Written by London Swaminathan

Post No. 14,983

Date uploaded in London –  14 September 2025

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.

this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.

tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com

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52

Aambi = Mushroom, fungi ஆம்பி

Puram 61-2; Madu. 91; Perum.157;

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53

ARI-PARI-KARI-MARI-KEERI (ALL ANIMALS)

அரி – கரி- பரி -மறி-  கீரி-

Tamil is a beautiful language like Sanskrit.

Ari – lion

Pari- horse (also Ivuli, Kuthirai, Puravi)

Kari (elephant; scores of words are in Sangam Tamil Books)

Mari – Male of Sheep, Deer etc)

Keeri- Mongoose.

Varippuli – Tiger

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54

Ari- Lion அரி

Though lions did not  live in South India during Sangam age, Tamils knew it threw its appearance in palaces and statues. We find many words for lion in Tamil Sangam literature.

Ainkurunuru-265, 268 (here the word ARI is interpreted as boar as well; but later literature used Ari for lions. E.g. Ari AAsanam= Simhasanam= Lion Throne)

One must know ARI also meant Rice, Eye, Beauty, Gems inside anklet according to Sangam Age Tamil Words Index)

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55.

Aravu Umil Mani /Naga ratna / Cobra Jewel

Nāgaratna (ನಾಗರತ್ನ):—[noun] a gem supposed to be in the hood of a serpent.

Naga is a Sanskrit word for Snake. English words S/Nake (naaka) and Serpent (Sarpa) are derived from Sanskrit.

But Tamils used both Naaga and Tamil word Aravu in many places.

Naga Ratna is used in both Sanskrit and Tamil.

In Sangam literature Akam.72; 92; 192; Puram.294.

Kumara Sambhavam of Kalidasa: 2:38, 5:43, Raghuvamsam 6:49, 10:7, 11:59, 11:68,13:12, 17:63;Rtu Samharam 1:20

·        Tamil Aka Nanuru 72, 92, 138, 192, 372

·        Pura Nanuru 172, 294, 398

·        Kurunthokai 239

·        Natrinai 255

·        Kurinchipattu Lines 221,239

This is not an exhaustive list. We find such references in innumerable places.

அரவுமிழ் திருமணி – அகம் 192; புறம்.294

“நாம நல்லராக் கதிர்பட உமிழ்ந்த
மேய் மணி விளக்கின் புலர ஈர்க்கும்”

–அகம் 72

“உருமுச் சிவந்து எறிந்த உரன் அழிபாம்பின்
திருமணி விளக்கிண் பெறுகுவை”

–அகம் 92

We find it also in Shakespeare and Brhat Samhita of Varahamihira.

ப்ரமர சிகி கண்ட வர்ண: தீபசிகாசப்ரப: புஜங்கானாம்

பவதிமணி கில மூர்த்தனியோஅனர்கய சஹ விக்னபா:

——-பிருஹத் சம்ஹிதா, அத்தியாயம் 82

இதன் பொருள் என்ன?

பாம்புகளின் தலையில் ஒரு ரத்தினம் இருப்பதாச் சொல்லுவர். அது வண்டு, மயிலின் கழுத்து நிறம் போல பளபளக்கும்;  ஒரு விளக்கின் தீ ஜ்வாலை போல ஒளியை உமிழும்; அது விலை மதிக்க ஒண்ணாதது.

“Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which like the toad, ugly and venomous,

Wears yet a precious jewel in his head”

Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’ Act 2:1.13-14

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56

BAT வாவல், வௌவால்

Narrinai நற்றிணை 87 BY Nakkannaiyar நக்கண்ணையார்

The sharp toothed is imagined to dream in its sleep.

Hindus reported first in the world that animals do dream like human beings.

Kuru 172 BY Nakkannaiyar

The bat of expanding wings and of slight flight is said to seek in the eveningfor trees bearing fruits.

Narrinai 279

The bats are said to feed on the neem fruits, and being satiated, fly to the iruppai trees seeking sweeter fruits there.

Ainkuru .339, 378

The bat is a bird / animal of the eveningsand  its flight reminds the parted heroine the approach of the desolate evening.

Narrinai 218

The companion tries her best to console the pining heroine but in spite of all her attempts, the latter feels for her miserable loneliness at nights. the evening begins with its usual accompaniments, the darkness slowly setting in after sunset, the bats are flying hither and thither and the nocturnal owl screeching in the neem tree. The heroine broods, thinks of what is to follow them and immediately feels more miserable and asks her companion whether she will have to hear also the voice of the anril from the palmyra tree

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57

BEAR எண்கு (கரடி)

Akam. 81

The bear searching for its food in the ant hill.

Nar.336, 383

The bears surrounding an ant hill to scoop out their food in it look like dark clouds  around a mountain cliff .

Akam 171

The bears are said to come in groups and feed on iruppai flowers which are fleshy and juicy like fruits.

Akam.149

The iruppai flowers are white in colour and has holes as if perforated. The long-handed bears come in herds and feed on them, after exhausting their food in the anthills.

Akam.331

Mamulanar – maamuulanaar – is tamil wordsworth . he is very much interested in describing the colours, smells and the shapes of the plant world.

The bears visit in a group like a herd of sheep  and feed on iruppai flowers the tall iruppai trees  with red tender leaves shed their white flowers resembling cone likepieces cut out of ivory.

Malaipadukadam -line 501

The bear has the epithet uumai/dumb  which refers to the fact that the beast makes no loud  noise like the other animals  and consequently deserves to be called dumb or comparatively silent.

Narri.  125

The bear that draws out its food from the ant hill  and breathes hard  seems to bellow like the noise  at a smithy.

Enku for bear is not used by the modern Tamils. No tamil would understand ENKU; now they use Karadi for bear which was not used before.

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58.

BEE தேனீ,  அறுகால் பறவை/SIX FOOT BIRD, தாதுண் பறவை /POLLEN EATING BIRD, வண்டு

From Rig Veda to modern poetry, we find bees.

Tamils also use the description Six Legged Bird for Bees.

In Narrinai 290  bees are compared with men visiting various women

Akananuru -4-10; 46

Ainkurunuru – 90

Narrinai 290 men are like bees visiting many women , 277- the remarks of the lonely heroine against the unsympathetic bee that do not take interest in informing the hero of her desolate condition in spite of emotional ppeals made to them .

Kuruntokai 2, 392, 265

Purananuru – 70; narrinai -55; akam 332 -six legged.

The bees buzz and the frogs croak in the pastoral region- ainkurunuru.

AKAM 88-Elephant’s flow of rut attracts bees, and their humming sound is musical enough to attract  the animal called asunam  which listens to it and mistakes it for the tune of yaaz/ lyre.

AKAM 134- hero sees the bees humming and sucking nectar from the flowers along with their mates and gets down his chariot and ties up the tongues of he bells so as to prevent them from sounding and disturbing the happy life of the insects in those flowers.

Kuru.265- when the bee hums over the kantal bud and tries to penetrate into it, the bird slowly yields to it and blossoms with fragrance like the dutiful and grateful men welcoming with delight the noble gentlemen with whom they are acquainted.

Narr.1- the acquaintance with nob men of high qualities is as sweet as the honey gathered by the bees from the lotus flowers  and stored in the honeycomb on the lofty branch of a sandal wood tree in a high mountain.

In

Kaliththokai 66, there are picturesque descriptions of the bees. The word  used is VARI VANDU.

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Kalidasa – Sakuntala; 3-23; 4-7; 5-1, 8; shadpata 1-23; 3-23; 5-19;

Kumarasambhava – 3-36; shadpata 5-9

Vikramaorvaseeyam 4-22, 21; 2-23

Raghuvamsa – shadpata – 6-59; 8-55; 9-26; 11-27

Raghuvamsa- elephant rut/ beetle – 5-43; 6-7; 30-57; 12-102

Bhasa’s Svapnavasavadatta also mentioned it.

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59

DRAGON FLY தும்பி

Poet’s name is Thumbi Cer where the word  Thumbi means dragon fly.

In Kuru. 392 and   Nar.177,  heroine addresses the dragon fly and expresses to them for feelings of sufferings in the absence of her lover.

60

Snake devouring Moon சங்க இலக்கியத்தில் கிரகணம்

Though Hindus knew the science behind Lunar and Solar eclipses , they told the illiterate Tamils that Rahu and Ketu devouring the Moon or Sun. Both the planets are described as snakes. This is found in all the Sanskrit books. Tamils also followed their northern counter parts.

Moon devoured by snake- Pari.10-76;Akam-114, 313; Kuru.395

அரவு செறி உவவுமதி – பரி.10-76;  அரவு நுங்கு மதி – அகம்.114, 313; குறு.395;

61

Tamils Strange belief; Thunder will burn snakes

Thunder strikes at snakes and they are burnt alive.

அரவு எறி உறும்- அகம்.182; புறம்.126, 366.

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62.

சப்தரிஷி URSA MAJOR CONSTELLATION எழுமீன்

Sapta Rishi- Ursa Major- Great Bear- Dipper- Constellation- Seven Stars= Seven Seers

Narrinai.231; Pari.5

The verse says that Tamils worshipped the Seven Stars. Brahmins worship them thrice a day in Sandhyavandanam. 2700 year ago, Panini mentioned the Seven Rishis in the same order like in Sandhyavandanam.

ஏழு ரிஷிகளை பிராமணர்கள் இன்றும் தினமும் மூன்று வேளை சந்தியா வந்தனத்தில் வணங்குகிறார்கள் . அவர்கள் சொல்லும் அதே வரிசையில்  பாணினி  தனது சூத்திரத்தில் 2700 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்னர் எழுதியுள்ளார் . அந்த எழுவரையும் தமிழர்கள் கும்பிடுவது நற்றிணைப் பாடலில் 231 உள்ளது

கைதொழு மரபின் எழுமீன் போலப்  — பாடியவர் இளநாகனார்

ஐந்தாவது பரிபாடலில் சப்த ரிஷிகள் மற்றும் வர்களுடைய மனைவிமார் பற்றிய குறிப்பும் சிவபெருமான் முப்புரங்களை எரித்த செய்தியும் வருகிறது.

To be continued………………………………………

Tags- Ancient Tamil Encyclopaedia -Part 6; One Thousand Interesting Facts, Bees, Lion, Ursa Major, Sapta Rishi, Stars, Naga Ratna, Cobra Jewel, Kalidasa, Bear, Eclipse, Moon, Snake