Hidden Tales from the Mahabharat # 3: The Saka/ Scythian Connection

There are a few events and stories in the MB which are not only not compatible with modern times, but are also not seen in India over the last 1,000 years. Commentators and polemicists tend to gloss over these events with a flippant explanation, but I am quite sure they are there due to an underlying connection with the ancient Scythian culture.

( what follows is a brief lesson in history)

The Scythians (known in India as the Saka) are on record from the 7^th century BCE . They were a warlike horse-mounted nomadic pastoralist group who lived in the Eurasian Steppe. Their principal occupation was rearing of cattle and horses and they used both the cattle and horses for food and for trade. They were expert in horse-mounted archery. The Scythians through their interaction with the Assyrians also acquired the use of war chariots. They were also known to be cruel in battle. A Scythian warrior would drink the blood of the first enemy he killed. The location  of the Scythians tribes  over the Eurasian steppes is shown in the map below. To be noted that 3 groups in the middle are called “Saka”.

 

One section (or a tribe within the larger Scythian community), migrated into India and established the Saka Kingdom/s (see map below) which were in control of the regions of present-day Pakistan, Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP and UP for 600 years from about about 150 BCE to 400 CE. Some historians have stated that the migrations also continued during this period around 600 years. Their first king was Moga (also known as Maues, Mava in other narrations) who ruled from Takshila. The image below shows a coin issued by Moga. He is riding on a chariot. At its peak the Saka kingdom was a confederation of Saka chieftains known as Kshatraps (English equiv Satrap). During their presence in India, the Saka initially followed Buddhism and later Hinduism. The Hindu calendar Saka Samvat is named after them,

Around 70 CE , the Saka kingdoms of the Takshila region  were displaced by the Kushana  kingdom/ dynasty (aka Yuezhi,  also a tribe from central Asia) whose most famous king Kanishka ruled from Peshawar and Mathura. However several Saka kingdoms in the West (Gujarat/MP ) and North (UP/ Bihar) continued as vassal states under Kushana rule. In Indian history they are known as Western and Northern Kshatraps/ Satraps.

 The MB itself has multiple references to the Saka and depicts them as the “bad guys”. In the Kuruskshetra war they fought on the side of the Kaurava.The MB describes the Saka as a “mleccha” people living the north-west who were  fierce warriors.

Here are the specific points of similarity of Saka with the warriors of the MB.

• Polyandry: Draupadi marries 5 Pandava Brother: There are multiple references from both the Mahabharat and Ramayana of kings having multiple wives but a woman having more than 1 living husband is not only rare , it is unique. This is sought to be explained away by saying Kunti (without realising the consequences) said “share among all 5”, but there is no shloka in the MB which supports this remark of Kunti. Polyandry was practiced  in Scythian culture.
•  Horse sacrifice: Ashwamedha Yagya (described in detail in the Ashwamedhika Parva) clearly mentions that those who participated in the Ashwamedha (royalty, noblemen, courtiers, officiating brahmin priests) ate the flesh of the sacrificed horse. Horse sacrifice was also practised by the Scythians. Interestingly, the Scythians did not slaughter the horse. They strangulated the horse for the sacrifice and this is also how the horse was killed in the Ashwamedha.
•  Cruelty in battle: It was a practice among Scythian warriors to drink the blood of the enemy killed. In the MB , Bheema kills Dushasana in a wrestling match and then drinks his blood.
•  One peculiar feature of  Scythian warriors was that they had very long arms and legs. The MB also describes warriors in a similar way. The Sanskrit word AAJANUBAHU is used. It means with arms reaching till thighs/  knees.
• Chariots, horses  and arrows. All the warriors in the MB are all shown as expert horse-riders and archers. This is common with the Scythians.
• Physique: The Scythians were known to be very tall and well built. The average height of warriors was around 6 ft. They were fair (not white) in complexion. Their eye colour was black/ grey/ amber and hair colour dark/ blonde.

So what we see in the MB is that while the Saka are the “bad guys” their characteristics (physique, battle prowess, marital customs, archery etc) are used in the story.

But there is an interesting twist. Present day Jats of Haryana/ UP/ Rajasthan (and to some extent related communities such as Gurjars and Rajputs) show remarkable similarities with the Saka: They are well-built with long arms. The Jats also follow a custom that when a woman is widowed , the deceased husband’s brother marries the widow. Indeed , a website run by the Jat community mentions their connection with the Sakas and historians are agreed that the Jats are the descendants of the Western and  Northern Satraps. The well-known Jat village council known as KHAP is actually derived from the word Kshatrap.

https://www.jatland.com/home/Scythian_Jats

Some scholars have even suggestd that the word  JAT is derived from the Saka  tribe MASSAGETAE . This is a Greek word pronounced as massa-jetay

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massagetae