Kamboja Aupamanyava

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Kamboja Aupamanyava finds mention in the list of ancient Vedic teachers given in the Vamsa Brahmana ^[1] of the Sama Veda [1].

This sage was born in the Kamboja family hence he was called Kamboja. He was called Aupamanyava since he was the son of Upamanyu.

Vamsa Brahmana further informs us that sage Anandaja had received the Vedic learning from sage Samba, the son of Sarkaraksa, as well as from Kamboja, the son of Upamanyu.

It is not clear under what circumstances sage Anandaja had received the Vedic lore from two teachers as one teacher is the usual rule. One can only be certain that they both must have been very special. From the order in which the names are given, Samba appears to have been the first teacher and later the Kamboja teacher had been approached, perhaps because the latter was marked by some special pre-eminence in Vedic learning ^[2].

It is further notable that both the teachers of sage Anadaja i.e. sage Samba Sarkarksa and Kamboja Aupamnanya, had received their own education in Vedic lore from one and the same teacher i.e sage Madragara Sangayani who belonged to Madra people. This connection between the Madras and the Kambojas is but natural as they were close neighbors in the north-west. These Madras have been referred to as Uttara Madras in Aitareya Brahmana and are also stated to lie across the Himalaya i.e Hindukush ^[3]. Prof Przylusky has shown that Bahlika (Bactria) was an Iranian settlement of the Madras who were known as Bahlika-Uttaramadras.

Scholars have identified sage Upamanyu mentioned in the Rig Veda ^[4] as the father or ancestor of Aupamanyava Kamboja ^[5].

Commenting on Yaska's Nirukta (II.2), the distinguished Prof Roth as well as another German philosopher Dr J. Muir suggest that this Nirukta (II/2) also proves the fact that the ancient Kambojas were Grammarians and Linguists i.e. Language Specialists^[6]. Sage Aupamanyava was himself a great Linguist and Grammarian. Yaska Acharya has quoted his views with respect more than a dozen times in his Nirukta. Aupamanyava is also stated to have authored one Nighantu--a collection of Vedic words.^[7]. According to Pt Bhagva Datta, Dr G. Opart has referred to one Nirukta whose authorship he attributes to Upamanyu. ^[8]. But according to scholars like Bishnupda Bhattacharya and Dr J. L. Kamboj etc, the Nairukata Upamanyu of Dr G. Opart is probably the teacher Aupamanyava of Yasaka's Nirukata ^[9].

The above references prove that besides being Vedic teachers, the ancient Kambojas had also distinguished themselves as pre-eminent Grammarians and Linguists in ancient India ^[10] and sage Aupamanyava Kamboja was indeed a distinhuished Nairukata of Sanskrit language.

The outstanding fact of the above discussion is that the Hinduised Kambojas were marked by pre-eminence in Vedic learning and their seers and sages had found important place in the list of the great ancient teachers by whom the Vedic lore was kept up and handed on.

[edit] Notes

^ Vamsa Brahmana 1.18-19.
^ Some Kshatriya Tribes of Ancient India, 1924, p 230, Dr B. C. Law; Trans of Rig Veda, III,113, Dr Ludwig
^ Aitareya Brahmana, VIII/14.
^ Rigveda I.102.09
^ Op cit, III.113, Dr Ludwig; Alt-Indisches Leben, p 102, Dr H. Zimmer; History and Culture of Indian People, The Vedic Age, p 260, Dr R. C. Majumdar, Dr A. D. Pusalkar; Problems of Ancient India, 2000, p 6, K. D. Sethna; op Cit, p 231, Dr B. C. Law; Ancient Kamboja, People and the Country, 1981, Dr Kamboj, Kambojas Through the Ages, 2005, pp 25-27, S Kirpal Singh etc.
^ The Literature and History of the Vedas, Original Sanskrit Texts, 2, 451-452, fn 149, J. Muir
^ For references to Aupamanyava Kamboja in Yasaka’s Nirukta, see: Political History of Ancient India, 1996, p 134, Dr H. C. Raychaudhury, Dr B. N. Mukerjee; Also: Kamboja People and the Country, 1981, pp 204-205, Dr J. L. Kamboj; Cultural Heritage Of India, 1958, pp 292-293, Article contributed by Dr V. D. Aggarwala.
^ Catalogue of Sanskrit Manuscripts, Part II, p 510, Dr G Opart
^ Ancient Kamboja, People and the Country, 1981, p 205, Dr J. L. Kamboj; See also: Yasaka’s Nairukata and Science of Etymology, An Historical & Critical Study, p 64, Bishnupda Bhattacharya.
^ cf: Tarikh-i-Qaum Kamboh, Urdu, Lahore, 1996, p 156, Chaudhury Mohammad Yusaf Hasan Kamboh

[edit] References

Rig Veda
Rig Veda (Trans), III.113, Dr Ludwig
Vamsa Brahmana of Sama Veda
Alt-Indisches Leben, Dr H. Zimmer
History and Culture of Indian People, The Vedic Age, Dr R. C. Majumdar, Dr A. D. Pusalkar
Some Kshatrya Tribes of Ancient India, 1924, Dr B. C. Law
Problems of Ancient India, 2000, K. D. Sethna
Ancient Kamboja, People and the Country, 1981, Dr Jiya Lal Kamboj etc.
Hunas, Yavanas and the Kambojas, Indian Historical Quarterly, Vol XXVi 1-2, 1950, Dr S. B. Chaudhury
Hindu World, Vol I, Benjamin Walker
Achaemenids In India, Dr S. Chattopadhyaya