BRAHMINS IN SANGAM LITERATURE-2

LITERATURE- LIGHT AND DELIGHT

BRAHMINS IN SANGAM LITERATURE- 2


Bases of historical studies

Before we take up Sangam Literature proper, some more preliminary observations are necessary. We have to clear our minds of many wrong things we have been taught through school and college, and in books by dubious scholars.

Knowledge of history is derived from traditional sources, literary sources, epigraphy, archaeology, etc. But all this is subject to interpretation by people with their own biases, interests and other limitations.

In modern times, science has come up with techniques like radio-carbon dating, satellite photography, DNA studies, etc.

 Each society has its own approach to the subject. In the West, they focus on chronological account. In India, we record as history only that which is exceptional. Not that we do not care for chronology, but the world is so ancient there is no point in remembering every damn thing;we should only focus on what is edifying, and necessary as a guide to conduct. In the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavata, we find the vamsavali of the kings recited. In song 363 of Purananuru, poet Siruventeraiyar says the number of kings who ruled the earth would exceed the sand on the beach.


இருங்கடல் உடுத்த இப் பெருங்கண் மானிலம்
உடைஇலை நடுவணது இடை பிறர்க்கு இன்றித்
தாமே ஆண்ட ஏமம் காவலர்
இடுதிரை மணலினும் பலரே, சுடுபிணக்
காடுபதியாகப் போகித் தத்தம்
நாடு பிறர் கொளச் சென்று மாய்ந்தனரே

--------சிறுவெண்தேரையர்.

The number of kings who ruled, with glee, this wide earth surrounded by the seas, without leaving even that much space as occupied by a small leaf to others, would exceed the number of sand particles washed ashore by the waves of the sea. All of them at last died, reaching the burning ghat as the final resting place, leaving their lands to be enjoyed by others.

In 358, the poet Vanmiki mentions that many kings  may rule the earth on the same day.

பருதி சூழ்ந்த இப் பயங்கெழு மானிலம் 
ஒரு பகல் எழுவர் யெய்தி யற்றே

-----வான்மீகியார்

This fertile earth, which goes round the sun, has the reputation of being ruled by many kings on   the  same day .

So, what is the point in recording the names of every one of them?

 Westerners and their Indian imitators say we have no sense of history, forgetting that we have the sense to remember and record only that which is exceptional. Purananuru thus commemorates only those kings and chieftains who have been exceptional in some way. Chronological history is for children, like reciting the numbers table.

Astronomical data in Itihasa

But in India, we have an exceptional instrument: our Itihasas contain lot of astronomical data  with the aid of which we can precisely determine the relevant date! Thus the date of Rama's birth, the date of his exile, the date of the war, the date of coronation, have all been recorded. The Mahabharata contains more than 100 references to astronomical events. Scholars working on this have given us dates for the various events like the birth of Krishna, the date of the great war, the date Krishna left the earth, etc. There are differences among them no doubt, but it is due to the calculation system they adopt. And it is much the same as doctors differ among themselves on the basis of the same figures, or lawyers differ among themselves. Even learned judges differ on the interpretation of the same words in the Constitution!

Submerged Dwaraka discovered

Traditionally, it has been held that Kaliyuga started on the day Krishna left the earth. The Mahabharata and Bhagavatam record many unusual events preceding this and the destruction of Dwaraka, Krishna's city by the fury of the sea. Western scholars and our imitators ridiculed this as mere fiction. But now  (1987-88) it has been established by scientific methods like marine archaeology, carbon dating, etc that the old Dwaraka was actually destroyed by a tsunami around the date traditionally believed. The old under-water structures have also been photographed! Yet, these developments and findings are not mentioned in our school or college books! Tradition holds that Krishna left the earth around 3102 BCE and the scientific data relating to the submergence of Dwaraka as well as studies based on astronomical indications converge and confirm this date, with some margin!

Troy and Ayodhya

The Greeks have their own splendid mythology. And they have two epics- the Iliad and Odyssey, written by Homer, a blind poet! The Iliad chronicles the events leading to the war between Spartans and Trojans, over the abduction of Helen, wife of Spartan king. The war took place in the city of Troy. (Does it sound like Ramayana?) This event is covered in many Greek sources, but Iliad is the most famous account of the last year.  Western scholars used to dismiss this as a fanciful account of a blind poet endowed with  rich imagination! But after 1870, extensive excavations have been made and the whole city complex has been unearthed! No less than 7 layers have been found. This has led to the study of civilisations even more ancient than the Greek and had taken the date back by 13 or 12 centuries! But when it comes to Indian Itihasa, the same people show a negative, unscientific attitude! They do not want to study the evidence, and investigate further, and even pretend , like the ostrich, that it does not exist.

Take the case of Ramayana. The event takes place throughout India and Lanka. Innumerable places are connected with it. There is literary record in all Indian languages, some as old as the Tamil Sangam literature. Even if Ayodhya is destroyed, Rameswaram still stands! And its ruler is traditionally called "Setupati" - the Lord or protector of the Setu-  Setu kavalan in Tamil-the dam built across the sea! This was used as  a foot bridge to cross over to Lanka up to 1480! A severe storm like tsunami washed away parts of it and it became disjointed and unusable. This was recorded in the Manual of Madras Presidency in 1902 by C.D.Maclean. The Setu is mentioned in the Triuvalangadu Copper Plates of Rajendra Chola (1018-1048) This was mentioned in a coin issued by Parantaka Chola in 907 CE. Krishnadevaraya recorded it in his inscriptions 500 years ago! It is mentioned by foreign travellers like Al Biruni (1030), Marco Polo (1271-1290- travel period). In fact, there are references to it in edicts, inscriptions, coins, official records, etc continuously for the last 1000 years. The colonial powers quietly named it 'Adam's bridge'. But above all, NASA has through Satellite photography established that a bridge exists and that it is MAN-MADE!

Landsat 7 image of RamaSethu. Public domain wia Wikimedia commons.

 Yet the Dravidian politicians and the thoughtless Indian govt wanted to erase this evidence by digging a canal in that area, over the very bridge! 

Aerial view of RamaSethu,Taken on a flight over Srilanka.
By This image was created by UserPlaneMad CC BY-SA 2.5Creativecommons via Wikimedia commons.

Shameless and Senseless UPA govt.

And the UPA govt shamelessly submitted to the court that Rama is not a historical figure. The court ordered the Ayodhya site to be excavated and studied by archaeological experts. Though the govt created lot of obstructions, the fact has been established that it was the site of the famed Ayodhya and that the mosque was constructed on the site after demolishing the temple and using the same material- a standard procedure adopted by fanatic Muslim plunderers.

 See the contrast in attitude: when Troy is discovered, the whole West is elated, because it had proved the truth of their ancient civilisation and its bard and the events he sang about, though that civilisation itself has disappeared and is now confined to museums and libraries; here in India is a living civilisation, commemorating daily the many incidents connected with the Itihasa sung in all Indian languages, but our own govt disowns all knowledge! This is barbarism, not secularism! But thanks to the Net and the social media, the fact is well known, though Hindus continue to be timid and apologetic when talking of their religion!

Truth of the four Vedas

Because of Western influence, we have adopted many of their views unconsciously. One is that Rig Veda is the oldest; another is that the Upanishads are later creations and differ from the Veda.How did the Westerners arrive at this conclusion? Did any one of them know the Veda ie knew it by heart, or study it properly, as Indians do?  Our tradition is that Veda is one divided by Vyasa into four and entrusted to 4 disciples and their followers because in this Kali Age people would not be able to learn all the four. The very name Vyasa is derived from this fact! And each one meets or fulfills a different purpose. And Upanishads are very much part of the Veda- they are called Vedanta ie the conclusion of the Veda! The Upanishad differs from the Veda like a ripe fruit differs from the unripe one! This is very common in our religion. We first take up Murti upasana, but later we are asked to transcend it!  Even when we perform puja, we are asked to feel that the worshipper and the worshipped are one (in spirit)- "so'ham bhavena pujayet"!We are first asked to study the Veda but later on, it is considered apara vidya once Atma vidya is acquired! As the Gita says, who needs a well when the whole place is flooded? There are different parts of the Veda like Brahmanam, Aranyakam, Upanishad, etc which are applicable at different stages in the sadhana, and different asramas. We are first asked to live in the world and then renounce it! Is this a contradiction?The Upanishad is mainly meant for the Vanaprasta and Sanyasi, though it too has to be learned when young! The English alphabet has only 26 letters and even Shakespeare and Milton could not write beyond 26! But when we study them, do we merely read the alphabet? But the blessed Westerner did not understand this, nor did his blasted Indian imitator!

Dr.B.R.Ambedkar on Aryan Invasion Theory

Most educated Indians do not have an independent mind-set and they feel comfortable conforming to the Western ideas, as in dress. Dr.B.R.Ambedkar was an exceptional figure. Struggling for the uplift of the untouchables, he wanted to study the origin of the low castes. Could it be attributed to the Aryan invasion, as people supposed? He studied the Veda on his own. His conclusions are:

• The theory of (Aryan) invasion is an invention. It is a perversion of scientific investigation. It does not evolve out of facts. The theory is preconceived and the facts are selected to prove it!
• The Vedas do not know any such race as the Aryan race.
• There is no evidence in the Veda of any invasion of India  by the Aryan race and its having conquered Dasas and Dasyus, supposed to be the natives!
• There is no evidence to show that the distinction between the Aryans, Dasas and Dasyus was a racial one.
• The Vedas do not support the contention that the Aryas were different in colour from Dasas and Dasyus.

(After all Rama was dark, Lakshmana was fair! Krishna and Draupadi were dark, Arjuna and Balarama were white!)

Ancient India was Extensive.

Those born in Independent (divided) India have no idea of prepartition India! Most Indians do not know that ancient India extended up to Iran in the West, including what is today Afghanistan, Baluchistan, etc. Most of the original Hindu names have changed : Peshawar was Purushapuram under Kanishka; Multan was Mulastanam. Gandhari came from Gandhara, that is Afghanistan! Imagine India in even earlier times! This area was the cradle of our civilisation. Bhagavatam was composed on the banks of Saraswati river. Mahabharata mentions that river. It is only after the drying up of that river due to geological and tectonic changes that that community got scattered. Even today we have a distinct community in India called "Gaud Saraswats".This is interesting.

Ancient India was divided into ten regions:called pancha-Gauda and pancha Dravida desa. (Yes, the word "Dravida, Dravidian' is Sanskrit.) The Gauda desa extended from Kashmir to Bengal, Bengal being the Gaudest of the Gaudas! The Bengal Vaishnava organisation is known as Gaudia math! The Dravida desa extended from what is today Gujarat (Gurjara), Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra (Undivided) and Tamil Nad, including Kerala, which was then our Chera nad. So, Tamil speaking people are the most Dravidian of the Dravids! Even Sakaracharya calls Tirujnanasambanda "dravida sishu" in Saundarya Lahari. (It will not be a mistake even if it is applied to Sankara himself!).

Areas within India

There is no doubt that some part of ancient India was called Brahmavarta and Aryavarta. In the second chapter of Manu smriti, we have a brief statement about these:

• The area between Saraswati and Drishadwati rivers is called Devanirmitam or Brahmavartam.
• Areas covered by Kurukshetra, Matsya Desa, Panchala and Surasenam are known as 'Brahmarishi desam'.
• The area between the Himalayas and Vindhya, ie the area lying between the dried-up Saraswati and Prayag is known as "Madhya desam".
• The area between the Eastern and Western sea is known as "Aryavartam".

The ancient Tamil kings had extensive contact with the rest of India. They were aware of the greatness and holiness of Himalayas and Ganges and other places. That  Chera king Senguttuvan went to Himalayas to bring the stone for carving Kannaki image, and got it immersed in Ganges shows how much sanctity he attached to these! 

Tholkappiyam and pure Tamil speech

In the 'Paayiram' or preface in Tolkappiyam, poet Panamparanar defines the area where Tamil speaking people lived- as between Venkata hills in the North and Kumari in the south. This is the "noble land speaking Tamil= Tamzh kooru nal ulagam". But the real "heart" of the Tamil land is defined differently. In 'solladikaram', under 'Ecchaviyal', (Sutra 9.2), Tolkappiar says that only that speech which is spoken in 'sentamizh nilam' செந்தமிழ் நிலம் is to be considered as the clearest speech, conveying correct Tamil usage.

'Iyar sol taame

Sentamizh nilattu vazhakkodu sivanit

Tam porul vazhaamai isaikkunj cholle'

இயற் சொற்றாமே 
செந்தமிழ் நிலத்து வழக்கொடு சிவணித்
தம் பொருள் வழாமை இசைக்குஞ்சொல்லே

Now, where is this "sentamizh nilam" within Tamil speaking area?

 It is defined traditionally as "north of Vaigai river, south of Marudai river, east of Karuvoor and west of Maruvoor". (Unfortunately, 'scholars' writing commentary do not provide further details!)

But this shows that everywhere, people regard a specific area as the 'core' or  most representative of their language and culture. Though Chennai is the Capital today, nobody would take the Tamil spoken there as the real specimen of the language!  The expression "Madras Tamil" has a different connotation! Ironically, it applies to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi in respect of their own languages! 

(Incidentally, in the sutra before this, Tolkappiyar says that Sanskrit words and words of mixed-origin may also be used in poetry!.)

Meaning of the word 'Arya' in Sanskrit and Tamil Literature.

How has the word 'Arya' been used in Sanskrit literature and Hindu tradition? Any one who has read the original sources would know that the word is always and invariably used in a cultural sense- to mean one who is noble and virtuous in conduct. Neither in Tamil nor in Sanskrit is any hint of race, colour or physiognomy.

In Tamil, Lord Shiva is called Aryan! Ambal is called 'Arya kevali' in Tiruppugazh. Buddha called his way 'Arya Dharma". In the Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna that his dejection and doubt at the time of crisis is "unaryan"= 'anarya jushtam' (2.2) In the Ramayana, Sita calls Rama "Arya putra". Can any of these by any stretch of imagination be called racial?  As N.S.Rajaram has pointed out,in the Rig Veda, the word Arya is used 36 times- but always as adjective, as referring to a certain type of conduct, never to a race.

Much has been made of the terms Dasas, Dasyus. These too do not have any racial connotations. They are regarded as those fallen from the Aryan conduct, not that they belonged to a different race. The Aitareya Brahmana vii.18 regards Dasyus as the descendants of Visvamitra! Manu Samhita clearly mentions some people as having 'fallen' on account of "omission of sacred rites, and not consulting the sages". These people are: Paundrakas, Codas, Dravidas,Kambojas, Yavanas, Sakas,Paradas. Pahlavas,Cinas, Kiratas,and Daradas. Paundrakas are the people in the northern-most areas of Bengal and Bihar,Dravidas are people of the southernmost part of India, Daradas are the mountain people of Afghanistan or of West India, like Paradas and Kambojas.Kiratas are mountain people of Tibet and Nepal. 

The others are foreign people. Cinas are the Chinese,Yavanas (Ionians) are the Greeks, Sakas are the Scythians, Pahlavas are the Persians. (The Shah of Iran was called Pahlavi.) Thus all these people are regarded as just fallen from the noble standards, and not belonging to another race.

 In the Vedic conception, there are no people who have not descended from Manu! Even the Asuras are the progeny of Prajapati, like Devas and men! Prajapati teaches them the same thing, but they understand it differently, as the Upanishad states!

In the Veda the image of battle occurs. But Veda does not contain history, and these battles do not refer to any actual battle among people. In fact three images occur in the Veda: life as a yajna, life as a pilgrimage, life as a battle. The Vedic followers are children of light and they battle darkness that is ignorance! What is described is often cosmic struggle and not mere human engagement.

Note

1.See the following books on the historicity of Rama and Krishna for results of recent scientific investigations/findings.(Dr.S.Radhakrishnan's introduction to his translation of Bhagavad Gita contains a section on the historicity of Krishna, based on traditional academic sources.)

• D.K Hari and Hema Hari: Historical Rama, Times Groups Books, 2011
• B.B.Lal, former Director General of ASI: Rama-his History, Mandir and Setu. Aryan Books International.2008
• N.S.Rajaram: Search for the Historical Krishna. Prism Books , Bangalore, 2004. Dr.S.R.Rao has done splendid investigations.

2. On the question of Aryan -Dravidian issues, please see :

N.S.Rajaram & David Frawley: Vedic Aryans and the Origins of Civilization, Voice of India,2001

3. The material on Dr.Ambedkar is taken from Michel Danino: The Invasion That Never Was,2000.

4.Sita calling Rama 'Aryaputra' is significant. Here she refers to Dasaratha as 'Arya'. Why is he thus singled out? We have a fantastic clue from our dear Kamban! In the Vaali vadai padalam, we have Vaali addressing Rama, after he is felled by Rama's arrow. There he says: 'Oh! The son of the pure one who gave up his dear life defending his word and his tradition':
Vaaimaiyum barabum kaattu mannuyir turanda vallal
Tooyavan maindane

வாய்மையும் மரபும் காத்து மன்னுயிர் துறந்த வள்ளல்
தூயவன் மைந்தனே

Dasaratha faced a 'dharma sankata': he had given his word to Kaikeyi, so he could not go back on it; he had to honour his word (maintain Vaaimai). But that would be against the tradition of Ikshvaku dynasty in which the eldest alone is to be crowned king (marabu). Unable to resolve this, Dasaratha gave up his life! We have here a deep glimpse into the kind of conduct  that makes one Arya!

In the Tamil religious literary tradition, the word Arya was used in the sense of Guru/Teacher. See for example Tiruppugazh beginning "Adaipadaadhu naal torum" அடைபடாது நாள் தோறும் where we get the expression" Arya acharam". 

உருகி ஆரி யாசார பரம யோகி யாமாறுன்
     உபய பாத ராசீக ...... மருள்வாயே

It is explained as 'the discipline tradition duly learnt from Guru parampara'. See Tiruppugazh Commentary by Sri Kripananda Variar, vol.14, p.430.