We find that various scholars have tried to decide the chronological order of compositions of hymns of Rig Veda. The efforts became necessary because what we have in hand today does not follow its original chronology, but a version that is edited, rearranged and divided in 10 books (Mandalas) as per the needs of the later editors. However, the normal agreement is the six family books (2 to 7) are the oldest core of the Rig Veda whereas other books are considered to be middle and younger books.
If we look at the Rig Vedic compositions, we will find that every book can again be classified as old, middle and younger independently, because they, too, are not composed at one go, but several generations have contributed to them.
Even the hymns are edited to suit the purpose of the editor to bring the final version in most possible orderly manner. Hence, many hymns are credited to several seers. It also becomes difficult to determine whether all the verses of the hymns were composed at once or was the creation of different times. We find many Rig Vedic hymns consist of verses without any chronological order while recording the events, making it difficult to understand its real historical order.
We also have discussed in this chapter that the composition of the Rig Veda, as evident from Danastuti, was not accomplished under single patronage. Also, we have discussed how the seer families belonged to different clans/ tribes and followed different faiths and traditions before joining the Rig Vedic stream. Although the Vedic religion and its ritualistic nature remained fire centric, new deities and mythologies of different sources kept on adding to the bulk of Rig Veda. Because of this, we can state that the Rig Veda in a way represents its cosmopolitan nature.
However, we do not know for certain, which could be the first seer family that founded the Rig Vedic faith. We also do not know which the earliest hymn is and who composed it. The Rig Vedic mythologies about their prominent seers, their supposed family members and descendants is so much so shrouded with the obscure and inconsistent legends, that we cannot be so sure whether the lineage of seer families is real or fabricated by the seers of later times to claim their divine and acclaimed bloodline.
We know the names of the seer/s of the hymns from the Anukramanis, which is quite a late text. From Anukramanis (Katyayanas being oldest but its assigned date is about 500 BC to 300 BC) we come to know names of the seers who composed the hymns, its metre and deity or deities to whom it is addressed. But it is doubtful whether it is historically correct in its totality.
Michael Witzel opines on ‘The Anukramanis’, while criticizing Talageri’s book, ‘The Rigveda. A historical analysis’, (Aditya Prakashan 2000), “As suggested earlier, in his ‘analysis’ of the RV, Talageri depends heavily on the Anukramanis -- late- and post-Vedic lists of RV poets (many of them clearly fictional), deities, and meters. These lists are closely related to other later and traditional sources, including the Puranas…… Talageri not only seems oblivious of these facts, but is unaware as well that competing versions of the AnukramaÍīs exist. Indeed, he makes the startling claim at the beginning of his book (p. 7) that “the Anukramanis were part and parcel of the Rigvedic text from the most ancient times" -- claiming further that these lists must lie at the grounds of any serious analysis of the text. Amateurish errors like this are compounded by the fact that the version of these lists that Talageri (unknowingly) depends on -- an early medieval redaction of late-Vedic Katyayana's Sarvånukramani.” (‘The Incredible Wanderlust of the Rgvedic Tribes Exposed by S.Talageri”, p. 2)
Rather, such fabrications are not new in the Vedic tradition. The authorships of many scriptures of later times are attributed to mythical figures to provide them sanctity and authenticity. Hence, the division of the family books and non-family books, too, may not be as correct as generally thought about.
From the history of both the religions, we can conclude that, even if we cannot definitely decide on which scripture is older, however, with some degree of certainty, we can say that both the traditions are almost contemporaneous.
From accounts of the wars, it may appear that the main enemies of the Zoroastrians were Turvasas (Turanians) and not Rig Vedic tribe of early times. There certainly are traces of the sense of rivalry between the Avestan and Vedic tradition, which seems to have encouraged Rig Vedic seers to record victories of Turvasas over Zarathustra’s patron tribe, no matter whether in single verses. Turvasas in the later course of the time turned up to be enemies along with Yadus and others to engage Sudasa, Rig Vedic patron of that time, in the battle to prove him victorious. However, we have no clue as to what happened to his clan in the later course of the time. However, it appears that the Vedic tradition of later times have defamed Sudasa so much so that they degraded him to "Shudra" (Non-Vedic) status. Manusmriti evidences this fact. We have indications to affirmatively state that the aftermath of the Battle of the Ten Kings turned out sour to the Vedics to force some to abandon their habitat.
From the wars those took place during the lifetime of Zarathustra, we have discussed above; we certainly can state that battle of ten kings took place in later times, could possibly be after a couple of centuries later. In the passage of almost 300 to 500 years, that took to compose the extant Rig Veda, we cannot expect that the first patron royal family, too, continued its dominance to support the religion over such vast span on time. From Avesta, we clearly see that after fall of Vishtaspa’s dynasty, the Avestan tradition was shifted elsewhere by the followers for want of patrons. Rig Vedic seers, too, from the Danastutis, appear to have receiving patronage and gifts from other, even once enemy, tribes.
I especially use the term ‘Vedic Tribe’, not Puru or Bharata or Tritsu in particular because it clearly appears the from Rig Vedic accounts that the composition of the Rig Veda did not complete in the so-called Aryan society or under the sole patronage of the hypothetical Puru tribe or its hypothetical offshoot tribes. There was no ‘Aryan’ society as such. Puru, Bharata or Tritsu tribe does not show its prolonged continuation of reign in any region for that matter. The seer families do not show any way that they belonged to any single tribe and uniformly, but over generations, composed Rig Veda. It can be assumed that the many seers were contemporary. However, it is clear from Rig Veda itself that they belonged to different locations and tribes. We can see that the Bhrigus and Vishvamitra, though might not have physically participated in the famous battle of ten kings, certainly were not part of the Sudasa’s tribe. We find, in this battle, Purus too had fought against Sudasa. There can be listed many instances like this, those only makes it clear that the Rig Vedic compositions were multi-centered and among, sometimes, rival tribes and simultaneous. It seems that in later course, the extant corpus of the Rig Veda was gathered and rearranged and this is why we can find even compositions of the rival seer families belonging to different clans too are incorporated in the Rig Veda. What I want to suggest here the work of the Rig Veda is not the product of single homogeneous society and culture. It shows that in instance of Kanvas, ethnicities too differed. In all, Rig Veda is not at all propriety of a single tribe, but product of several tribes and of different times. The Danastuti hymns too are important indicator of this fact. Traditionally attributing the works of Rig Veda to hypothetical Bharata or Puru clan or their hypothetical offshoots may not be correct. Hence, from “Vedic tribe/s” we are not indicating a single society, which was responsible for this monumental work, but the tribe/s those kept on patronizing from time to time the Rig Vedic compositions and religion.
Also, we must note here that when a religion spreads elsewhere, it is because of the faithful preachers. It doesn’t at all mean that the entire populace belonging to that particular religion has moved deserting their original habitat. We also can clearly see from the history that the people have abandoned the previous faiths to adopt new ones. Buddhism spread in nearby countries by this missionary process only. It will be insane to claim that the entire Indian Buddhist population had migrated to Sri Lanka, Tibet, China and other countries to enforce Buddhism upon them.
Most importantly, many a times, religions do die at the place of its origin but prosper elsewhere! Buddhism again is a fine example for this. It could not sustain its existence and influence in the country of its origin for a long time. Rather, it almost had become extinct until Dr. BR Ambedkar resurrected it.
This, too, seems to have happened with Rig Vedic, fire-sacrifice oriented, religion. It could not survive in the land of its origin but was destined to receive patronage and followers from northwest India to begin with. We will see who were their first patrons and how this religion got spread by conversions in the Indian subcontinent.
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