In Rig Veda, Sudasa was the grandson and inheritor of the kingdom of Divodasa. He was a Rig Vedic king of the Tritsu (Bharata) community. Also known as Paijavana, being the son of King Pijavana, Sudasa subdued the might power of Sambara, the king of Dasas, and also humbled Dasyus, another non-Aryan tribe.
The gallantry of Sudasa is mentioned in the seventh mandala of Rig Veda. His military ability was established when he defeated a confederacy of ten kings in the Dasarajana war. The rise of Sudasa was obstructed by a confederacy of five kings of the Aryan communities of Puru, Yadu, Druhyu, Turvasa, and Anu, known as Panchajana, who allied with the five non-Aryan communities, Pakhta, Bhalana, Alina, Visanin, and Siva who assembled their joint forces on the banks of the Parushni (Ravi) River. According to Rig Veda, these ten kings were heretics and were opposed to the culture of Indra. Vasistha acted as the guiding priest of Sudasa and invoked favors of Indra to give him success in war.
The enemies of Sudasa dug the embankment of River Parushni so that the river could spread itself over his army camps. Sudasa got the banks repaired and the river reverted to its normal flow. The armies of the ten kings were finally routed. Sudasa also killed Kavi, son of Cayamana, in a war and drowned Simyu in the waters of the Indus. He massacred his enemies in the region of Vaikarna.
The victorious armies of Sudasa then traversed the kingdom of Bheda on the banks of Yamuna. Bheda, who had formed an alliance with Sigru and Yakshu in the same geographical region, was defeated. The center of gravity of conflict between Aryans and non-Aryans thus shifted to the east of the region of Sapta Sindhu.
After the great success in the war under the guidance of priest Vasishta, the cordial relationship between the king and his priest came to an end. Sudasa is associated with Vishwamitra in the third mandala of Rig Veda. Under his guidance Sudasa conquered the territories on the banks of Vipasha and Shutudri (modern Sutlej) and amassed great wealth. He also took possession of seven winter cities of Dasyus that were under the control of Purukutsa. Sudasa performed the Ashwamedha Yajna. Vishwamitra acted as a priest at the ritual.
Sudasa built the Aryan empire from the northwest region up to the bank of Yamuna. His sway in the Yamuna region opened the gates for the spread of Aryan culture abroad.