The Panis are a class of demons in the Rigveda, from paṇi-, a term for "bargainer, miser," especially applied to one who is sparing of sacrificial oblations. The Panis appear in RV 10.108 as watchers over stolen cows. They are located behind the stream Rasā, and sought out by Sarama. They boast to Sarama that they are well-armed and will not yield the cows without battle, and that the cows are furthermore well hidden in a rocky chamber. Sarama threatens them with the might of Indra and the Angirasas who will recover the cows. The "rocky treasure-chest" of the Panis is identical toVala, the stone split by Indra to liberateDawn. The myth is a variant of that of Indra slaying Vrtra, imagined as a stone serpent, liberating the blockedrivers. The word pani is also applied in the Rig Veda to human beings, even respected members of the community, who are unwilling to share their wealth. In one hymn Indra himself is addressed as "pani" and in Buddhism eventually becomes Vajrapani. Graeco-Roman authors equated the Parthians with a Scythian tribe called the Parni, which has been equated by some with the Panis. Strabo mentions that the Parnoi belonged to the Dahas and lived in Margiana and that they founded the Arsacid empire of Parthia. They could be related to Panis who were an important tribe of present Pakistan-Afghanistan region lasting to the time of Sikandar Lodi. Ahmed Abdulla writes that "the most important Pakhtun tribes of the Division are Kakar, Panni, Tarin, Shirani and Achakzai all of whom are split up between Western Pakistan and Eastern Afghanistan." It is further recorded in Sindh that "according to native accounts, the Parni came to Sibi in 1470 AD." The same text states that Parnis are also known as "Panni". According to Srimati Akshaya Kumari Devi the Panis were descendants of the Punis or Phoenicians, who traditionally established sea trading connections with Iran and India and mingled with the Persians and Scythians. The Panis may have become the Vani caste of traders and merchants.
