Post No. 15,005
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Caste ridden Tamil Society
PART NINE
69.
Sangam Age Tamil society was a caste ridden society; there were upper and lower castes. They lived in different ‘cheris’ i.e. different areas of the town. The lower castes were attacked with derisive, degrading, disgraceful and impolite terms.
All these were seen in today’s Tamil society and in hundreds of old proverbs. But we have poets from different castes in Sangam literature. The surprising thing is we don’t see these many castes in 2000 year old Sanskrit literature. We did not see such things either in seven works of Kalidasa or 13 works of Bhasa.
Educated people were always respected through out India at all times. We see butcher Dharmavyadha teaching Rishi Kausika in Mahabharata. We see King Janaka teaching Brahmins in Upanishads. We see Arundhati, the low cate woman and wife of Rishi Vasistha is saluted by everyone until this day. Tamil kings also respected all poets from all castes.
Purananuru, which gives a true picture of a society that lived 2000 years ago has got many interesting things. The same caste followed the same vocation or profession. They included their vocation in their names. But we don’t see any low caste words in the poets’ names such as Pulaiyan or Paraiayan or Kadamban or Thudian.
Now let us look at some verses where caste is predominant:
Izisinan- Puram 287, 289, 82 இழிசினன் Low caste fellow
Izipirappinon – Puram 363 இழிபிறப்பினோன் Man of Low Birth
(Z is used for special L sound in Tamil)
The prefix IZI means low, base, degraded, down
Some scholars argued that we see love marriages more in Sangam Literature that shows that there were no strict caste rules or caste bias. This is a dangerous argument. If we apply the same rule with Paraththai= Para Stri= Prostitute occurring in the poems, then Tamil society will get a very bad name. If we apply the same rule to infighting among the Tamil society, the longest in the History of the World, then Sangam Tamil society will be dubbed as war mongers. We must always differentiate between poetic conventions and actual conditions of the period.
Above all, the true picture is seen in Today’s Tamil community. Except Brahmins, all the castes are begging to the government to include them in the lowest divisions of society. Though the have millions and billions of rupees, they receive all economic benefits like the fraudulent refugee community in the Western Countries.
Following is from Puram verses.
இழிசினன் – 287 -2 ; 82 -3; 289 -10
துடி எறியும் புலைய!
எறிகோல் கொள்ளும் இழிசின!-287-2.
***
சாறுதலைக் கொண்டெனப், பெண்ணீற்று
உற்றெனப் பட்ட மாரி ஞான்ற ஞாயிற்றுக்
கட்டில் நிணக்கும் இழிசினன் கையது-82
இவற்குஈக என்னும் அதுவும்அன் றிசினே;
***
கேட்டியோ வாழி பாண! பாசறைப்
பூக்கோள் இன்றென்று அறையும்
மடிவாய்த் தண்ணுமை இழிசினன் குரலே.-289
Pulaiyan, Pulaiththi புலையன் புலைத்தி They eat dead animals or Dogs. They are used in crematoriums and burial grounds. It is in Bhagavad Gita (5-18) as well
****
Four important low caste sects
Thudiyan, Paraiyan, Paanan, Kadamban in Puram Verse 335
Even Oxford Dictionary has the word Pariah:–
sometimes offensive, an outcast.
“they were treated as social pariahs”
Outcast, persona non grata, leper, reject, untouchable, undesirable, unperson
**
a member of a group of castes concentrated in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu and in Sri Lanka, included among the Scheduled Castes or Dalits.
**
Of the four low castes, three are linked with music. But Kadamban is an odd word. No one can give precise meaning; still struggling with the word.
நான்கு முக்கிய ஜாதிகள்
துடியன், பாணன், பறையன், கடம்பன், என்று
இந் நான்கு அல்லது குடியும் இல்லை;– புறம் 335.
***
Pulaiya :
Puram புறம் –259-5; 311-2; 287-1; 360-19;
Kali கலி.72-14;117-7;55-18; 95-10;68-19;85-22
Akam அகம்.34-11;
Narrinai 90-3; 77-1; 347-5;
Kuru.குறு.330-1;
***
Four Main Castes
Like we see the four castes, based on vocation or profession in the latest part of Rig Veda (Purushasuktam in Tenth Mandala), we see same four divisions in Purananuru where Upper and Lower divisions in the society are mentioned.
Puram 183
உற்றுழி உதவியும் உறுபொருள் கொடுத்தும்
பிற்றைநிலை முனியாது கற்றல் நன்றே;
பிறப்போ ரன்ன உடன்வயிற்று உள்ளும்
சிறப்பின் பாலால் தாயும்மனம் திரியும்
ஒருகுடிப் பிறந்த பல்லோ ருள்ளும்
மூத்தோன் வருக என்னாது அவருள்
அறிவுடை யோன்ஆறு அரசும் செல்லும்
வேற்றுமை தெரிந்த நாற்பால் உள்ளும்
கீழ்ப்பால் ஒருவன் கற்பின்
மேற்பால் ஒருவனும் அவன்கண் படுமே.
This poem gives us three points:
1.Even a mother is more favourable to a learned son.
2.Even a king will favour educated one than an illiterate (in the society or royalty).
3.Even in the society, where there are four fold divisions, a learned person from the lowest community person will be approached by upper caste man (Four Divisions or Sects- Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Shudra).
Tiru Valluvar confirmed it:
“Though high born, an unlettered man is deemed lower than a learned man of lower birth. “—Tirukkural 409.
மேற்பிறந்தா ராயினும் கல்லாதார் கீழ்ப்பிறந்தும்
கற்றார் அனைத்திலர் பாடு.–409
***
Manu Smriti also emphasizes this point:
“A man who has faith may receive good learning even from a man who is lower, the ultimate law even from a man of the lowest castes, and a jewel of a woman even from a bad family”–2-239
***
“Ambrosia may be extracted even from poison,
And good advice even from a child,
Good behaviour even from enemy
And gold even from something impure “– Manu 2- 240
***
“Women, jewels, learning, law, purification, good advice and various crafts may be acquired from anybody” – Manu 2-241
***
In the last stage of Vedic period we come across four castes. They were based on vocations. Bhagavad Gita verse confirms it.
चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागश: |
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् || 4-13||.—Bhagavad Gita
chātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛiṣhṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśhaḥ
tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhyakartāram avyayam.—Bhagavad Gita
The four categories of occupations were created by Me according to people’s qualities and activities. Although I am the Creator of this system, know Me to be the Non-doer and Eternal.—Bhagavad Gita.
Tiru Valluvar of Post Sangam period translated it verbatim:
பிறப்பொக்கும் எல்லா உயிர்க்கும் சிறப்பொவ்வா
செய்தொழில் வேற்றுமை யான்.- திருக்குறள் –972 Tirukkural
Tirukkural English Couplet 972:
All men that live are one in circumstances of birth;
Diversities of works give each his special worth.
Couplet Explanation:
All human beings agree as regards their birth but differ as regards their characteristics, because of the different qualities of their actions.
***
புலையன் ஸ்வபாக undefined பகவத் கீதை 5-18
विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि |
शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिता: समदर्शिन: ||5-18||.—Bhagavad Gita
vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śhuni chaiva śhva-pāke cha paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśhinaḥ.—Bhagavad Gita
BG 5.18: The truly learned, with the eyes of divine knowledge, see with equal vision a Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater (PULAIYAN in Tamil). .—Bhagavad Gita
***
Low caste people worked in Crematoriums
புறம்.363
இருங்கடல் உடுத்தஇப் பெருங்கண் மாநிலம்
உடைஇலை நடுவணது இடைபிறர்க்கு இன்றித்
தாமே ஆண்ட ஏமம் காவலர்
இடுதிரை மணலினும் பலரே; சுடுபிணக்
காடுபதி யாகப் போகித் தத்தம்
நாடு பிறர்கொளச் சென்றுமாய்ந் தனரே;
அதனால் நீயும் கேண்மதி அத்தை; வீயாது
உடம்பொடு நின்ற உயிரும் இல்லை;
மடங்கல் உண்மை மாயமோ அன்றே;
கள்ளி ஏய்ந்த முள்ளியம் புறங்காட்டு
வெள்ளில் போகிய வியலுள் ஆங்கண்
உப்பிலாஅ அவிப்புழுக்கல்
கைக்கொண்டு பிறக்கு நோக்காது
இழிபிறப்பினோன் ஈயப்பெற்று
நிலங்கல னாக விலங்குபலி மிசையும்
இன்னா வைகல் வாரா முன்னே,
செய்ந்நீ முன்னிய வினையே,
முந்நீர் வரைப்பகம் முழுதுடன் துறந்தே.
Puram–363
***
—subham—
Tags- Castes, Low castes, Pariah, Pulaiyan, Caste ridden, Tamil Society, Ancient Tamil Encyclopaedia- Part 9; One Thousand Interesting Facts, Bhagavad Gita, Manu Smriti
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