Post No. 15,041
Date uploaded in London – 30 September 2025
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Arya and Yavana in Sangam Tamil Books
85
We come across the word Arya in at least seven places in Sangam Tamil Literature. No where it is used with racial connotation. The word Dravidian is not at all used anywhere in ancient Tamil literature and later literature too. Most famous Tamil poet Bharatiyrar used Arya in at least in 24 places in his poems. Great Saivite saints Appar, Sambandar and Manikka vasagar used it in their devotional poems too.
In all these places the word Arya meant either people who speak Sanskrit, particularly saints and God Shiva. In short it meant cultured, noble; otherwise neither the Saivite saints nor the greatest of the modern age poets Bharatiyar would have used it. Bharati mentioned the whole country as Aryan to mean we are people of noble origin.
Sangam age Tamils used it even for acrobats and wrestlers who came from North India. It may be because they spoke Sanskrit. Even a musician named Yaaz (lyre) Brahma Dutt, even the lesser-known chieftains Kanaka Vijaya of NorthIndia had the prefix, Arya.
The word Arya is not in the Purananuru verses except in the name of a king Nedunchezian.
***
In Sangam Books
சங்க இலக்கியத்தில் ஆரியர் :-ஆரியர் – நற்றிணை 170, குறுந்தொகை 7, பதிற்றுப்பத்து 11, பதிகம் 2, அகநானூறு 276, 336, 396, 398,
ஆரியப் பொருநன் – அகநானூறு 386
ஆரிய அண்ணல் – பதிற்றுப்பத்து பதிகம் 5
***
Now let us look at the contexts in the poems:
Arya in Narrinai 170, Kuruntokai 7, Pathrruppaththu 11 and Akananuru 276, 336, 396,398 and a few Pathikams which are considered later additions. One remarkable thing is most of the references come in Akam (Sex, Family life) literature as similes and not in the Puram (war and kings) literature.
86
Kuruntokai verse 7 refers to Ariyar (arya) who does acrobatics called Aaryakoothu. Probably they are from north or practising that type of dance. They walk on rope and do several other tricks by jumping and swinging. The commentator compared the sound of the drums played by those dancers with the sound of the dry seeds of Vaakai tree in the wind.
ஆரியர்
கயிறாடு பாறையின் கால் பொரக் கலங்கி
***
87
Narrinai 170
Here the commentator says that One Malayan drove away the Aryan army in Mullur. It is also used as a simile like the above Kuruntokai verse.
ஆரியர் துவன்றிய பேரிசை முள்ளூர்ப்
பலருடன் கழிந்த ஒள்வாள் மலையானது
***
88
Elephant training
North Indians were skilled in training horses and elephants They gave special names to horses and elephants which we know from Mahabharat, and Puranas. Horse training manual with Sanskrit numbers are discovered in Turkey which are dated 1400 BCE. In the whole wide ancient world only Sanskrit has books on these subjects.
Brahmin poet Paranar mentioned this elephant training by Aryans in Akam verse 276. Here also it comes as a simile. Poet says through the courtesan “like the Aryans using female elephants to trap other elephants, I will trap this gentleman with my hair in front of his wife”. It is said by a courtesan as a challenge.
அவன் பெண்டிர் காண
தாரும் தா னையும் பற்றி , ஆரியர்
பிடிபயின்று தரூஉம் பெருங்களிறு போல
***
89
Akam verses are full of menfolk visiting courtesans. If we take all those poems literally, Tamils will be dubbed as an immoral race. I think it is only a literary convention. Here one courtesan challenges another courtesan where Arya is used only as a simile.
Paavaik Kottilaar is the composer. A man wants to visit a new courtesan. She heard that her customer’s old courtesan criticised her. Then she says I have the power of trapping everyone. if I don’t do it let my bangles be broken and crushed like the Aryan force was defeated and scattered at Vallam battle. The courtesan used a botanical fact called heliotropism. It is seen in some plants like sunflower and Nerunji. The flower of the plant keep turning to face the sun. Courtesan says I have that quality and so people will keep looking at me wherever I go,
வில் ஈண்டு குறும்பின் வல்லத்து புறமிளை
ஆரியர் படையின் உடைக , என்
நேர் இறை முன்கை வீங்கிய வளையே
***
In Akam 396 sung by Paranar, a courtesan compared her beauty to the beauty of Vanji, which was the capital of Chera Kingdom. She praised Vanji as the beautiful city of the Chera king who defeated the Aryan kings, and went up to the famous Himalaya mountain and carved (engraved) his Bow symbol.
ஆரியர் அலறத் தாக்கி , பேர் இசைத்
தொன்றுமுதிர் வந்தவரை வணங்கு வில் பொறித்து
வெஞ்சின வேந்தரைப் பிணித்தோன்
வஞ்சி அன்ன, என் நலம் தந்து சென்மே
***
Flame of the Forest Delonix Regia
In Akam 398 composed by Ilamenkeeranaar, the local Venkai tree forest is compared to the golden Himalayan Forest. It is an apostrophe to the river, by a ladylove. She asked the river that is coming from her lover’s mountain to take rest at her father’s forest which is similar to the golden northern mountain. Tamil tree Venkai mentioned in the poem is similar to Delonix regia tree which is called the Flame of the Forest. The whole forest would look like a burning forest in the sun light. Poet also mentioned here Firey Venkai tree. May be there are two varieties with yellow flowers and red flowers. In Tamil Nadu it has yellow flowers.
அழல் சினை வேங்கை நிழல் தவிர்ந்து அசை இ
மாரி புறந்தர நந்தி , ஆரியர்
பொன்பாடு நெடுவரை புரையும் எந்தை
பல் பூங்கானத்து அழகி, இன்று இவண்
சேந்தனை செலினே சிதைக்குவது உண்டோ ?
To be continued…………………………..
Tags- Arya, Sangam poems, Ancient Tamil Encyclopaedia- Part 13, One Thousand Interesting Facts -13
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