History of Tamil Literature

A HISTORY OF T

LITERATURE ...-

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PROF.

T. P. MEENAKSHISUNDABAN,

Director, Centre of Advanced St'Udy in DravidiaR Linguistics, An'namalai Uni'Versity

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ANNAMALAI UNIVERSITY ANNAMALAINAGAR �

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1965

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PUBLISHED BY THE

ANNAMALAI UNIVERSITY' with the grant made available for this purpose by the University Grants Commission, India

MAD� .4-T G. S. PRESS, MADRA$

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PUBLISHED ..

IN COMMEMORATION OF THE

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Rajah

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SIXTYE'IRST BIRTHDAY OF I

Sir Dr. M. A.

w�tk a Prayer for his Long life and Service to the cause ;

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of

University Education

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FOREWORD ·-

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Professor· T. P. Meenakshisundaran

who is now the

Director· of Advanced Study in Dravidian Linguistics in the Anna1nalai

University,

has

had

a

very

diversified

and

remarkable career. To a lar-ge extent a self-taught scholar and now a widely recognised savant not only in the domain of Tamil language ·and literature but of several other tongttes, he caine -into the profession of teaching, in his· own words, by accident.

He has successively occupied the headship of

the Department of Tamil in the Madras Presidency College and in the Annamalai University.

He has, on the occasion

of the Sashtiabdapoorthy of the Pro-Chancellor of the Anna­ malai Universityl Raja Sir Muthiah Chettiar, produced

a

stimulating and instructive history of Tamil literature writ­ ten with. S1J.Ccintness and clarity_. As he himself remarks, he has traced the modern trends

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and developments and outlined their evolution from early times. As in the case of other Indian languages, missionaries and

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European

scholars

were

responsible

for

introducing

masterpieces ·like the Tirukkural and Tiruvachakam to the notice of Western countries and it is impossible to over­ estimate the services rendered to the Tamil language and literature by scholars like Father Beschi in the 18th Cenfury and Dr� ·Po e in the 19th. Indian scholars have, also, b gin­

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ning "from V. Kanakasabhai and U

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v. Swaminatha Aiyar,

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done a great deal io wipe out the reproach of neglecting their own classics. The. author, in his first chapter, deals with the various traditions regarding the Tamil Sangam or Academy and the works attributed to that period and he approaches Tamil literary history through its four periods, namely, the Sangam era, the Pallava period, the Chnla age and ihe age of foreign contact and modernity. sc�nic

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He pays special attention to the

psychological 'backgropnCJ. Qf the Tamil country as

FOREWORD

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it affects literature.

It is rightly pointed out that the poets

enjoyed not only the patronage of select individuals but of the people at large so much so that they were in popular parlance identified by striking phrases or images which they had created in their works. The Aham aspect of love rega-rd­ ed as the secret of life and Puram as typifying heroism, self­ sacrifice and simplicity of life as weij as charity formed the �ifferentiated constituents of Tamil poetry which is also based on a keen appreciation of natural features and phenomena. Professor

Meenakshisundaran

furnishes

a

very.

careful

analysis of the two Epics, Silapathikaram and Manimekhalai and indicates in a few pages the secular and religious life led in the Pandyan capital and its environs at a time when Buddhist and Jain influences were forcing themselves on the attention of the people. Dealing

with

the

masterpiece,

Tirukkural

and

other

specimens of ethical literature, the Professor points out the change in the rhythm and language from Akaval to Venba and shows us how an increasing emphasis is gradually laid upon the Jain principles of Ahimsa evidenced in daily life. It is pointed out that not a small portion of Tirukkural should be regarded as dramatic ·monologues representing the vision and experience of joy in active life as well as the expression of feelings of tolerance and universal love. The great contribuiion of the Alwars and the Nayanmars to devotional literature and the development of epic poetry '

in the Pallava Age culminating in the Jain Pernnkatai was followed in the Chola period by the great adaptation of the Valmiki Ramayana by Kambar which is assigned by the author to the tenth century during the reign of Uttamacholan. In a few striking pages, the author points out the significant

changes

deliberately

made

by

Katnbar

in

the

Valmiki

Ramayana. Dealing

next

with

the Periyapuranam of the

Chola

period narrating the story of a notable saintly group it is emphasised that there are two varieties of sai:ntliness, namely, -

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the one which cannot be copied by ordinary folk and the other which all can follow. In the author's own language, Chekkilar in the Periyapuranam saved Tamil from sheer imitativ.�ness of Sanskrit classics. Although necessarily brief, the study of later literary trends and the modern period is not the least interesting portion of this book. The development of Tamil prose through missionary influence and later on exemplified by Arumugha Navalar and RamaJinga Swami and Dr. Swaminatha Aiya:r and the recent· influence exercised by oratory, journalism and political speeches are dealt with great sensitivity. An accouni of the development of the novel, short story and the drama is brought up to date. Deserved praise is bestowed on Sambanda Mll:daliar's pioneering dramatic activity and on the in­ comparable service rendered by Subramanja Bharathi to devotional and nationalistic poetry. As the Professor re­ marks, an all-round development has been revealed by this survey and we may join with him in the confident prophesy that the future of Tamil literature is very promising. This account is a valuable addition to the literature of sympathetic and discerning literary criticism. Madras,

14-10-1965.

c.

P. RAMASWAMI AIYAR

PREFACE The second series of my lectures at the Department· of the South-Eastern Studies in the Cbicago University is printed here in a book fonn. These lectures are on the history of Tamil literature. I have described in my Introduction to the History of Tamil Langttage� how I was encouraged by Sri. T .. M. Narayanaswami Pillai, the then Vice-Chancel­ loi· of the Annamalai University and Dr. Miltor1 Singer, Pro­ fessor of Sociology of the Chicago University, to deliver these lectures. This gave me an opportunity to collect my ideas and give them a form. Naturally the scope of these lectures had to be very limited, offering only an introduction to a detailed study of the history of Tamil literature. It was very much regretted by students, teachers and the general public that there was no suitable ancl authorita­ tive text for the history of Tamil literature which was offered as a course both for B.A. and M.A. in Tamil. The books available either emphasise without any sense of proportion any one period of this history or restrict themselves to fixing the chronology without any attempt to trace the history of the literary trends. As the Head of t�e Department of Tamil and Research at the Armamalai University between 1944 and 1946 and as the Chief Professor of Tamil and Head of th� Department of Tamil in the Presidency College, upgraded for research, from 1954 to 1958 and as the Professor and Head of the Department of Tamil (Arts) again at Annamalai University from 1958, I tried to run this course for M.A. on lines similar to the course in the history of English and other Western literatures.. Since the students cannot pos­ sibly think for themselves in evaluating the literary great­ ness of ancient literature, whilst they can do so with con­ fidence and experience with reference to !nodern literature in thei� own mother tongue, I -preferred starting the course with the modern period, gradually going baclt, tracing the modern trends and developments through the earlier centu-

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ries to the earliest source. This method .was fol:IDd successful but I could ·not follow this in an introductory course nor in many articles which I was.�req1.1ested to write for Souvenirs, Journals and Seminars though- I-· did attempt in an article . of n$1�!. · But for the experience in t�aching this histo�y and ·. . . . . · wiitmg . ·§uch. articles I could not� ·ha�e�·del_ivered ··th�se. le�tures� - I must mention that the- staff· and �tudents ·of the �d -. the_ Linguistics>·nepattments of the. An�amalai lJmversity ·attended my ext�nsion le.ctures on this yerjrhls• · their ·delivery- ·at "'Chicago tory, as ·.it. were, as a · rehe . �s-al Jor . . ap.d'• improvements:� . . . suggested . . ·_. · I must confess ·that I came· into the profession. of . . teach• ing· ..Tami _ l: ·by· . sheer _acciden� of .coming into ��nt��� wit4 great· scholars,: one_ ·of wh.om . s� K� Vadivelu �!tett!y�r, ��Y. .Guru; was mainly.responsible ·for �eve.aling to--�e tJle.:. ·dep�4 of scholarship possible not q�ly � P4il0�9Pl!Y @4 __log�c b\lt . also · in Tamil language and literature. It is t1:Ue I . come of . . · a··· fariily l which ha� · been --at·· least for. three genet..ations �con� �ected ·with the development of Tamil studies. I still remem­ ber my grandfather · Guruswami.-Gramani feedlng.-me.·.even whilst I was a child ·with . interesting quotations from· Kurai. My father Sri Ponnuswami ·aramani was a stttdent ..of A�1 vad�am Subbaraya Chettiyar, one of the illustrious. d.i�ci� pies . of Mahavidv1an · lV.linakshisundaram Pillai aft;er·:whoin my father in his fulliiess of his love.of Tamil and ·Tainil�·scholars named ·me. My··.brother T. . K Pavalar . had · already··.made ..hls mark. in Tamil- drcima. -MY Tamil teachers lil�e Sri r shna; . .Ki swami Mudaliyar.: and. Sri Govindaraja· Mudaliyar in· the High Schools and especially. Sri Celvakkesavaraya· Mudaliyar. in the . College,·by ·Iove·� d sincerity, ill addition to. their-er.udition, have inspired me with ·a 1ove for Tamil language and litera; ture.. -. It·· was· my good fortune that ·I was really· 'initiated- into .. the mysteries of ·literary ·appreciation· as tholigh ·into a··mystic .· . experience by ·a Professor of :English, Sri ·K . :---:v·. Ramanatha . >�.Iyer, who: in the course of ·his 'lectures· on -English-. literature attempted to explain certam . depths in English Poetry . with . th�:Jtelp. ·of:� sUitable··_ quotations -froi:n .:Tamil literature : which a'.new :dimension to my··experience . . not only ·gave, as it'were� . . ..

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PREFACE

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of .Tamil poetry, but· also suggested a :t;1ew w_ay of �pproach­ · ing .Tamil.:poetry from· ·a refreshingly� modern point. .f yiew. . 'Ibe national movement trained my brain and my. h_eart to t�nderstand and appreciate better the literatttre and culture of_··: ·our Motherland . In the constructive programme of lVIaha#n�· •_Gand.�l. the study . and popularisation of. our -Ian. giiages-- had: ·an important place and during the freedom· strug- · gle·I concentrated on this work though I ·had rto ·basic degree . · · fu Ta�;· for, in those· days :our study. of, Tainil was stopped with t�e ·hiterrilediate examillation. Though I ·have .no formal . q'Q.alif!ca�on.S fo/ . �e�g . a_ Professor of "Tamil, my practical . eXperience: . fu. teac. hing ·Tamil .to Vidwan and M. A� Courses for_. pr�vate condidates on behalf o£ c��ai ve-tiinttt cafikam and '·Ce��ai-�-tami!-c•cankcim came to the notice of that great _patron of all knowledge in general and Tamil in particular Ra]ah .. Sir Dr�. M. Arinamalai chettiar;· who, therefore · �equest.�d m� t