History · Negotiating the Sources
UGC NET June 2011 History
Panchajana in the Rigveda refers to
AFive tribes of Aryans ✓ Correct
BFive tribes of Non-Aryans
CFive heads of a village
DHeads of five villages
Correct answer: (A) Five tribes of Aryans — Panchajana in the Rigveda denotes the five tribes of the Aryans, so the answer is the five Aryan tribes.
Explanation
★Panchajana in the Rigveda denotes the five tribes of the Aryans, so the answer is the five Aryan tribes.
★These five tribes are usually named Anu, Druhyu, Puru, Yadu and Turvasha.
★The term shows that early Vedic society was organised into kin-based tribal units called jana.
★The word jana occurs in the Rigveda about 275 times, underlining the tribal character of the age.
★A non-Aryan reading is wrong because Panchajana specifically marks the Aryan tribal confederacy.
★Village-level meanings are later administrative ideas and do not fit the Rigvedic tribal context.
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