Historical Interpretation of the Nadi-Stuti Hymn in the Rgveda
Summary
In this paper, the author proposes to discuss the historical significance of the Nadi-stuti hymn found in Rgveda 10.22.75. The hymn contains the praise of rivers, especially the Indus, and its Rishi is Praiyamedha Sindhuksit while its Devata is Nadi (Rivers). The author provides the relevant stanzas and their translation by Ralph T. H. Griffith, followed by a list of the names of the rivers mentioned, including Gangi, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Sutudri, Asikni, Parusni, Vitasta, Marudvrdha, Arjikiya, Susoma, Trstama, Svetya, Kubha, Sindhu, Mehatnu, Gomati, Krumu, Mehatau, Susartu, and Silamivati and Urnavati. The author argues that the conclusions drawn by orientalists like Macdonell and Keith, who use the list of rivers to infer an Aryan expansion from west to east or that the Aryans were originally from Sapta-Saindhava, are prejudiced and misleading. The author points out that the order of the rivers in the hymn is from east to west, starting with the Ganga and ending with the Kubha (Kabul), Gomati (Gomal), and Krumu (Kurrum). The author suggests that this order implies a westward expansion of the people, starting from the most familiar and nearest rivers to the most distant. For the correct interpretation of the Nadi-stuti hymn, the author emphasizes two indispensable things: freeing the mind from the preconceived notion that the Aryans were foreigners or originally belonged to Sapta-Saindhava, and following the Indian method of Vedic interpretation with the help of Itihasa-Purana. According to the Indian method, the Veda should be studied with the help of Itihasa and Purana. The author then turns to the Itihasa-Purana, specifically the Bhagavata-Purana, to provide light on the Nadi-stuti hymn. The author points out that the Rishi of the hymn is Praiyamedha Sindhuksit, and according to the Bhagavata-Purana, Praiyamedha was a descendant of Ajamidha, the Bharatavamii king of Pancala (Ganga-Yamuni Doab). The author suggests that Praiyamedha Sindhuksit was a royal sage who was exiled from his kingdom but ultimately restored, and that he started from Pancala and crossed the rivers of western Uttara Pradesh and Punjab to arrive on the banks of the Indus. The author concludes that the Nadi-stuti hymn was a short history of the westward march of Praiyamedha Sindhuksit and his followers from the banks of the Ganga to the banks of the Sindhu. The author also suggests that the Rgveds was composed by those branches of the Aryans which started westward march from the banks of the Ganga and Yamuna, and that the straight conclusion ought to be the reverse of the orientalists' conclusion, indicating a westward expansion of the Aryans.
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Conclusion
This study reinterprets the Nadi-Stuti hymn of the Rgveda to challenge prevailing theories of Aryan migration into India. By analyzing the east-to-west geographical order of the rivers listed, the author argues against the notion of an Aryan invasion from the northwest. Instead, the hymn is shown to reflect a westward expansion of indigenous Aryans originating from the Ganga-Yamuna doab. Utilizing Puranic traditions, the text identifies the hymn's composer, Praiyamedha Sindhuksit, as a royal sage who migrated from his ancestral homeland to the Indus region. Consequently, the Rgveda's geographical focus is attributed to the cultural and political centers of the migrating tribes in the northwest, rather than foreign origins. This approach underscores the necessity of integrating Indian Itihasa and Purana with Vedic texts for accurate historical interpretation, ultimately reversing the traditional narrative of Aryan movement in ancient India.