1 IRRUPTION OF THE SCYTHIANS. 55
2 A&thiopia and Arabia. In every city of his vast empire he built and dedi-
3 cated temples to the special deity of the place.
4 Discoursing on the subject of the Indian zodiac, Sir William Jones
5 informs us, in the Asiatic Researches, that “the practice of observing the
6 stars began, with the rudiments of civil society, in the country of those
7 whom we call Chaldeans, from which it was propagated into Egypt, India,
8 Greece, Italy and Scandinavia before the reign of Sacya (identified with
9 Sesostris), who, by conquest, spread a new system of religion and philosophy
10 from the Nile to the Ganges.” The system referred to by Sir William was
11 essentially that materialism which, twelve hundred years after, was propagat-
12 ed in India by Buddha and his followers.
13 IRRUPTIONS INTO THE PANJAB OF THE ANCIENT SCYTHIANS,
14 OR TARTARS.
15 According to Abul Ghazi, the authentic historian of the Tartars, quoted
16 by Sir William Jones, the history of that nation begins with Oghaz, as
17 that of the Hindus begins with Rama. He was contemporary with Caiumeras,
18 the first regular king of Persia, of the Pashadadian family, being the grandson
19 of Moghal, or Mungal Khan, the direct descendant of Japhet.* This hero
20 and patriarch of the Scythians is described as having lived to a great age
21 and employed his early years in re-establishing the religion of Japhet in
22 the kingdoms of Thibet, Tangat and Kitay. He afterwards made war on
23 Persia, during the minority of Hushang, grandson of Caiumeras, and be-
24 sieged and conquered Khorasan. He next carried his arms into the
25 provinces of Irak, Azarbajan and Armenia, which he rendered tributary.
26 He then advanced to Kabul and Ghazni and reduced Northern India, includ-
27 ing Kashmir. Jagma, the ruler of Kashmir, and descendant of an ancient
28 race of Hindu kings, offered a stout resistance, but the determined
29 valour of Oghaz surmounted every obstacle, and, after a severe struggle of
30 a year, Kashmir was reduced, Jagma was massacred, and a considerable
31 number of the inhabitants of Késhmir were put to the sword.
32 After achieving these brilliant victories, Oghaz returned to his here-
33 ditary dominions by way of Badakshan, the country of the ancient Mas-
34 sagetae and Sogdiana. On his return home, he is said to have given
35 a grand banquet in honour of his victories in foreign countries. The enter-
36 tainment was given in tents adorned with pomegranates of gold and precious
37 stones. The Tartars regard the numeral nine as sacred. In this national
38 feast nine thousand sheep were slaughtered, together with nine hundred
39 horses. All the articles of food and drink, such as the bottles of wine
40 (of which the ancient Tartars were extravagantly fond), and the jars of mare’s
41 milk (which was considered wholesome), were regulated by the same
42 auspicious numeral,
43 It is not certain how far the descent of the Tartars under Oghaz extended
44 into the Panjab. It included, in its course, the Hydaspes, or Jhelum;
45 and, 4s it was undertaken more with the object of plunder than for the
46 purpose of permanently occupying the country, it does not seem to have
47 left any traces behind it.
48 The next irruption of importance of the Tartar hordes into the Panjab
49 was undertaken in the time of Cyaxares, the first sovereign of Media, the
50 most powerful kingdom that sprung from the ruins of the ancient Assyrian
51 empire, overthrown by Arbaces. The invasion took place about the middle
52 “Gog and Magog, the Yajuj snd Majuj of the Arabian historians, are descendants of
53 dephets pecs was Japhet’s second son, and it clearly gives the origin of the wad
54 “ oghe 7
55 Oghaz, the first great
56 king of the Scythians.
57 He conquers Nor-
58 thern India.
59 Extent of his con-
60 quest,
61 Next irruption of
62 the Tartars mto the
63 Panjab, 650 B.c.
64 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com