Arsi

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Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

Arsi was an Arabian tribe mentioned by Pliny.[1]

Variants

Arsi Namesake

  • Arsi Province, a former province of Ethiopia
  • Arsi Zone, a zone within the Oromia region of Ethiopia
  • Arsi Mountains National Park in Arsi Zone
  • Arsi Oromo, an Ethiopian clan of the Oromo people
  • Arsi language, a dialect of Oromo language
  • Ārśi, the original name, in the Tocharian languages for the city of Agni (Chinese Yanqi), later Karasahr as well as the surrounding area and its inhabitants

Jat clans

Mention by Pliny

Pliny[3] mentions Arabia.....Next to these are the Chaculatæ; then the town of Sibi, by the Greeks called Apate42; the Arsi, the Codani, the Vadei, who dwell in a large town, the Barasasæi, the Lechieni, and the island of Sygaros43, into the interior of which no dogs are admitted, and so being exposed on the sea shore, they wander about there and are left to die.

42 A name which looks very much like "fraud," or "cheating," as Hardouin observes, from the Greek ἀπάτη.

43 Off the Promontory of Ras-el-Had.

Asii are Risikas/Arsikas and Asiagh Jats

The Mahabharata Sabha Parava has many sections of which are believed to relate to historical scenario around Christian era refers to the Bahlikas, Daradas, Kambojas, Dasyus, Lohas, Parama Kambojas [4], uttara (northern) Risikas [5] and the Parama Risikas [6].

The latter four tribes, by implications, are placed north of Hindukush in Central Asia [7].

Patanjali in his Mahabhasya refers to Arsikas [8] which are said to be same as Risikas. Kasika on Panini (IV.2.132) also mentions Arsikas and connects them with the Risikas [9]. Sanskrit tribal name Risika has its adjective form as Arsika. The Prakrit form of Risika exist as Isi and Isika [10][11] (or Asi and Asika).

The Grecians were acquainted both with the Sanskrit forms Risika/Arsika as well as with their Prakrit forms Isi/Isika. The Grecian Asii (Appolodorus) is believed to represent Prakrit Isi and the Plinian Arsi is believed to be equivalent to Sanskrit Arsika. Of the four Scythian tribes mentioned by Strabo viz.: Asii, Pasiani, Tochari and Sacarauli, their equivalents have also been found in the Indian literature/sources.

Pliny the Elder (23–79), however knew about the Arsi People who may or may not be same as Asii of Apollodorus. As classical Asii/Asioi stands for Prakrit Isi/Isika or Sanskrit Risika [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20].

Pliny's Arsi may also be derived from Sanskrit Arsika [21].

"We have seen above that the Grecians knew of Asiani and Arshi. There should be no difficulty now to acknowledge that the Prakrit Ishi-Ishika stands for the Grecian Asii and the Grecian Arshi stands for the Sanskrit form Arshika. Perhaps these were the constituents of the Yüeh-Chi (Yue-chis). The Uttara Rishikas could be equated to Ta Yüeh-Chi of the Chinese history." [22].

"It is not difficult now to see that the Greek Asii is from Sanskrit Isi or Isi, and probably the Greek Arsi may be derived from Sanskrit Arsika" [23].

The tribal name Risika and Arsika of the Sanskrit texts are connected together in the Indian literature "Risikesu jatah Arsikah, Mahisakesu jatah Mahisakah"[24][25][26].

References

  1. ↑ Natural History by Pliny Book VI/Chapter 32
  2. ↑ Mahabhasya IV.2.2.
  3. ↑ Natural History by Pliny Book VI/Chapter 32
  4. ↑ Farthest Kambojas or Para-Kambojas.
  5. ↑ NOTE: Besides Northern Risikas, there was also another section of the Risikas called southern Risikas, inhabiting southern India near about Khandes on Krishna river which fact is amply attested from literary sources like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Markandeya Purana, Brhat-Samhita of Varahamihira, Patanjali, Kasika as well as by Nasik Cave Inscriptions of Queen Balasri of Satavahana dynasty which mentions the Risikas (Asikas) as a component of Gautamiputra Satkaranai's empire.
  6. ↑ Farthest Risikas or Para-Risikas.
  7. ↑ Mahabharata 2.27.24-27; Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahābhārata: Upāyana Parva, 1945, p 11 sqq, Moti Chandra; Geographical Data in the Early Purāṇas: A Critical Study, 1972, p 168, M. R. Singh; India as Known to Pāṇini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashṭādhyāyī, 1953, p 64, Dr Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala - India; A Grammatical Dictionary of Sanskrit (Vedic): 700 Complete Reviews of the ..., 1953, p 62, Dr Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala, Surya Kanta, Jacob Wackernagel, Arthur Anthony Macdonell, Peggy Melcher - India; The Deeds of Harsha: Being a Cultural Study of Bāṇa's Harshacharita, 1969, p 199, Dr Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala.
  8. ↑ Mahabhasya IV.2.2.
  9. ↑ Kasika IV.2.132 .
  10. ↑ Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahābhārata: Upāyana Parva, 1945, p 18, Moti Chandra; Trade and Trade Routes in Ancient India, 1977, p 94, Moti Chandra - History.
  11. ↑ It is remarkable to note that in the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute's edition of the Mahabharata the footnote gives the Prakrit forms of Risika as Isi and Isika (See: Mahabharata, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute edition, See foot note for Risika.
  12. ↑ Sanskrit Epics, 1998, p 200, J. L. Brockington.
  13. ↑ Trade and Trade Routes in Ancient India, 1977, p 94.
  14. ↑ Cf: "Strabo refers to the Asioi, who, along with the Tokharoi and the Sakrauoi, conquered Bactria from the Greeks. Perhaps, the Asioi are the per4haps the Rishikas or the Yueh-chis. The process of Arjuna's victory in the north direction shows that the Rishikas resided in Central Asia, as the former had defeated them in the north after defeating the Vahlikas, Kamboja, Daradas, Lohas and the Parama Kambojas. They resided in that region up to the 1st quarter of the 2nd century BC. Thus, it is apparent that epic refers to them in their original home (Central Asia) (Ref:Political Ideas and Institutions in the Mahābhārata, Based on Poona Critical Edition: (based on Poona critical edition), 1975, p 18, Brajdeo Prasad Roy).
  15. ↑ Journ. Bihar and Orissa, Res. Soc., XVIII, 1, 97 et 99; Cf: Fragments de textes koutchéens, Udānavarga, Udānastotra, Udānālaṁkāra et karmavibhaṅga, publiés et traduits avec un vocabulaire et une introduction sur le "tokharien": Publiés et traduits avec un vocabulaire et un introd. sur le "tokharien" par Sylvain Lévi, 1933, p 6, Sylvain Lévi; Journal asiatique, Item notes: v.222-223 (1933), p 6, Société asiatique (Paris, France), Centre national de la recherche scientifique (France)- Oriental.
  16. ↑ Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 1957, p 10, item notes: v.37 1956, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute; For Asi/ASi = Risika, also see: Political and social movements in ancient Panjab (from the Vedic age upto [sic] the Maurya period), 1964, p 96, Buddha Prakash; The Indian Historical Quarterly‎, 1954, p 227, item notes: v.30-31 1954-1955, India.
  17. ↑ Literary History of Ancient India in Relation to Its Racial and Linguistic Affiliations, 1953, p 183, Chandra Chakraberty.
  18. ↑ Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahābhārata: Upāyana Parva, 1945, p 18, Moti Chandra - India.
  19. ↑ King Asoka and His Inscriptions, 1968, p 96, B. M. Barua, I. N. Topa.
  20. ↑ India as Known to Pāṇini: A Study of the Cultural Material in the Ashṭādhyāyī, 1953, p 68, Vasudeva Sharana Agrawala.
  21. ↑ Literary History of Ancient India in Relation to Its Racial and Linguistic Affiliations, 1953, p 183, Chandra Chakraberty.
  22. ↑ Trade and Trade Routes in Ancient India, 1977, p. 94. Abhinav Publication, New Delhi. See also: Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahābhārata: Upāyana Parva, 1945, p 18, Moti Chandra - India.
  23. ↑ Geographical and Economic Studies in the Mahābhārata: Upāyana Parva, 1945, p 18, Moti Chandra.
  24. ↑ Kasika IV.2.132
  25. ↑ Political and social movements in ancient Panjab (from the Vedic age upto [sic] the Maurya period), 1964, p 96, Buddha Prakash.
  26. ↑ Jats, the Ancient Rulers: A Clan Study, 1980, p 76, Bhim Singh Dahiya.
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