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SAMAYASARA
valent in ancient India we may infer from certain facts available in the Vedic literature. Vedas constitute the eailiest record available They form three distinct groups, the Samhitas, Biahmanas and the Upanishads. The Samhitas are four in number. The Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Samaveda and Atharvana Veda. The Rig Veda mantras are uttered for the purpose of invoking the aid of the Vedic Gods India is the most important of the Vedic deities. The religious life of the Aryans in the Rig Vedic period centred sound the personality of India, the Vedic God. His and is invoked by the Alyans of the Rig Vedic period to obtain prosperity in theii agriculture and also in their cattle wealth His and is also invoked for the purpose of destroying the enemies, the people of the land, who resisted their advance. Thus the Aryans had to encounter opposition from among the people of the land whom they considered their enemies, who strongly resisted the invading Aryans. The Rig Vedic hymns composed with such a back ground of racial conflict furnishes us with certain interesting facts as to the life and characteristics of the people of the land who violently opposed to the incoming Aryans These hymns referred to a section of the Ikshavakus or Purusha who were in existence in the land long long before the Aryans of the Rigvedic period came into the scene! These Ikshavakus are recognised to be of the Aryan race and they are referred to in terms of respect and adoration. This Ikshavakuvamasa otherwise called the Raghuvamsa, evidently was an important and a famous ruling dynasty of ancient India, which must have been in existence even prior to the Aryans of the Rigvedic period. That this Ikshavakuvamsa was famous is borne out by the fact that most of the ancient Kshatriya families traced their origin to these Ikshavakus and even the Sakya clan to which Gautama Buddha belonged claimed its origin from the Ikshavakus. The heroes of this family are celebrated in Kalidasa's Raghuvamsa. According to Kalidasa, these heroes began their life in early childhood as students, then they lived their household lives, after which they completely renounced their worldly attachment and roamed about in the forests performing Tapas or Yoga and then finally discarded their bodies after-realisation. This
