தமிழர் சமயம்

2. SAṄGAM AGE

2.1. Puṟanāṉūṟu -Vedic Tradition in the first song of Saṅgam poem

Among the Saṅgam anthology of poems, the Puṟanāṉūṟu collection is considered by all researchers as genuine without any interpolation. The prayer song at the beginning ascribed to Perumdēvanār, who sang Mahābhārata in Tamiḻ, is considered to be later by some scholars. Leaving out the first prayer song we may take a few other songs.

The song that appears as no. 2 in the Puṟam anthology is in praise of a Cēra king, Perumchoṟṟu Udiyaṉ-Cēral-Ādaṉ, sung by the poet Murañjiyūr Muḍināgarāyar1. It is known from the study of Saṅgam Cēras, this king Udiyaṉ Cēral is the earliest and this song appears as the first song in the Puṟanāṉūṟu anthology. Secondly, the poet Murañjiyūr Muḍināgarāyar is said to belong to the middle Saṅgam age, which is earlier than all the third Saṅgam age. Dr. U.V. Swaminatha Ayyar has shown from a palm leaf manuscript that Muḍināgarāyar is the earliest known among the Tamiḻ poets, thus far. It is evident that this Saṅgam poem is the earliest poem among the Saṅgam collection. Certainly, the information contained in this poem provides earliest data about the Tamiḻ society. We may analyze this poem first among the Saṅgam poems.

The poem needs to be studied in four parts. The first part deals with the personal qualities of the Cēra king. It states that this king had the qualities of the five great basic elements, namely, the earth, water, air, fire, and ether. Each one of these elements represented one quality. The earth personifies forbearance; the wind represents a devastating force (in destroying enemies); the fire represents unbearable heat (anger against wrong doers); and finally, water represents a cool nature (toward those who submitted to his orders). The king imbibed these qualities of the five elements pañca-mahā-bhūtas which are detailed in the Dharma Śāstra of Manu (chapter 7 verses 4 and 5).

So, the quality of the pañca-bhūtas constituting the qualities of kings is a part of Vedic Dharma Śāstra.

The king who bathed in two seats on the same day and whose boundaries extended from east to west and its upper limit as the sky was virtually an sārva-bhauma, a title ascribed to this king. From this arise the concept of catus-samudrādhipati.

Then the poem goes on to praise him as a participant in the Mahābhārata war between the hundred Kauravas and the five Pāṇḍavas and fed both the armies in the field with sumptuous feast, when the Kauravas were utterly routed. This reference shows that he participated in that war as one among many other chiefs and kings of India. It might be a myth or even a poetic exaggeration, but it still makes clear, that this Tamiḻ king did feel he was a part of this country and did not stand in isolation.

The reference to Mahābhārata war and the King's participation would show that the epic was a part of Tamiḻ ethos at the very beginning of Tamiḻ history and is an identity and not an isolation. The Tamiḻ territorial division and linguistic difference did not make them followers of an independent culture but remained one with the rest of the country. Each region of India had its own boundaries and different dialects, but the culture remained one and the same. Aśoka's inscriptions, show that in every region there were forest dwellers, hill tribes, cultivators, fishermen etc., and along with them, lived Brāhmaṇas as well. The reference to the participation of Tamiḻ kings in Mahābhārata war is ascribed also to other Tamiḻ kings which illustrates the feeling of oneness.

Then the poem goes on to praise the retinue of the king, as “faithful to him and accompanied him in every endeavour, even if the day turned into a dark night, the milk lost its flavour and turned sour, and the path of the four Vedas changed from its course of righteousness”. This expression that “even if the path of four Vedas changed its course of righteousness”, illustrates how the path of the four Vedas were venerated and looked upon. It is a poetic expression, to say it was held in great esteem.

And lastly, the poem says that under his protection the Brāhmaṇas regularly performed the sandhi, i.e., the daily junctions of time and offerings in the three altars —

Āhavanīyam2, Dakṣiṇāgni3 and Gārhapatya4 as prescribed in the Vedas, from the Himālayas to the Podigai hills without any fear. The tender and long eyed antelopes freely came and took shelter near their sacrificial fires as none would harm them. The king gave full protection to the Brāhmaṇas to perform offerings in the three fires (mut-tī).

The poem concludes, the king should remain famous as long as the Himālayas and Podigai remained. The Podigai hill is near Kanyākumari in the south where the sage Agastya lived.

Thus, the first available Tamiḻ poem speaks of the Dharma Śāstric ideas, the Cēra's participation in the Mahābhārata war, the virtue of the path of the four Vedas, and the Brāhmaṇas performing Vedic sacrifices in the Vedic fires without fear, points to the irrefutable fact, that the Tamiḻ country followed the Vaidika dharma, from its earliest known times.

2.2. Praise of Veda by Avvaiyār

Rājasūya yāga performed by a Chōḻa king

One of the historic poems found in the Saṅgam anthology gives a graphic description of the Rājasūya yāgaśālās by the Chōḻa king, who was called “Perunar Kiḷḷi who performed Rājasūya” . The poet who sung this was none other than the famous poetess Avvaiyār. The poem is included as poem no. 367 of Puṟam anthology of 400 poems 5. It was customary in early period to invite all other kings to come to witness a Yāga. The Chōḻa invited the Cēra and the Pāṇḍya kings with all other chieftains. The Cēra ruler of that time one Māri-Veṅkō and the Pāṇḍya Ugrap-Peruvaḻuti, who conquered the place Kānap-pereyil, accepted the invitation and attended the Yāga. The Pāṇḍya Ugrap-Peruvaḻuti was one of the earliest kings, who ruled at the very beginning of Tamiḻ history and so was Avvaiyār. Evidently, the poem gives us a glimpse of the life of the Tamiḻs in very early period.

Avvaiyār who saw the three crowned kings together was elated and composed this poem. She says that “You Kings, you have made this whole world a Devaloka, dividing it into parts and made them the property of Brāhmaṇas, by placing gold and flowers in their hands and pouring water as an act of gift. Having made the gifts to them, you have also made limitless gifts to others (the chieftains and soldiers) who were celebrating the great victory as a result of their valour in battles, who were happily consuming and enjoying liquor poured from golden bowls by well adorned young women. Remember, this was possible because of your good deeds puṇya or nal-viṉai, by daily witnessing the morning Vedic sacrifices of mut-tī performed by the good Brāhmaṇas enjoined in the Vedas. You, the three crowned kings, let the country be ruled under your cool white umbrellas. Kings! I know to praise thee only in this way that you should rule for a long time”.

Avvaiyār, the greatest poet, puts this praise in a beautiful poetic way, “When there are raindrops as drizzle, you can count their number. But when it rains torrentially from the high heaven it is impossible to count the number of drops. I pray that you rule so many days as there are drops of water in torrential rains. This is the maximum measure I could think of!”, says Avvaiyār.

This poem is important in many ways. As the three kings were present and were praised together, it symbolically means that the entire Tamiḻ society was represented by them and so it represents the culture of Tamiḻnāḍu.

Maṉṉaṉ uyirte malar talai ulakam6 says an ancient saying. The king is the life principle of the country.

The lands gifted by the kings to the Brāhmaṇas were either in their own territory or conquered from the enemies. The gifts of land made were accompanied by placing gold and flowers in their hands and by pouring water over them. This is a Vedic custom prescribed in the Dharma Śāstras which symbolically means that the donor relinquishes his right over the gifted property in favour of the done. Evidently, the Tamiḻ kings followed this Vedic custom.

The kings also honoured others like chieftains and heroes with unlimited gifts and honours. The kings ruled happily by witnessing the daily performance of the three Vedic sacrifices enjoined in the Vedas by the Brāhmaṇas, which means the Brāhmins enjoyed full liberty to follow their path and that merit accrued to the kings for their just rule.

One should not forget that these concepts come from the greatest and earliest of Tamiḻ poet, Avvaiyār. Any suggestion that Tamiḻ were anti Vedic at the beginnings has no support in their earliest writings.

2.3. Vedic sacrifices performed by a Pāṇḍya king
The verse number 15, included in the Puṟam7 anthology of poems praises the Pāṇḍya ruler Palyāgasālai Mudukuḍumi Peruvaḻuti by the poet Neṭṭimaiyār. The poem has 25 lines that can be studied in three parts. The first part, from lines 1 to 16 praises the king for his conquests and the destruction he caused to the enemy country. The second part deals with the innumerable Vedic sacrifices he performed as prescribed in the four Vedas (lines 17 to 22). The third the last part praises the king for his love of listening to the songs of praise sung by the Pāṭiṉi, a professional dancer.

The poem is couched in a beautiful poetic format as if asking the king whether the number of enemies who fought with him, and were utterly defeated and ran for their lives, was greater or the number of sacrificial posts he planted to mark the Vedic sacrifices he performed was greater. It is a poetic way of singing that both were innumerable.

We may now see the first part of the poem. The king had captured the forts of enemies, where great chariots moved through the streets earlier drawn by horses but were now ploughed with donkeys and planted with sesame seeds (as a mark of shame over the defeat). His enemies had fertile ploughed fields that yielded paddy and other grains attracting birds which flew over them making sweet sounds, but now were run over by chariots drawn by high breed horses of this king. The forts were now destroyed by his tall and powerful elephants which were now bathing in their guarded ponds. Enemies who dared to fight against his forward columns of heroes, wielding sharp spears and decorated shields, were totally routed and ran for their lives filled with shame.

The poet asks the king which of the two is greater:
Is this number of enemies who fled for their life from the battlefield greater?
Is the number of sacrificial posts - yūpa stambhas, planted to commemorate the completion of many Vedic sacrifices, performed by the king, as prescribed in the four Vedas, and as directed by the flawless Dharma Śāstras and performed with corns and sacrificial twigs with plenty of ghee poured in the altar, that caused huge smokes to raise, greater?
Evidently, both the number of defeated enemies and the number of sacrifices were great. Thus, he was called the Pāṇḍya who made several yāgaśālā. Here, it must be remembered according to the faith prevalent then, the conquest in the battle fields by the kings, were also called sacrifices. Hence, the victory sacrifices in the battle fields and the Vedic sacrifices in the Śālās are contrasted to show the king had achieved great fame in both.
The professional singer and dancer (Pāṭini) sung thy glory of victories beating her taṇṇumai (mṛdaṅgam, drum) tied tightly with straps. “This is a Vañci song you are fond of listening to, oh king”, says the poet. The poem is a sterling example of the Tamiḻ kings frequently performing Vedic sacrifices as prescribed in four Vedas with beautiful hymns (naṟ panuval nāl vēdaththu). This poem is an attestation to Vedic sacrifices being performed from the very beginning of Tamiḻ history by all the three crowned kings of Tamiḻ land, Cēra, Chōḻa and Pāṇḍya. Apart from the number of colophons of Puṟam poems referring to this Pāṇḍya Peruvaḻuti with the epithet Palyāgasālai Mudukuḍumi Peruvaḻuti his performance of Vedic sacrifice is also attested by an 8th century copper plate charter of Neḍuñ-caḍaiyan, in which a village Vēḷvikkuḍi8 (village of Vedic sacrifice) gifted by this Peruvaḻuti to a Brāhmaṇa is mentioned. This village was usurped by a ruler of the Kalabhra dynasty. A descendant of the original donee appealed to the king Naḍuñ-caḍaiyan to restore the village to his family. The king restored the village after examining the original records. This also shows such gifts in Vedic sacrifices were duly recorded in documents for verification in times of disputes.

It is known that the Vedic sacrifices that played such important roles in Tamiḻ life was guided by the Vedic Brāhmaṇas. So, the claims of some speculators that there were no Vedic priests in Saṅgam period, is a willful distortion of fact. (See Avvaiyār's praise of Vedic sacrifices and note that Tolkāppiyam prescribes the pārppana vāhai)