LITERATURE-LIGHT AND DELIGHT: BRAHMINS IN SANGAM LITERATURE: 1. AN OVERVIEW

LITERATURE- LIGHT AND DELIGHT

     Brahmins in Sangam Literature
              AN OVERVIEW

Cultured men in all societies have been men of 'learning'- the term not to be confused with mere literacy as it is today. Their learning consisted mainly of learning the history of their societies, from as far back as they could remember. This was mostly in the form of poetry. In societies like those of American Indians, their learning consisted of skills to interact with nature,communicate with the Invisible Power of Life they called the Great Spirit, and attend to physical survival and well being.

In India, we see an extraordinary phenomenon. Thanks to the varna system, each varna concentrated on acquiring the knowledge and skill essential for their professions. This was mostly done in house.Formal literacy was not necessary. Only those who desired to devote their life to the pursuit of religious life had to go to a 'gurukula' for learning,where it was free. So, in India, learning meant mainly religious and philosophical knowledge. But such knowledge was freely disseminated among the public by wandering minstrels and sadhus. Learning by listening was the main method of acquiring knowledge. Even the common man was well acquainted with our religious ideas, itihasa and purana incidents. We read that this was how, in the early 19th century Sri Ramakrishna acquired puranic lore as a boy in his village. So the proverb says: it is better to listen than to study - katralir kaettale nanru.கற்றலிற் கேட்டலே நன்று.

In the Chandogya Upanishad we have an interesting episode. Narada approaches Sanatkumara for instruction. Sanatkumara asks him what he had learnt already. Narada reels of all the branches of knowledge he had learnt- which gives an idea of the state of knowldege in those distant days! Sanatkumara tells him that all this is 'apara vidya'- lower form of knowledge and proceeds to instruct him on spirituality, which is considered 'para' or higher knowledge.

Later on, we   talk about the 64 'kalas' or arts or vidyas. In classical times, we have great proliferation of language and literary studies. But then, what exactly do we mean by literature? In the English tradition:

(The word) 'Literature' is equally problematic, not existing as a word in English until the fourteenth century.....that body of writing containing what we now call 'literature' encompassed without division texts that today we categorise as religious, historical,legal and medical. Poets were certainly popular figures, but their business was often primarily to commemorate historical events. Their poems, even if they contained marvels, had little to do with 'fiction' as we understand it."

   From:'English Literature in Context' Ed. Paul Poplawski, Cambridge University Press,2008.p.1

Compare this with the situation that prevailed in India! How vastly enormous, and richly varied are our literature- especially in the two most ancient languages: Sanskrit and Tamil! We have clearly separated the sacred from secular knowledge (Para and apara vidya). In our tradition,  the very names convey clearly, without ambiguity, what is meant. History is never mixed with religious learning.Veda, which is the foundation of our religion, just means 'knowledge' and it consists of purely Atma or Brahma vidya ie Self-knowledge. Here what mattered was conduct-achara- and not mere book learning. There is no mixture of history in Veda at all! For history we have the word 'Itihas', which literally means "iti ha asa": it happened like this. We have a separate category called Purana which means "very ancient". This consists of legends and mythology, but they too were based on some psychological facts. They are not pure fiction, such as our modern novelists write. When westerners came to India, they could not understand things as they were (they did not want to understand either) and gave their own fanciful interpretations.They called itihasa 'epic' which is a different category altogether. They had no word at all for Purana. In the last century, psychologists like Carl Jung and following him scholars like Joseph Campbell have proved that mythologies are psychological facts and are shared by the whole of humanity. Still these westerners (I won't call them scholars) indulge in misrepresenting Indian literary heritage- which is in fact the most continuous and undistorted in the whole world.

Since Macaulay introduced his education system in India in 1836, and made it the basis for govt employment, our people have taken to it , totally neglecting our own systems of knowledge, in every field. Our syllabuses still follow those old standards and ideas. Our so called scholars also talk and write like foreigners, having been trained in their methods. We have acquired a mentality where we accept something as correct or valid even about India only when it comes from a white -skinned mouth! 

As a matter of fact, our religion and philosophy are taught in American universities in many courses,  but with terrible distortions. Our scriptures and classics are translated by them in the most atrocious manner. People who are not Hindus, have never learned the Veda or practised it or learned the meaning with the required discipline indulge in fanciful translation. They write books which are bought by Indians,  who do not know Sanskrit or other languages well enough! They do not care to verify the accuracy of what is written, or the correctness of the interpretations. This is so ridiculous. People of no other religion accept some one outside their religion, especially a non-practising one,  as their authority- but Hindus do! This is the extent of our degeneration. Some one like Max Muller who could not follow spoken Sanskrit but dared to translate and interpret our 'Sruti' is venerated by our people even now, and his books are bought!

One important aspect of this situation, especially for those hailing from Tamil Nad, is the Aryan- Dravidian controversy. Both Sanskrit and Tamil possess vast literature from ancient days in unbroken line. But there is no reference to Aryan or Dravidian race in any of them. This was introduced by the colonialists in the 19th century to divide us, was taken up and pursued by Christian missionaries.Some elements here embraced it for political reasons . 

One theory propagated by them was that the Aryans came from somewhere ( no one is sure from where), invaded the Indus valley area and drove the people away and then spread in the whole country. This theory has been totally disproved. What was called Indus Valley Civilisation is now more appropriately recognised as the remnant of a vast civilisation that flourished on the banks of the mighty Saraswati river, which gradually dried up due to tectonic and geological changes. The existence and course of Saraswati river have been established by satellite photography, and archaeological investigations. More archaeological sites have been found on the course of this river system than in the Indus Valley. Here is what latest scholars say:

"At some point of time, things started going wrong in the Harappan cities. Decline had set in at Mohenjodaro by 2200 BCE and the settlement had come to an end by 2000 BCE. In some places, the civilisation continued till 1800 BCE. Apart from the dates, the pace of decline also varied. Mohenjodaro and Dholavira give a picture of gradual decline...

"One of the most popular explanations of the decline of the Harappan civilization- (the idea that the civilization was destroyed by Aryan invaders)-is one for which there is least evidence.....

There is ,in fact, no evidence of any kind of military assault or conflict at any Harappan site......

Moreover, K.A.R.Kennedy's analysis (1997) of the skeletal remains does not show any discontinuity in the skeletal record in the north-west at this point of time, MAKING IT CLEAR THAT THERE WAS NO MAJOR INFLUX OF NEW SETTLERS WITH A DIFFERENT PHYSIOGNOMY.The Harappan civilization was not destroyed  by an Indo-Aryan invasion."

     From: Upinder Singh: A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India, Pearson, 2009. p 179. (Highlighting and Capitalisation-mine)

There is usually no point in arguing with those who do not follow reason, but follow a petty unproved theory for political gains. But the victims of the process- the Brahmins of Tamil Nad- should at least know the truth, instead of merely bowing to idiotic mob belief or political fancy. They may not be able to counter the political force, but they should know the facts.

There is an allied aspect. The Christian Church believed that the world was created on 23 October,4004 BCE ! So, that was when Adam was created! The world is only 6000 years old! Wherever colonial rule was established , the missionaries followed, opened schools and taught this. They fixed the dates of historical events in other countries on this basis. And since these missionaries and officials took undue interest in translating and interpreting our religious literature, (eg G.U.Pope, Constantius Beschi, so called Orientalists),  they gave arbitrary dates to Veda and other scriptures. Today, science has proved that the earth is millions of years old and the christian theory of creation is sheer bull-shit. But, our so called scholars and  self-styled secularists still religiously cling to these dates, without exercising their brain!

It is the general belief held by the common man in Tamil Nad, spread through the govt.controlled education system , that Brahmins are Aryans who came to Tamil Nad from elsewhere. However, if we study the ancient Sangam literature, we find that there is no evidence of Brahmins having come from outside, that there was no time when they were not there, and they are as indigenous as the rocks and plants found there. Unfortunately, Brahmins do not study this literature now and so are not aware of what is there in it. The govt knows the facts, but attempt to hide them. After the Dravidian parties came to power, they did not  admit Brahmin students to  Tamil language and literature courses in the Tamil colleges!. So much is their fear of Truth being discovered! But who can prevent us from studying our own mother tongue on our own!

There are innumerable references to Brahmins in the Sangam literature; in fact nearly one third of the Sangam poets are Brahmins, with leading figures like Kapilar and Bharanar! In this series of posts, I would endeavour to cover the specific references to Brahmins and Brahminical practices in some Sangam literature like Purananuru, Tirumurugatruppadai, etc.

Sangam literature is one of the most sublime in the world, besides being ancient. It is sheer delight to study them for the literary pleasure, but like all ancient literature, it also contains crucial moral and ethical teachings to help us lead a  righteous life. We will thus derive both light and delight from this study!

Note:

1. 'Tamil Nadu' is how it  is officially written. But in Tamil, the last 'u' is only half pronounced. It is called 'kutriyalugaram' in Tamil grammar.குற்றியலுகரம். It sounds so jarring to a Tamil ear when people pronounce the last 'u' fully. I will write Tamil Nad.

2. Most of the translations of Indian scriptures and literary classics done by foreign  academics, and their analyses are based on theories and methods which are inappropriate for an ancient but still living tradition. For the extent of mischief done and efforts made by Indians to counter it, please see 'Invading The Sacred' ( Rupa, 2007) and other books by Rajiv Malhotra.

3. For a detailed analysis of the latest findings on the Saraswati River, and the state of Harappa-Indus civilisation, see: Michel Danino: The Lost River; Penguin,2010. A Tamil translation (ஒரு நதியின் மரணம்) is also available from Kizhakku Pathippagam. See also his book: The Invasion that Never Was. On how our history was distorted by colonial interests, please see N.S. Rajaram: The Politics of History.

4. On the state of Brahmins in Tamil Nad, see the two volumes of 'Tamizhaga Andanar Varalaru' by K.C.Lakshminarayanan. See also his excellent book: "Paintamizh Noolgalil Bharata Panpaadu", tracing how  Vedic Hindu culture is common  to the whole country, including ancient Tamil Nad with original quotations from Sangam literature. See also his book: "Vedangalai Yettru Potrum Tamizh Ilakkiyangal". (LKM Publications, Chennai-17)

5. On the nature and significance of mythology,it is essential to read the works of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell. Today no serious thinker or learned person would dismiss mythology as pure fiction.

6.Narada mentions the following as the branches of knowledge he had already studied:

• The four Vedas
• Itihasa,Purana
• The grammar of the Vedas (Vedanaam Vedam)
• Pitrayam ( worship offered to Pitrus)
• Rasim (mathematics)
• The science of meteors, natural phenomena and omens (daivam)
• Science of underground resources (nidhim)
• Logic (Vakovakyam)
• Moral science (ekayanam)
• Astrology (Deva vidyam)
• Brahma Vidya (Inner meaning of the Veda)
• Geology (Bhuta vidya)
• Military arts (kshattra vidya)
• Astronomy (nakshatra vidya)
• Knowledge about snakes (Sarpa vidya)
• Fine arts (devajana vidya)

At the end Narada humbly states: "Sir, I only know the meaning of these words; I do not know the Self (na atmavit) I have heard from great people like you that one who knows the Self overcomes sorrow: tarati sokam atmavit. I am suffering from sorrow; please take me across".

Chandogya Upanishad, 7.2

Tr. by Swami Lokeswarananda.