation should be killed and their wealth be divided (I, 176, 4). However, it

2494-515: The second millennium BCE. There is no consensus on its origins. Karl Heinrich Tzschucke in 1806, in his translations of the Roman geographer Pomponius Mela , noted etymological and phonological parallels between dasa and the ethnonyms of the Dahae – Persian داها; Sanskrit Dasa ; Latin Dahae ; Greek Δάοι Daoi , Δάαι, Δᾶαι Daai and Δάσαι Dasai – a people who lived on the south-eastern shores of

2552-465: The sense of a slave. Kautilya 's Arthashastra dedicates the thirteenth chapter on dasas , in his third book on law. This Sanskrit document from the Maurya Empire period (4th century BCE), has been translated by several authors. Shamasastry's translation in 1915, Kangle's translation in the 1960s and Rangarajan's translation in 1987 all map dasa as slave. However, Kangle suggests that

2610-482: The shape described in the early parts of the Rigveda as the enemy forts of Indra. He also found that Rigvedic words with vocalic ṛ in their first syllable - for instance, ṛbīsa - “oven” or śṛgāla - “jackal” - are likely loanwords from the unknown BMAC language. Authors like Sri Aurobindo believe that words like Dasa are used in the Rig Veda symbolically and should be interpreted spiritually, and that Dasa does not refer to human beings, but rather to demons who hinder

2668-638: The sixth century BCE, the Koliyas, the Sakyas , Moriyas , and Mallaka lived between the territories of the Kauśalyas to the west and the Licchavikas and Vaidehas to the east, thus separating the Vajjika League from the Kosala kingdom. The princess Māyā , who was the daughter of a Koliya noble, was married to the Sakya rājā Suddhodana , who was one of the members of the ruling aristocratic oligarchy of

2726-498: The spiritual attainment of the mystic. Many Dasas are purely mythical and can only refer to demons. There is for example a Dasa called Urana with 99 arms (RV II.14.4), and a Dasa with six eyes and three heads in the Rig Veda. Aurobindo commented that in the RV III.34 hymn, where the word Arya varna occurs, Indra is described as the increaser of the thoughts of his followers: "the shining hue of these thoughts, sukram varnam asam ,

2784-458: The term "unfreedom" to cover all these meanings. According to Arthashastra , anyone who had been found guilty of nishpatitah (Sanskrit: निष्पातित, ruined, bankrupt, a minor crime) may mortgage oneself to become dasa for someone willing to pay his or her bail and employ the dasa for money and privileges. According to Arthashastra, it was illegal to force a dasa (slave) to do certain types of work, to hurt or abuse him, or to force sex on

2842-398: The terms Dasa and Dasyu have a negative meaning in Sanskrit, their Iranian counterparts Daha and Dahyu have preserved their positive (or neutral) meaning. This is similar to the Sanskrit terms Deva (a "positive" term) and Asura (a "negative" term). The Iranian counterparts of these terms ( Daeva and Ahura ) have opposite meanings. Asko Parpola states the original Dasa

2900-484: The tribe is uniformly attested under the Pāli form Koliya . The Koliyas originally obtained this name from the kola ( jujube ) tree because they lived in a region where kola trees were abundant, and because the kola tree was their totem . The early history of the Koliyas is little-known, although it is certain that they were related to their western neighbours, the Sakyas , with whom they intermarried. By

2958-512: The weapon of that Dasa . – Translated by H. H. Wilson Within the Vedic texts, Dasa is the word used to describe supernatural demonic creatures with many eyes and many heads. This has led scholars to interpret that the word Dasa in Vedic times meant evil, supernatural, destructive forces. For example, Rigveda in hymn 10.99.6 states, स इ द्दासं तुवीरवं पतिर्दन्षळक्षं त्रिशीर्षाणं दमन्यत् । अस्य त्रितो न्वोजसा वृधानो विपा वराहमयोअग्रया हन् ॥६॥ The sovereign Indra attacking him overcame

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3016-533: The western border of the Koliyas, with their neighbours to the north-west being the Sakyas . In the south-west, the river Anomā or Rāptī separated the Koliyas from the kingdom of Kosala, to the east their neighbours were the Moriyas , and to their north-east they bordered on the Mallakas of Kusinārā . The capital of the Koliyas was Devadaha , and one of their other settlements was Ramgram . The name of

3074-515: The word dasa may refer to enemies, in other contexts it may refer to those who had not adopted the Vedic beliefs , and yet other contexts it may refer to mythical enemies in the battle between good and evil. In Pali texts, the term dasa is mentioned to denote a slave. Dasa in Buddhist texts can mean "servant". In Pali language, it is used as suffix in Buddhist texts, where Amaya-dasa

3132-569: Was an ancient Indo-Aryan clan of north-eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age . The Koliyas were organised into a gaṇasaṅgha (an aristocratic republic ), presently referred to as the Koliya Republic . The territory of the Koliyas was a thin strip of land spanning from the river Sarayū to the Himālayan hills in the north. The Rohiṇī river was

3190-604: Was defeated and killed by the Māgadhī king Ajātasattu. Alternatively, the Koliyas might have been conquered by Ajātasattu directly after fighting against Magadha just like the Vajjika League did. The Koliyas were organised into a gaṇasaṅgha (an aristocratic oligarchic republic ). Like the Sakyas, the Koliyas were a kṣatriya tribe, but unlike the Sakyas who belonged to the Gotama and Ādicca gotta s ,

3248-433: Was in charge of helping the mahārājā administer the republic. The members of the Koliya Assembly held the title of amaccā s ("councillors"). The amaccā s formed a college which was directly in charge of public affairs of the republic. The society of the Koliyas and Sakyas was a stratified one within which were present at least the aristocratic, land-owning, attendant, labourer, and serf classes. Similarly to

3306-488: Was the cattle which held the most importance to Aryans who were cattle-herders. For example, it is argued that Kikatas didn't need cows because they made no use of milk products in sacrifice. Sacrifice played an important part in Aryan way of life, however the Dasyus or Dasas did not offer sacrifices. An entire passage in the seventh book of Rig Veda uses adjectives such as akratün , aśraddhān and ayajñān applied to Dasyus emphasizes their non-sacrificing character. Indra

3364-535: Was translated by Davids and Stede in 1925, as a "slave by birth", Kila-dasa translated as a "bought slave", and Amata-dasa as "one who sees Amata (Sanskrit: Amrita , nectar of immortality) or Nibbana (Sanskrit: Nirvana )". According to Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar , regarding the Dasas, the question is whether there is any connection between the Azhi-Dahaka of the Zend Avesta . The name Azhi-Dahaka

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