Introduction
This series takes inspiration from Indic scholars, such as R.C. Majumdar (1918), Bhimrao Ambedkar (1957), and Shrikant Talageri (2008), who see the various old Saṃskṛta terms described in the Ṛgveda as functional categories rather than ethno-linguistic or racial categories.
Further, taking inspiration from the works of comparative historians, this series views the essence of Ārya life as one built around the ideas of political hospitality. The Indic “śarana” and the Latin “Surrender” are related to the root “sar”, “to give”. The essence of the Ṛgveda is seen as lying in mutual aid. Not only do Indra and Agni, the main gods of the Ṛgveda, help human kings like Divodāsa or Trasadasyu, but the human hero Trita aids Indra and Agni in the slaying of drought demons Ahi (Vṛtra) and Vala.
Apart from mutual aid between gods and humans, ṛṣi-kavis of the Ṛgveda also composed hymns as contracts between gods, like the ṛṣi Vasiṣṭha, who composed the Indra-Varuṇau hymns to build a relationship between the god of thunder and the god of waters. Together, the gods send a flood that washes away enemies of the Bharatā tribe, ensuring the creation of a united Bhārata.
