LITERATURE-LIGHT AND DELIGHT. BRAHMINS IN SANGAM LITERATURE-5 PURANANOORU

LITERATURE-LIGHT AND DELIGHT

BRAHMINS IN SANGAM LITERATURE-5

           Purananooru

We now take up Purananooru , one of the larger collections of individual poems, classified under the Group of Eight.

These are not religious poems. In the ancient Tamil literary tradition, Puram refers to matters of public conduct, like war and public dealings with kings and others. But all such matters were intimately connected with religious values, generally called 'Aram' ie dharma. Even war followed dharma. So we find religious matters dealt with quite often. We must also remember that these poems are only remnants from much vaster resource, collected and grouped long after they were composed. We have lost quite a bit. But what remains is still considerable and qualitatively significant, for religious matters mentioned in secular poetry shows the extent to which religious values ruled their mind!

Song of benediction

This collection begins with a Prayer song composed by poet Perum Devanar. Perum means big or mighty. So, this seems to be the Tamilised form of the name Mahadevan! We have many poets with such names, as we shall see by and by.

This Perundevanar is usually honoured with the epithet 'Bharatam paadiya' ie one who sang Mahabharata. It seems he authored a Tamil version of Mahabharata which was highly valued but is not now avalable, though some verses from that are cited in other works. He composed Prayers for some other collections of Sangam literature too.

 Here in this, the song is in praise of Lord Shiva. It describes his form- with Ganges on the head, the garland, the mount and flag bull, Umadevi on His left, the cresent moon etc.His throat is dark from having swallowed the poison. He is praised by Brahmins learned in the Vedas. He is held dear by the great Tapasvins, with matted hair and holding the kamandalu in their hand.

Our interest here is the information on Brahmins. The lines are:

Karai midaru aniyalum anindanru; akkarai
Marai navil andanar nuvalavum padumey

கறை மிடறு அணியலும் அணிந்தன்று அக்கறை
மறை நவில் அந்தணர் நுவலவும் படுமே
......
பதினெண் கணமும் ஏத்தவும் படுமே

The poison stuck in his throat is like a mark (but he wears it as if it is an ornament). Brahmins learned in the Vedas praise it.

3 important matters are mentioned here:

• incident of the Lord taking the poison
• Veda
• Brahmins reciting the Veda

So, the Sangam poets knew the puranic lore. Why is the incident of swallowing poison considered important? It is because this is what saved the Devas!

The mention of Veda and Vedic Brahmins here is significant. It is in the Vedic Sri Rudram that we get the most ancient names of Lord Shiva and the significant name referring to His blue throat:

Namo Neelagreevaya நமோ நீலக்ரீவாய

Neelagreeva Sitikhanta நீலக்ரீவா ஸிதிகண்டா

It is in Sri Rudram that the greatest mantra of Shiva occurs:

Nama: Shambhave cha mayo bhavecha

Nama: Shankaraya cha mayaskaraya cha

Nama: Shivaya cha Shivataraya cha.

Sri Rudram is one of the most essential and indispensable parts of Vedic learning for all Brahmins, and its daily recitation is prescribed as part of the routine. So we can say that  Vedic Brahmins praising the blue-throat of the Lord here refers to their reciting the Sri Rudram!

Perundevanar talks here of 'marai navil andanar'.

Like the word Iyer in Tolkappiam, the word 'andanar' annoys people affected by Dravidian maya.த்ராவிட மாயை They project the view that neither Iyer nor Andanar refers to Brahmins, but to some other category or kind! Marai navil andanar clearly means the andanar who recite the Veda! If there are people like the owl which cannot see light or do not like it, how can we help?

The poem also mentions the 'patinenn kanam'- the 18 ganas of Lord Shiva. These are reckoned as: Deva, Asura, Munis, Kinnara, Kimpurusha,Garudas, Yakshas,Rakshasa, Gandharva, Siddha, Charana,Vidyadhara,Nagar, Bhutas, Vetalas,Tara gana, Akasavasin, residents of Bhogabhumis. This shows that the ancient Tamil people were fully aware of all the puranic lore. Thus Bharatiya Hindu culture prevailed in the Tamil land too. Manikkavachaka mentions these categories in his Tiruvachakam (Shivapuranam) when he deals with how we have all taken 84,00,000 births including all these. But it is only in the human birth that we can realise God!

Tamil King in Mahabharata War!

THE CHERA KING WHO FED THE PANDAVAS AND KAURAVAS

Poem no.2 in the collection is sung by Muranjiyur Mudinagarayar. Nagarayar may be a corrupted form of Nagarajan. It is said in one of the old works that there was a poet with this name in the first Sangam.He has sung about the Chera king called Cheralathan. This king is honoured with the title " perum sotru udiyan"= பெரும் சோற்று உதியன் one who provided food on a massive scale. This he did for the Pandavas and Kauravas during the Mahabharata War. The poet sings about it in this poem.

Illustration of Mahabharata War - 18th century? Public domain.

This poem is of great historical importance. There is no certainty about the date of the Sangams. If this poet lived at the time of the first Sangam, and the King he sang about fed the two armies in the Mahabharata war, they lived in the time of Mahabharata which can be taken as the period of the first Sangam. According to tradition, the Mahabharata battle took place shortly before, and Lord Krishna left the earth around, 3102 BCE. So, we can take this as the time of the first Sangam.

Mahabharata gives clue to Sangam age!

There is another clue. Krishna's place Dwarika was submerged in the sea, even before His departure. It is now established by scientific investigation that this event was like what we now call tsunami. The timing also tallies, more or less, with tradition. The Tamils also believe that the first Sangam was at South Madurai, in an area with two rivers and a mountain range, and that they were submerged in the sea. Then they shifted north to Kapatapuram which also was submerged. Now we can easily sea that if the first Sangam was contemporaneous with Mahabharata war, then it is quite likely that the tsunami which destroyed Dwarika might also have submerged the old Pandya kingdom! In the 2004 tsunami, we saw how extensive was the coverage! Alas! Indians (Tamilians especially) are not interested in scientific investigation! Slogans would do for them!

In this poem, the poet praises and wishes the king. In the process, several interesting observations are made.

1. Alangulaip puravi aivarodu sinaiyi

Nilam talaik konda polampoon tumbai

Eeraimpathinmarum porudu kalat tozhiya

Perum soatru migu padam varaiyaadu koduttoi.


அலங்குளைப் புரவி ஐவரொடு சினைஇ
நிலம் தலைக்கொண்ட பொலம்பூண் தும்பை
ஈரைம்பதின்மரும் பொருது களத்தொழிய
பெரும் சோற்று மிகு பதம் வரையாது கொடுத்தோய்

The twice fifty (ie 100) people got estranged and seized the land of the five having fine horses with beautiful manes. They entered into war with all war signs. On that occasion, you provided massive amounts of food without limit, to both sides.

Here is the clearest reference to the Mahabharata war in the Sangam literature! And the information that a Tamil king participated in it in some form! It shows that the Tamil land was very much part of the mainstream! 

2.Paal pulippinum pagal irulinum

Naal Veda neri tiriyinum

Tiriyaach chutramodu muzhudu saen vilangi

Nadukkinri niliyaro attai

பால் புளிப்பினும் பகல் இருளினும்
நாஅல் வேத நெறி திரியினும்
திரியாச் சுற்றமொடு முழுது சேண் விளங்கி
நடுக்கின்றி நிலியரோ அத்தை

Even if milk loses its sweetness and turns sour; even if the Sun loses its light and turns dark; even if the dharma founded on the four Vedas turns upside down-  May you be always surrounded by ministers and elders who never resile from their duties!  May you never fall from your righteousness! May  you thus live long with fame!

3. ..............adukkattuch

Chirutalai navvip perungan maappinai

Andhi andanar arunkatan irukkum

Muttee vilakkil tunjum

Porkottu imyamum Podigaiyum ponrey

..............அடுக்கத்துச் 
சிறுதலை நவ்விப் பெருங்கண் மாப்பிணை
அந்தி அந்தணர் அருங்கடன் இறுக்கும்
முத்தீ விளக்கில் துஞ்சும்
பொற் கோட்டு இமயமும் பொதிகையும் போன்றே

In the mountain valleys  young deer  with small head and big eyes roams freely with its mate; the Vedic Brahmins are duly performing their  evening Sandhya rites with the three sacred fires, and the fires cause the  silvery Himalaya mountain and Podigai to cast their shadow like the deer. May you live long, like the Himalayas and Podigai mountains.

Daily fire rituals of Brahmins- their effect! 

There are some deeply embedded ideas here. The deer can roam freely only when there is no fear. The Sandhya and the yajna performed regularly by the Brahmins remove all fear from society. The Himalayas and Podigai are imagined like the deer : the shadow they cast in the light of Yajna agni appears like deer! The implication is that the king should rule in such a way that people are free of fear, like the deer. Such a king will naturally be blessed by the people, attain fame and he will live long like those famous mountains!

Dr.U.Ve. Swaminatha Iyer pointed out a fine aspect. The deer can be fearless where there is no tiger. And there will be no tiger near fire. Likewise the Yajna  Agni of the Brahmins is keeping the tiger of fear and suffering away! This idea is stated by Sambandhar in his Puliyur (Chidambaram) patigam:

Katraangu eriyombi kaliyai vaarame

Setraar vaazh Tillai.

கற்றாங்கு எரியோம்பி கலியை வாராமே
செற்றார் வாழ் தில்லை

Tillai where live the learned Brahmins who foster the Yajna agni and thereby ward of kali!

So we get the following information about Brahmins of the Sangam period:

• the four Vedas
• the path shown by them
• the Brahmins who follow that path
• the evening Sandhya performed by them
• the three Agnis they foster
• the Ahuti given in the Agni, which is the essence of the Yajna.

The three agnis are taken as lamp here in whose presence the Himalayas and Podigai are imagined as deer lying at rest (like deer will rest, when there is no fear of Tiger due to the presence of the lamp!). And it gives the gist of the Mahabharata war.It provides the historical information that a Tamil king provided food for both sides on a massive scale! Thus, we get to know the way the ancient Tamil land was part and parcel of the national stream, and how the same dharma prevailed, with Brahmins as its keepers, under the protection of the Tamil kings! The hallowed Himalayas are mentioned. Podigai is of course dear to ancient Tamils as the seat of Sage Agastya with whom Tamil language originated! And who can forget the Puranic account that Agastya was sent south by Lord Shiva? Such are the ideas we get from just one poem!

Note:

Purananooru , like other Sangam works, was unearthed  and gathered from different sources by Dr.U.Ve.Swaminatha Iyer and edited and published by him first in 1894.He published the third edition in 1934. The volume contains massive amount of detailed information and excellent notes and explanations. No one has added anything of substance since then. Almost every subsequent writer and editor has made use of this work selectively, though most people do not acknowledge the source. Nor do they cover all the things that Dr.Iyer explained.

Ki.Va Ja. pointed out once that the ancient Tamil works are difficult to study now. But they all followed a system where words had fixed meaning. Andanar, maraiyor, kalvi, odal,ulagam- every  word had its meaning fixed. Even the words kalavu and karpu meant fixed things.Once this is understood, it is easy to learn the old books.

But the tendency today in Tamil Nad as elsewhere in India under the impact of modern forces is to interpret old books and ideas in the light of current theories and fancies. As these theories and trends ultimately rest on political patronage,  most writers want to be 'politically correct' in dealing with old subjects, and they solicit political favour.. Thus, just because people today are against caste system on paper, they will try to show that it did not exist in the ancient land, and it came with others! Just because there is anti-Brahmin feeling incited by political elements now, they will try to interpret even words like Iyer and andanan in fanciful ways!

In the West movements such as Marxism, Feminism, anti-Semitism, historicism, , modernism, post-modernism , Freudean psychoanalysis etc have led people to interpret old things in novel ways and assign them significances they did not have.We need not imitate the West in their blunders too. At least in studying the ancient literature, we should stick to the traditional meaning. We need not of course agree with everything. But we need not forget they meant differently. We may differ from Parimelazhagar or Nachinarkkiniyar but how can we recover the original sense without their commentary? Some may remember that some time ago a Dravidian public figure claimed that Tirujnanasambandha had raped thousands of girls, on the basis of his reading of the meaning of an old word! None of the Shaiva mutts or other  prominent Hindu leaders came forward to state the correct position,  probably because Jnanasambandha was a Brahmin! It was left to Cho to write about it in 'Tughlaq', and a Tamil scholar (N.Sanjivi or A.Sa. Jnanasambandham-I don't recall now) stated the correct meaning of the word and pointed out how absurd was the allegation! But this is Tamil Nad!