Written by London Swaminathan
Post No. 16,121
Date uploaded in London – 23 August 2026
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Purananuru wonders-57, Tamil Encyclopaedia 97, One Thousand Interesting Facts Part 97,
Two more Sangam Tamil Books from Ten Idylls. A Brahmin poet by name Mr RUDRAKSHA (in Tamil Uruththiran Kannan) composed two long poems
The Ten Idylls, known in Tamil as Pattuppāṭṭu (பத்துப்பாட்டு), form an ancient collection of ten long narrative poems from the Sangam Literature
- Perumpāṇāṟṟupaṭai: A guide poem for bards praising Toṇṭaimān Ilantiraiyan, by Rudran Kannanar.
- Paṭṭiṉappālai: A descriptive poem on the Chola port city of Kaveripattinam and King Karikāla, by Rudran Kannanar.
***
Item 802 -Two Unproved Ancient Beliefs!
Very first four lines of Pattinappaalai brings out two ancient beliefs found in Sanskrit books and Tamil books.
Ancient Hindus believed that the unfavourable position of the planet Venus will cause drought in the country Some clever guy arranged all the Venus poems at the end of Purananuru.
Here the poet Mr Rudraksha says even if Venus moved towards south, No Worries; the sea like vast Kaveri River will feed the land and the people.
Immediately he adds even if the lark that feeds on rain drops becomes sad and weak.
Hindus used many birds as similes; one of them is a bird like sky lark that feeds on rain drops only.
Even Adi Sankara, the greatest philosopher, has used these birds as similes.
Neither the Venus reference nor the Bird that feeds only on raindrops is proved by science!
One may guess that kind of birds became extinct like Dodo; as dead as Dodo.
Puram verse 198 also mentioned that rare bird.
J V Chelliah (1946) translated those lines:
Though Venus, star of splendour bright,
Strays southward from its wonted course,
Cool showers fail to fall, and the lark
That feeds on rain in silence droops,
Yet sea-like Kaveri mountains-fed
Its waters spread over golden sands.
***
Item 803 Richest Women in the World!
Poet Mr Rudraksha paints a beautiful picture of the richest Tamil Women of Choza country.
The women, throw their golden pendants to chase the village animals.
You and I will throw stones at the dog but,
On spacious fronts of houses wide
With shining foreheads, guileless looks,
Bejewelled maids scare fowls away
That come to feed on drying grains
By throwing pendants round and thick
(it is understood that they wore only golden Pendants)
***
Item 804 Toy Carts, Golden Anklets
Then the poet portrays the streets where children play with Toy Carts.
When he described the boys’ jewels, he says
Which (fowls) bar the way of tiny cars
That horseless move upon three wheels
Which boys with golden anklets drive
***
Item 805- Makam Star on Full Moon Day (Tamil lines 34,35)
Poet also shows his knowledge in Astronomy. He described the pond and flowers in Kaveri Poom Pattinam area (now called Poompuhar) and say the looked like Makam star on Purnima day.
If one lives in Tamil Nadu, one will figure out the scene.
There are some phrases Tamils use very often;
Aippasi Karththikai Adai Mazaik Kaalam;
Maasi Nilaa Paasi Padarum;
ஐப்பசி கார்த்திகை அடைமழைக்க் காலம்
மாசி நிலா பாசி படரும் ( மாசி மாத பெளர்ணமி)
The meaning is “there will be heavy rains in two Tamil months Aippasi, Karththikai “
Aippasi (ஐப்பசி): Mid-October to mid-November
Karthigai (கார்த்திகை): Mid-November to mid-December
In the month of Maasi, the sky will be crystal clear, and the ponds will be full; most of temple will celebrate Float Festival in the Big Tanks.
The Masi Full Moon Day will look like Thousand Watt Bulb ;That is why they say Maasi Nilaa Paasi Padarum= the moon light will lit even the green algae on the banks.
***
Item 806 , lines 40, 41
Tiger Emblem everywhere! There were public kitchens in the port city Kāvirippoompattinam. Doors had Tiger Emblem.
Choza Kings’ Tiger Emblem, Pandya’s Double Fish Emblem and Chera’s Bow Emblem were cared even on Holy Himalayas according to Sangam poems and later inscriptions.
The tiger emblem is referred to in Puram. Poems 33 and 174 also.
***
Item 807 — Paintings on Palace walls
There were huge paintings on palace walls, but they were soild y the dust from speeding chariots.
From this we can imagine how beautiful the city was.
Poet compared the dusty paintings to elephants in muddy soil,
The thick dust raised by running cars
Doth soil the various pictures drawn
On temples white, and make the bulls
Resembles elephants that role
In lime……………………………
***
Item 808- Hindus with long hair performed Yagas
Poet made a passing remark about Jain and Buddhist monasteries and then adds,
There hermitages too are seen.
The cuckoos with their great black mates
From shrubby groves do fly away
To shun the smoke of oblation’s fire
That hermits bright with matted locks…………….
Neither Jains nor Buddhist monks grow matted locks ; they have shaved heads
Puram 43 also mentioned the saints with matted locks
***
Item 809 pigeons eat small stones
Do light in demon guarded shrines,
Not easy of access and grim
To live with pebble eating doves
In these lines we get two facts. Kali temples had huge ghostly statues in the entrance.
Even today we can see such huge scary statues in Ayyanar temples and devi temples in tamil nadu and kerala
The second fact is pigeons swallowing small stones. Poet was a keen observer of nature.
It is believed that doves do it to help in their digestion.
***
Item 810 -Wrestling scenes and Non Veg food
The warriors were practising wrestling; in poet’s words,
There are seen wrestling grounds with ancient trees
They eat sweet roasted shrimp, and feed
On turtles boiled. They wear the blooms
of adampu dry that creeps on land
and ambal that in water grows
as stars that move in blue expanse
mix with planets, so the men
in ample commons mingle free
and fight with hands and weapons so
that body touches body close.
In ire they yield no to foe
And unappeased with vigour fight.
The stones that fly from slings do scare
The birds that sit on dusky palms.
Here we get what men ate what men wore and how they fought.
Poet has given us the minutest details.
***
Item 811 Indus Valley Fish symbols
நாள்மீன் விராய கோள்மீன் போல Naal Meen viraaya Kol Meen
Naal Meen= star; Kol Meen= planet;
Two Tamil terms for stars and planets
Ancient Tamils compared fish in the sea and the stars in the sky; both are blue.
They added MEEN (Fish; Meenam in Sanskrit) with Day and Planet.
If they say Day Fish, it meant Star;
If they say Planet fish, it meant planet.
These words led many Indus valley decipherers to say that the Harappan seals have Tamil words!
If the Indus seal shows six vertical lines and a fish symbol, they said it meant Kartikai (Krittika in Sanskrit) star; Pleiades constellation in the sky!
If they see three vertical lines and a fish on the Harappn seal, they said it is Mrgaseersha star; it appealed to many;
But the pity is fish appeared on hundreds of seals in various combinations with different symbols. They got stuck up!
Till this day no one was able to decipher it inspaite of 100++++ guesses!
***
Item 812 Sea God Worship!
Barter trade where salt vendors exchanged salt for paddy with city people, Hero stones or Memorial stones (Nadu Kal in Tamil), leafy garments of women are also mentioned by the poet.
Also Sheep Fight and Cock fight were also mentioned.
Very important point is Worship of Sea God. Hindus believe that Vedic God Varuna control all water sources including sea.
Brahmins around the world recite Varuna mantra in their daily Sandhyavandana even today.
Tolkappiar, believed to be the oldest poet, mentioned VARUNA as Tamil God of coastal region.
He used Sanskrit word Varuna in the third section of Tolkappiam.
Coastal people worshipped sea god by planting Shark fins in the sandy area. Poet says,
Beneath the pines with hanging roots
They plant the sword of the gravid shark
To seat their Sea God great, for whom they wear the bloom of sheathed pine
And toddy drawn from rugged palms
They drink. Their women dark are clad
In green leaf garments, and with these
On Full Moon days, neglecting work
Not fishing on the wild cold sea………………
On full moon days because of the rough tides, fishermen don’t go for fishing.
***
Item 813
Religious Beliefs
In Line 99, poet says that people took sea bath to wash away their sins.
Lines 154-155 described the Murugan worship;
Lines 159, 160 also mentioned worship of Gods;
And their children played with crabs.
Playing with crabs அலவனாட்டுதல் is also seen in Kuru. Poems303, 316.
***
Item 814 Bharatiyar Verse and Mr Rudraksha verses
Nationalist poet Bharatiyar was greatly influenced by Sangam poets. It is evident in many of his poems. To emphasize National Unity Bharatiyar said ” Ganges region Wheat should be exchanged with Betel leaves of Kaveri Region; Maharashtriyan’s poems should be exchanged with Kerala Ivory products etc.
He must have been influenced by these lines:
The good and worthy gods protect
The city limits. Here are brought
Swift prancing steeds by sea in ships
And bales of pepper black, by carts.
Himalayas sends gems and godl
While kudagu hill, sweet sandal wood
And Akhil; pearls fom the south sea come,
Red coral from the eastern sea
The ganges aand the kaveri bring
Their yield; Ceylon provides its food,
And Burma, manufactures rare
With other rare and rich imports
This wealth lies close and thickly piled
Confused along the spacious streets.
This is what the poet saw 2000 years ago!
***
1tem 815 -Tamil Attacks on Chinese and Yavanas
மக்கள் Vs மாக்கள்
Line 217 has some interesting comments from ancient commentators!
We already know that the great Chera King Imayavaramban Nedun Cheralathan arrested mischievous Roaman pirates, tied their hands behind, poured oil on their heads. When they apologised, he got lot of gold and diamonds and distributed them to Tamil poets. It is in Sangam book Pathiruppathu. Sanskrit books also attack Yavanas (Romans and Greeks) as people of uncouth manners.
Here the poet used a Tamil word MAAKAL.
MAKKAL means people;
MAAKKAL (long sound) means Animals. They can’t think like men. Man is called Man because he has Mind (thinking and knowing what is right and what is wrong). This is the definition in Sanskrit scriptures.
The commentators say that Tamil Poet Rudraksha used this word for foreign settles of Poompukaar because Chines and Yavanas have only Five faculties in their brain. They are equal to animals.
ஆதாரம் :
பத்துப்பாட்டு மூலமும் (பக்கம் 551)
நச்சினார்க்கினியர் உரையும்
மகாமகோபாத்தியாய தாக்ஷிணாத்ய கலாநிதி
டாக்டர் உ வே சாமிநாதைய்யர்
நான் காம் பாதிப்பு 1950
Tamil poet Bharati also knowingly or unknowingly used Seenaththaraa viduvaaro- pirapala desaththaar por pala Theenkizaipaaro (Once again I think Bharati was influenced by this Makkal- Maakkal commentary. சீனத்தராய்விடுவாரோ -பிற தேசத்தார் போல
பற்பல தீங்கிழைப்பாரோ
Makkal/people have six faculties in their brain.
Oldest book Tolkappiam defined Makkal and Maakkal.
ZHOU ENLAI WHO ATTCKED INDIA FOOLING JAWAHARLAL NEHRU AND OCCUPIED 30000 SQUARE MILES OF INDIA UNTIL THIS DAY.
TO BE CONTINUED……………………
TAGS- item 815 , attack on Chinese, Yavanas, richest Tamil women, Purananuru wonders-57, Tamil Encyclopaedia 97, One Thousand Interesting Facts Part 97, Pattinappalai, Uruththiran Kannan, Mr Rudraksha
Tamil and Vedas 