Krishna and Baladeva on Indo-Greek Coins (Picture from Wikipedia)

Written by London Swaminathan
Post No.1078; Dated 1st June 2014.

Tamil politicians who called themselves Dravidians and atheists have propagated false information about Tamil culture for long. This was initially put forward by Christian missionaries and foreigners with a motive to stabilize their rule and spread their religion. They were spreading Aryan- Dravidian racist theory and said Hindu gods were introduced to Tamils who were without a religion. Those who studied history and religion knew that human beings believed in some supernatural force from the very early times.

Knowledgeable Tamils who have studied approximately 2500 poems of ancient Tamils know that the Vedas, Brahmins, Hindu Gods, Hindu beliefs about birth and death, Rebirth, Karma theory, Vegetarianism, Seven Stars (Saparishi), Six Stars (Pleiades= Skanda), Pole Star (Druva), Arundhati (Alcor), Amrita (ambrosia), Heaven and Hell, Astrology, Epics and Puranas are all mentioned in innumerable places in Sangam Tamil literature, which is at least 2000 years old.

Besnagar aruda Pillar of Indo -Greek King Heliodorus

I give below some references to Hindu deities from Purananuru and Agananuru. Both these books with 400 poems each in the anthology give us a picture of Tamil society that existed 2000 year ago in Tamil Nadu. They had the same beliefs like their northern counter parts about most of the things. Like any other society we see some minor changes in different areas. A language changes every 200 years and a culture changes every 200 miles, say the scholars. Why can’t people have different beliefs, customs in a vast country like India which is equal to 20+ European countries? In a country like United Kingdom, just the size of Andhra Pradesh in India, we see four different cultures and numerous English dialects. So it is no wonder we had minor differences in the long history of India.

Lord Siva in his dancing pose.

Lord Siva
Lord Siva is referred to in a lot of places in the Sangam Tamil Poems. One reference is to His helping the Devas to by shooting the Three Forts of Asuras with a single arrow, having a serpent as the bow string and hill as the bow, and He is described as blue throated, wearing the crescent on his fair head and with an eye shining on his fore head—Puram 55, Marudan Ilanagan (contemporary of Nakkiran) on Pandyan Nanmaran.
Nanmaran was also sung by Nakkiran, son of Madurai Kanakkayanar.

The other references are to
Lord Siva’s three eyes:– Puram 6 by Kari kizar on Mudukudumi Peruvazuthi .
His matted locks:– Puram 6 by Kari kizar on Mudukudumi Peruvazuthi
His blue throat:– Puram 56 by Nakkirar, 91 by Avvaiyar on Adiyaman Anji.

Puram 56 by Nakkirar gives the following information:–
Nakkirar, in this poem, has given a beautiful description of all the Gods worshipped in ancient Tamil Nadu two thousand years ago. In one stanza he praised Siva, Balarama, Krishna and Skanda (Subramanya or Murugan in Tamil).

“He who is riding on a strong bull, has matted locks like blazing fire, the invincible battle axe and a throat like the blue gem, and He whose body is the colour of the chank (conch) from the sea and who wields the death desiring plough and has the Palmyra flag and He whose body is the colour of the well washed sapphire and who raises aloft to the sky the bird flag and desires victory, and He who holds up the gem like peacock flag, who is always victorious, rides the peacock (or the elephant) and is bright red.
This is the most informative poem about Hindu faith in Sangam period. Hindu religion was the main religion and all the Hindu Gods were very familiar to the Tamils. The beauty of the poem is that it gives all the flags or Vahanas of the Hindu Gods. When we see that the same concept existed in the North around the same period or earlier we are wonder struck with the impact of Hinduism in a vast geographical area—the largest in the ancient world.

Approximately at the same time in the North, Kanishka of first century BC issued a coin with Lord Shiva. Yaudheya coins have Subramanya. Balarama and Krsihna are seen on Bactrian coins of Agathocles (180 BCE)*. Garuda emblem was on the Besnagar Pillar of a Greek King Heliodorous (113 BCE). From Afghanistan to Tamil Nadu in the southern most part of India it was the same gods, same religion, same flags and same Vahanas!!!
(For more information read Balarama and Krishna in Bactrian coins by Dr R Nagaswamy in http://www.tamilartsacademy.com)

Parsurama and Krishna avatar.

Lord Krishna & Balarama

Palmyra flag of Balarama is also referred to in the oldest Tamil book Tolkappiam and in Puram 58 by Karikannan on Pandya and Choza kings. Karikannanar compared the unity of Choza and Pandya to Balarama and Krishna. In those days Hindus considered kings as gods.

There are more references to Krishna in other poems:

Puram 57 of Karikannanar
A Pandya is described as full of fame like Mayon (Krishna or Vishnu), “famous
for his power of teaching” (Reference to Gitopadesam of Bhagavad Gita).

And “the crescent moon on his head”– in verse 91 by Avvaiyar on Adiyaman Anji.
“The Ancient Lord of long, stiff matted locks”– in Puram 166 by Avur Mulankizar on Punchatrur Brahmin Kaundinya Vinnanthayan /Vishnudasan)

In Puram 198, Vadama vannakan Peri Sathan on Nanamaran (this poet is a contemporary of Nakkiran and Marudan Ilanagan. Both these poets praised Pandya Namaran):–
The God under the banyan tree (Some commentators say it was Vishnu who sat on a Banyan leaf and some others points out that is Siva who sat under a Banyan tree.
An incident in the life of Krishna is also described in the Puram verse 174:-
When the terrible Asuras swarmed and concealed the sun who hone in the sky and disappeared, (men) could not see on account of darkness. To relieve the distress of the round world, the collyrium coloured one of great strength brought the sun back and raised him in the sky. (It may be the Jayadratha episode in the Majhabharata).

Agni and Agora Veerabadrar, forms of Siva

Agam references on Siva:–
“He who has a head shining with milk like crescent moon and throat like sapphire”- Agam 181by Paranar, contemporary of Kapilar.

Paranar and Kapilar are like Twin Poets and belonged to first century CE.
In the same poem Paranar refers to Four Vedas (Nan Marai), Lord Skanda (Murugu) as well.
“The three eyed Lord whom the sweet toned Four Vedas which spread good to the world (sing about) embellished beautifully the yard where the banyan trees grows”.

Krishna Leela in Agam
Agam stanza 59 refers to Krishna’s bending the branches of the tree, that the cowherdess may wear the cool leaves for the cloth.
There is one more reference to Krishna in Agam 175:–
“Like the garland of the wide, all conquering chest of the discus whose bright spokes are well arranges, was the rain bow”.

Ramayana In Sangam Literature:–
Lord Rama is alluded once in Puram and once in Agam. Both these episodes are not found in any of the major Ramayanas of India. Kamban, a 12 th century Tamil poet mentioned three Ramayanas and said that he followed Valmiki. So these may be from Baudayana or Vashista Ramayana.

Puram 378 by Unpothi Pasungkudaiyar
It is said that monkeys picked up Sita ’s ornaments which she dropped when Ravana carried her in his aerial car and wore them topsy-turvy.
“As the jewels sparkled on the red-faced relations of the monkey that saw the bright ornaments dropped on the ground by Sita, the wife of Rama of the strong car, when she was forcibly carried away by the powerful Rakshasa”.

Maricha Vadha from Ramayana

Agam 70 by Madurai Thamizkuthanar Kaduvan Mallanar
In Agam 70, the following simile occurs. “As was silenced the banyan tree with many aerial roots (the sound of whose birds disturbed) the thoughts of victorious Rama near the shore of the roaring sea at the ancient Kodi (Dhanuskodi) which belongs to the Pandiyas of the conquering spear”.

Parasurama
Parasurama is allured to once in Agam:- Parasurama is associated with the West coast of India from very early times. All their written and oral history begins with Parasurama, one of the Ten Incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Yaga (Fire Sacrifice) performed by Parasurama is found in a simile in Agam 220 by Marudan Ilanagan. “Like the long pole (yupa) well guarded, beautiful to see and tied with roperound its middle, at which (the inclination of Vishnu who wielded the battle axe and destroyed the Kshatriyas dynasties, performed the yaga with great effort”.

Tamil culture is Vedic culture is established from the above poems. Wherever religious references occur, we see only Hindu Gods and beliefs as tamil beliefs. I have already given in my posts that the oldest book Tolkappiam referred to Indra, Varuna, Agni and Durga as Gods of the tamil people.

There are many more references to Yagas, Karma Theory, Rebirth, Svarga, Burial and cremation rites, three references to Sati custom (wife dying in the funeral pyre of her husband) and Vedas and Brahmins. I will write about them in another article.
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