Written by London Swaminathan

Post No. 15,069

Date uploaded in London –  9 October 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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Akananuru (naanuuru) wonders continued ………

Part 19

Four interesting facts in one Akam Poem (akam.252)

121

Animals mentioned in Akananuru have two interesting animal names

One is Yaali and another is Asunam. Both are described as mythical animals.

அகநானூற்றில் ஆளி = யாளி =லியோ LEO=YALI=LIYA; அகம்/ AKAM 78, 252, 381, PURAM 207; NARRINAI 205; PORU.139.

ரத்த =தேர் RATHA= THER

குதிரை = துரக ; துருக்கி; KUTHIRAI= THURAKA

இப மா முகன்= ELEPHANT FACED GANAPATI ; IBHA= ELEPHA.

Elephant-lion combined is called Yaali, seen on the pillars of South Indian temples.

Not many people knew that the English word Leo, Leonine, Lion re all Sanskrit words.

Leo is the mirror image of Yali . it is accepted in Linguistics. If you show the word Yali in mirror you will see Liya.

The Tamil word Ther for chariot is also a mirror image of Sanskrit word Rath/a.

Scores of words are in Indian languages.

Interestingly Elephant is also Sanskrit word Ebha for elephant is in Rig Veda and Tiruppugaz by Arunagirinathar.

Horse is also a Sanskrit word; it iss the corrupted form of Haya and Asva.

Tamil word Kuthirai is a mirror word of Sanskrit Turaga. Turkey is called Turaga country because it supplied the best horses to India trained by Hindus. The proof is available in cuneiform tablet where horse manual by Kikkuli used Sanskrit instructions in Horse training. The horse manual is dated 1400 BCE. Pure Tamil word for horse is Pari. But both Kuthirai and Pari are used by Sangam Tamil poets.

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122

ASUNAM

அசுணம்- அகம் 88; akam 88

நற்றிணை  244, 304; narrinai 244 and 304

It is extinct now. It may be a kind of deer. But one Tamil books described it as a bird, which is wrong. From Adi Shankara to American Red Indians know that Deer are caught by singing. American tribes used Bugle to catch antelopes.

Ancient Tamil hunters also played musical instruments to attract Asunam and when they came near, they played loud drums and the animals died because of the sound attack.

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  Yali in Madurai temple

123

Yaali- Aali- Leo

Four interesting facts in one Akam Poem (akam.252)

1.Akam 252 was composed by woman poet Nakkannai .

Her real name was Sulochana! Like Sanskrit names, 34 Sangam poets have Sanskrit prefix SU=Nalla. (I have given examples in another article).

2.This poem says that Tigers wont eat its prey if it falls on its left side. Right side is the only side it aims at. Hindus invented clock- wise direction. Even today all auspicious things are done in clockwise direction and all inauspicious rituals are done in anti-clock wise direction. Even Tamil tigers followed the Hindu way.

3. Even tigers shiver at the sight of Yalis killing elephants and plucking out its tusks.

4.Lady love gives a simile which shows Tamils were so careful and socially conscious that the banks of lakes must be protected. The woman says my mother is so watchful like a guard who watches the banks of a lake on a rainy day.

இடம்படுபு அறியா வலம்படு வேட்டத்து

வாள்வரி நடுங்கப் புகல்வந்து, ஆளி

உயர்நுதல் யானைப் புகர்முகத்து ஒற்றி,

வெண்கோடு புய்க்கும் தண்கமழ் சோலைப்

பெருவரை அடுக்கத்து ஒருவேல் ஏந்தித் 5

தனியன் வருதல் அவனும் அஞ்சான்;

பனிவார் கண்ணேன் ஆகி, நோய்அட,

எமியேன் இருத்தலை யானும் ஆற்றேன்;

பாங்குச் செய்வாம்கொல்- தோழி! ஈங்கைத்

துய்அவிழ் பனிமலர் உதிர வீசித் 10

தொழில்மழை பொழிந்த பானாட் கங்குல்

எறிதிரைத் திவலை தூஉம் சிறுகோட்டுப்

பெருங்குளம் காவலன் போல,

அருங்கடி அன்னையம் துயில்மறந் தனளே! –அகம் 252

Akam 252 was composed by poetess Nakkanaiyaar

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124.

Encyclopaedias like Wikipedia say they don’t know the origin of the word Caesar.

It is very simple: Kesa+ Ari= Haired animal (lion with mane)

Caesar+ Ari= Caesar= Kesar/i

By learning Sanskrit and Tamil, one can understand anything and everything in the world.

Look at the Ari in Hebrew Ariel!!

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Here is my old article written 11 years ago:

Written by London Swaminathan
Post No. 981; dated 15th April 2014

Sonic boom and Sonic bomb
Tamil literature gives us very interesting information about a rare animal called ‘Asunam’. It is phonophobia. It has got a good taste for melodious music. It is more musical than most men. But the minute someone plays on a big drum it dies at once. Sangam Tamil literature is 2000 year old. We have three references to this ‘Asunam’and later literature gives more information. It is not a mythical animal like griffin or Makara or Yali. Somehow palaeontologists and paleo zoologists missed this. Now we get more scientific information about sonic bombs and low frequencies emitted by submarines that killed even giant squids. Dolphins and whales commit mass suicides because of sonar disturbances. So we may look into this extinct animal again armed with all the scientific facts.

Natrinai’ is one of the anthologies of Sangam Tamil literature and verses 244 and 304 give the following information:
In the mountainous ‘Kurinji’ area, ‘Asunam’ lives in the caves. It listens keenly to the buzzing sound (music) of the bees and beetles. The heroine of a love poem says, “My lover is like an Asunam. When he is near me it gives pleasure. When he is temporarily separated it gives me great sorrow. I am like Asunam attracted by melodious music and then killed by loud beating of the drums.

Yali in Tirupparankundram near Madurai

The commentator explains that the Tamils played on lyre to attract the Asunams from the caves and suddenly played on drums to kill them. Another verse from another Sangam Tamil anthology called ‘Akananuru’ (verse 88) gives similar information. The only difference is that the commentator describes Asunam as a bird here.

‘Nammanik kadikai’– is one of the 18 minor Tamil works. Verse three of the book is very clear about Asunam. It described it as an animal. It compares Asunam with several other people in public life.
The celebrated author Kamban of Kamba Ramayanam compared himself to Asunam! He said, “Among the stalwarts of Tamil language, probably my poems may be like playing drums to Asunams”. Kamban was so humble that he said his poems may not be of good quality, but the fact of the matter is that he is considered one of the great poets of the Tamil speaking world.

My Research Findings on ASUNAM:–

My research on the Asunam based on the above verses and Tamil encyclopaedia Abhidana Chintamani has found out the salient features of Asunam stories. I can summarise them as follows:–

1.Though there are only three references in the ancient Sangam literature, we know that it is not a bird, but an animal.
2.It lived in the caves of the mountains which ancient Tamils called ‘Kurinji ‘lands.
3.Asunam loved mellifluous music but susceptible to harsh music particularly high decibel noise. Modern research shows that sounds of 185 decibels or more can kill human beings.
4.Tamils deliberately played on lyre to attract it and killed them by playing on big drums. It may be one of the reasons for its extinction. The other reason is noise pollution. It might have slowly disappeared.
5. Very few references in the 2000 year old Sangam Tamil literature show that it was a rare animal even at that time. Other animals like tigers, elephants and bears are referred to hundreds of times.

6.Ancient Tamils knew the power of sound waves. Modern research in this field has led into the development of sonic bombs. We already knew the effect of sonic booms emitted by supersonic jets. We now know the effect of sonar waves on dolphins and whales.

7.It will be good that if Tamils do more research and find out the fossils from mountainous area.

8.I have given the full details of the poets names with full quotes in the Tamil version of this article and we know where those poets lived in ancient Tamil Nadu. So we can narrow down the area of our search.

9.Adi Shankara who lived in the first century BC or before, adds some interesting details about deer falling as a prey to singing hunters. ( I follow Kanchi Paramacharya in dating Adi Shankara, which is supported by Tamil literature. Please read my earlier article for the dating)

My Old Articles:-

யாளி என்னும் அதிசய மிருகம்! (Post No.11,298)

Post No. 11,298

Date uploaded in London – 26 SEPTEMBER 2022    

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Vedic Lion around the World!

tamilandvedas.com › tag › vedic-lion Vedic lion – Tamil and Vedas

Yali in Hindu temples. English word Leo is derived from Yali. Hari is a Sanskrit word for lion. Hebrew and Tamil use this word as Ari. In Tamil Ja, Ha, Sha, SH, S sounds don’t exist. So they are Tamilized.

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Singapore is Sanskrit (Post No.7109)

Date: 18 OCTOBER 2019; Post No. 7109

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Hindu Symbolism in Paris!

Research article Written by London Swaminathan
Post No.1249; Dated 24th August 2014.

–Subham—

Tags- Asunam, Yali, Leo, Caesar, Kesari, Ancient Tamil Encyclopaedia- Part 19; One Thousand Interesting Facts- Part 19 ,Akananuru wonders