mleccha

Mleccha () is a Sanskrit term referring to those of an incomprehensible speech, foreigners or invaders deemed distinct and separate from the Vedic tribes. In Vedic Brahmanical discourse, the term is used to refer to foreigners (anāryans) who are considered outside the realm of Vedic dharma.

''Mleccha'' was traditionally applied to denote foreigners or outsiders who did not belong to the Vedic cultural milieu, regardless of their race or skin colour. These individuals were considered outside the Varna system and the ritualistic framework of Vedic society. Historical sources identify various groups as mlecchas, including the Śākas, Huns, Chinese, Greeks, Kambojas, Pahlavas, Bahlikas, Rishikas, and Daradas. Other groups designated as mlecchas include the Barbaras, Kiratas, Paradas, Saka-Greeks, Indo-Greeks, Pulindas, and Scythians. Further identifications include the Kushans, Kinnaras, Tusharas, and Nishadas. The designation further extends to include groups such as the Türks, Gujjars, Mongols, Romans, Balochs, and Arabs.

Etymology

The Sanskrit word ''mleccha'' does not have a standard Indo-European etymology and has no counterpart in Iranian languages. However, it has cognates in Middle Indo-Aryan languages: Pali ''milakkha'', and Prakrit ''mliccha'', from the latter of which originate Sindhi ''milis'', Punjabi ''milech'', Kashmiri ''brichun'' (weep or lament), Western Pahari ''melech'' (dirty), Odia ''mḷecha'', Bengali ''myaloch (dirty)''. The Sanskrit word occurs as a verb ''mlecchati'' for the first time in the latic Vedic text '' Śathapatha‐Brāhmaṇa'' dated to around 700 BCE. It is taken to mean to speak indistinctly or barbarously. Brahmins are prohibited from speaking in this fashion.

As ''mleccha'' does not have an Indo-European etymology, scholars infer that it must have been a self-designation of a non-Aryan people within India. Based on the geographic references to the ''Mleccha deśa'' (Mleccha country) to the west, the term is identified with the Indus people, whose land is known from the Sumerian texts as Meluḫḫa. Asko Parpola has proposed a Dravidian derivation for "Meluḫḫa", as ''mel-akam'' ("high country", a possible etymological relationship and reference to Balochistan from where originated the Indus Valley Civilization. Franklin Southworth suggests that mleccha comes from ''mizi'' meaning 'speak', or 'one's speech' derived from Proto-Dravidian for language.

Pali, the older Prakrit used by Theravada Buddhism, uses the term ''milakkha''. It also employs ''milakkhu'', a borrowing from a Dramatic Prakrit.

Language

Some explanations of the name ''mleccha'' suggest that the word was derived from the Indo-Aryan perception of the speech of the indigenous peoples. Namely, ''mlech'' was a word that meant 'to speak indistinctly'. As such, some suggest that the Indo-Aryans used an onomatopoeic sound to imitate the harshness of an alien tongue and to indicate incomprehension, thus coming up with ''mleccha''.

Early Indo-Aryans spoke Sanskrit, which evolved into the various local modern Sanskrit-derived languages. Sanskrit was believed to include all the sounds necessary for communication. Early Indo-Aryans would therefore dismiss other languages as foreign tongue ''mleccha bhasha''. As the Sanskrit word itself suggests, mlecchas were those whose speech was alien. Correct speech was a crucial component of being able to take part in the appropriate '' yajñas'' (religious rituals and sacrifices). Thus, without correct speech, one could not hope to practice correct religion, either.

The notion of being Arya suggested a knowledge of Sanskrit in order to effectively perform ritual hymns; thus suggesting the importance of language. Parasher discusses the importance of knowing the ''correct speech'' in order to perform sacrifice and ritual in the religion of the ''brahmanas''. Parasher continued, "The best experts of the sacrificial art were undoubtedly the various families of the Brahmins who, placed in a hierarchy within the Indo-Aryan social system, became the upholders of pure and best speech".

Historians note that early Indo-Aryans believed Sanskrit to be the superior language over all other forms of speech. As such, mleccha or barbarian speech was said to have meant any of the following:
# a language which was not necessarily alien, but the speech of the person or persons was improper because it was either hostile or vulgar
# a language, and here most probably Sanskrit, that was mispronounced and, thereby, incomprehensible
# finally, any foreign tongue, which was naturally incomprehensible.

Territory

Historians have stated that the notion of foreigners in ancient India – those living outside of the Indian subcontinent – was often accompanied by the idea that one was a barbarian. Still, it seemed that groups who did not come from outside of these areas, as well as foreigners, were designated by the term ''mleccha'', which carried with it a barbarian connotation.

Thus another distinction that was made between the mlecchas and non-mlecchas was area of habitation. Though they were considered a marginal group, the area characterize as the mleccha-desa (the natural border that separated their lands from that of the Aryans) was never permanent. Instead, it was defined by the changing ideas about the Āryāvarta

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