Anu was a major tribe in the Rigveda, RV 1.108.8, RV 8.10.5 (both times listed together with the Druhyu) and, later also in the Mahabharata. One of the Anu kings, King Anga, was a chakravarti (AB 8.22).
Ānava, the vrddhi derivation of Anu appears as the name of a ruler in the Rigvedic account of the Battle of the Ten Kings (7.18.13) and at 8.4.1 with the Turvaśa (tribe). The meaning ánu "living, human" (Naighantu) cannot be substantiated for the Rigveda [1] and may have been derived from the tribal name.
References
- ↑ Mayrhofer, Etym. Dict. 1986, pt. 1, p. 74
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