Ramanisblog

Tag: Tamil Grammar

  • References To Kannada In Tamil and Sanskrit

    This Post is to explore the references made to Kannada in Vedas, Ancient Tamil Literature  like Tholkaappiiyam Sanagam Poems.

    There seems to be no mention of Kannada in Vedas Ramayana or Mahabharata.

    Vellore Inscriptions
    Tamil and Kannada Inscriptions in Vellore

    The earliest Kannada  literature  is from the Western Ganga Dynasty(350-999 AD)

    Tamil and Kannada Languages.

    Though Kannada is grouped under the Dravidian Languages , it is closer to Sanskrit in Grammar and Alphabets.

    Tamil, unlike the Sanskrit Language does not have Phonetic differentiation for Alphabets.

    Tamil has Alphabets dispenses with this and Tamil Grammar ,dating back to at least 5000 years, has unique system to replace the Phonetic content as displayed in Sanskrit.

    Kannada follows the Sanskrit Grammar patters.

    But words resemble ancient chaste Tamil words of yore.

    ‘Oota‘ means Food in Kannada.

    In ancient Tamil,’Oottam’ means nourishment.

    ‘Angai’ denotes palms in Kannada which is the purest word meaning the same in Tamil-of course this word is scarcely used now.

    It may be noted that some Pallava Kings Mahendravarman and Narasimhavarman are reported to know the language of Pulakesin II.

    However excavations in Vellore ,Tamil Nadu dating back to 18th Century AD has Kannada inscriptions.

    Beyond this there seems to be no reference  in ancient Tamil or Sanskrit Texts.

    I came across an interesting article on the relationship between Sanskrit and Kannada.

    ”

    KANNADA – The Root of all Indian Languages..!!
    Has anybody tried to notice Kannada alphabets and relate to vedic symbols ?

    ಪ – the letter ‘pa’ .. The leter symbolizing padmaasana , this letter can be compared to symbol where a person sitting in padmasana posture.
    ಶ – the letter ‘sha’ .. the letter symbolizing ‘conch’ which is very much used in vedic culture..
    ಷ – the letter ‘Sha’ .. the letter symbolizes person with sacred thread in sitting posture.. you can imagine a ‘ruShi‘..
    ನಿ – the letter ‘ni’ .. tamil claim a (IVC)symbol of god in sitting position.. But has anybody notice this symbol is a kannada letter..

    Note that among south indian languages Kannada and its grammar is very close to sanskrit.. Looks like the kannada region was the first place where mostly occupied by vedic people.. But population density was very less compare to other regions of south india and able to retain sanskrit and its grammatical structure during kannada language evolution..ofco­urse kannada is also very old same as Tamil/telugu/­malalalam..

    Devanagari script seems some what derivative of kannada script.

    If kannada alphabet like ka ಕ is rotated 90 degrees, you can see it looks like devanagari ‘ka’ क

    To me it looks like grantha,devanag­ari, tamil script more probably tries to avoid curves. They are straightened so that suitable for writing on stones/rocks or wooden surfaces.

    But base original picture must have been from kannada/vedic symbols which brahmins initially might have tried to write on leaves most probably used by brahmins..

    As kannada region were famous for ancient saints (majority brahmins/­maharshis), they might have tried to write on leaves.. May be they lost as its not so easy to preserve writings on leaves..

    Moreover brahmins software kind of people who actually work on development of countries, whose main playground was TN/AP regions where they really worked on..

    But those regions were occupied by primitive people and could not preserve sanskrit language , its grammar led to development of new languages like kannada,telugu,­tamil,malayalam­..

    I think initial script creation depended on many factors for example:
    * the tools available for writing.
    * The surface on which writing is to be done.

    https://www.facebook.com/OldestLanguage/posts/136378789856982

     

    Related articles
    Enhanced by Zemanta

  • Lord Muruga Is Not A Tamil God.

    I read a post stating that Muruga is not a Tamil God.

    Subramanya.
    Lord Muruga, Palani.

    I agree to the extent He is not The God only for the Tamils.

    But to state that Lord Muruga is not mentioned in the Tamil Literature is totally erroneous.

    My points.

    1.Muruga is not mentioned as Muruga in the Vedas.

    He is called Skanda and He is one of the Deities. along with Vishnu,Narayana, Siva, Rudra, Ganesha,Sakti,Brahma, among the major deities mentioned apart from the Devatas. like Agni,Varuna, Mitra, Vayu etc.

    And the Stuthi on Ganesha states ‘Skanda Purvajah’ meaning elder to Muruga.

    The term Muruga in Tamil means ‘Beauty’-Murugu in Tamil means Beauty.

    2.Tamil Literature on Muruga.

    Tholkappiyam is more ancient than Sangam Literature.

    It mentions Lord Muruga as also the Parpdal of the Sangam Era.

    3.On the fact that Muruga has wives and in the North He is worshiped as a Bachelor.

    One must be careful in understanding Hindu Puranas.

    Allegories are to be shifted from Philosophy.

    Muruga represents Gnana Sakti while Valli and Devayani represent, Iccha Shakti and Kriya Shakti.

    Ganesh is portrayed as a Bachelor in the South, while in the North he is worshiped with his consorts Sidhi and Buddhi Devis.

    The same logic as for Lord Muruga for having two wives.

    In essence Hinduism understands that the Reality is a principle, Nameless and Formless, human mind needs things to concentrate upon to suit their individual preferences.

    So, people worship as they please.

    4.The term Kadamba is indicative of an Orange Flower and is in Masculine Gender,

    Muruga wields the Kadamba Stalk in his hands.

    It is interesting to note that the Lalitha Sahasranama calls Goddess Lalitha s’Kadambha Vanavaasini’

    5.The Ruling Deity of Kurinji, Mountainous  Region is Lord Muruga, as described in the earliest Tamil Grammar, Agathiyamand Tholkaapiyam, while describing geographical demarcations.

    ‘Tolkappiyam, possibly the most ancient of the extant Sangam works, dated between the 3rd century BCE and 5th century CE glorified Murugan, ” the red god seated on the blue peacock, who is ever young and resplendent,” as ” the favoured god of the Tamils.”[5] The Sangam poetry divided space and Tamil land into five allegorical areas (tinai) and according to the Tirumurugarruppatai ( c. 400–450 AD) attributed to the great Sangam poet Nakkiirar, Murugan was the presiding deity the Kurinci region (hilly area). (Tirumurugaruppatai is a deeply devotional poem included in the ten idylls (Pattupattu) of the age of the third Sangam). The other Sangam era works in Tamil that refer to Murugan in detail include the Paripaatal, the Akananuru and the Purananuru.One poem in the Paripaatal describes the veneration of Murugan thus:

    “We implore thee not for boons of enjoyment or wealth,But for thy grace beatific, love and virtuous deeds.

     

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murugan

    Related Articles