Jats as known to Panini

[lrburdak]

India as Known to Panini is title of book by Vasudeva Saran Agrawala It is a study of the cultural material in the Ashṭādhyāyī, Published by University of Lucknow, 1953, India, 549 pages.

Bhim Singh Dahiya writes: V.S. Agarwala in India as known to Panini mentions many Saka tribes who are now found among the Jats. (see Jats the Ancient Rulers (A clan study)/The Jats,p.72-77)

We will discuss in this thread about more Jat clans which find mention inPanini's Ashṭādhyāyī.

[lrburdak]

Panini (पाणिनि) was a great Sanskrit grammarian and logician. He was born in Salatura in Gandhara (present day Kandahar) in modern Afghanistan, on the banks of the river Indus. He is also known as Salottariya and is said to be the descendant Panin and grandson of Devala. As his mother’s name was Daksha, he also bears the metronymic Daksheya (दाक्षेय) and Dakshiputra (दाक्षिपुत्र).

(See V. S. Agrawala: India as Known to Panini, 1953, p.8)

The phonic and semantic significance of Paninian root Jata is qualified as such by succeeding phrase Jata Jhata Sanghate (जट झट संघाते), used to denote the Samgha (संघ) of people.

Goldstucker reckons he might have been born in 6th century BC.

[lrburdak]

Bhim Singh Dahiya (Jats the Ancient Rulers (A clan study)/The Jats,p.72)writes:

Rishikas: The Puranic Rishikas of the Sakadvipa are mentioned. He also mentions Arjun conquering the Rishikas across the Vakshu (Oxus) river, "which flowed through the Saka country". The Rishikas were later known as Yue-che whose language was called Arsi (Asioi of the Greeks).

[lrburdak]

Bhim Singh Dahiya (Jats the Ancient Rulers (A clan study)/The Jats,p.72)writes:

Kantha: Agarwala further mentions a number of towns with names ending with Kantha, (the Central Asian-Kand) and comes to the conclusion that these Saka cities in the heart of Punjab in the fifth century B.C., can be explained only by the fact of their arrival in India in pre-Panini times.²⁰¹ In the second century B.C. it was a second wave of Sakas which came to India and later on as Kusanas. He has quoted Katyayana to show that Sakandhu and Karkandhu-two kinds of wells of the Sakas may be identified as the stepped well (vāpi) and the Persian wheel named Arghattu well respectively. Thus the Sakas of Central Asia were the originators of the stepped well and the Persian wheel well; just as the Kangs were the originators of the canal system in Central Asia in seventh century B.C. Agarwala has also quoted an authority to show that the name of places/cities, ending with Kand are of Scythian origin. Modern Samarkand, Tashkand, etc. are the examples in Central Asia of such towns.²⁰²
Gathwala: The well known frontier tribe which fought with the Greeks under Alexander called Katha by the Indians and by Panini and Kathoi by the Greeks are the modern Kathia, Gathwala Jats.²⁰³

---

200. ibid.
201. India as Known to Panini, pp. 68-69.
202. See H.W. Bailey, ASLCA, Transactions of Philological Society, 1945, pp.22-23.
203. op. cit., pp. 1-5.

[lrburdak]

Vrika: Another important tribe of the Jats mentioned by Panini is Vrika.²⁰⁴ He has identified the Vrikas with the Persian Varkana mentioned in the Behistun inscription of Darius²⁰⁵ and Varka in the plural form, of the expression Saka Hauma Varka. The country of the Vrikas was called Virkania, (Hyrcania by the Greeks) and was situated on the north of Parthia and East of Caspian Sea. The Persians considered them as Sakas (see Persepolis Tomb inscription). Agarwala also states that in Afghanistan area the word is written as Werk or Wurk. As he rightly mentions, the Virks are a section of the Jats in the Punjab who were originally Scythians.²⁰⁶ This name of the Jats is still existing and their mention by Panini takes their antiquity to fifth century B.C., the period of Panini. (See -Bhim Singh Dahiya :Jats the Ancient Rulers (A clan study)/The Jats,p.73)

204. ibid., p. 77.
205. ibid.
206. ibid., p. 444.

[lrburdak]

Kundu and Dandha: A couple of Jat tribes are also mentioned in Kasika. While mentioning the six members constituting the Trigarta confederacy, the Kasika identifies two tribes as Kaundoparatha and Dandaki. Their modern descendants are still called by these names and they are the Kundu and Dandha Jats in India. (See -Bhim Singh Dahiya :Jats the Ancient Rulers (A clan study)/The Jats,p.73)