01-03-2009, 05:37 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Adi Sankara â Archaeologistsâ Research âV
                     Mother tongue of Adi Sankara
                              By
                         T.Satyamurthy**
It is very interesting to probe into the mother tongue of Adi Sankara the polemic of ancient philosophical systems of India. His birth in Kerala indicates the affiliation of his mother tongue as only a language of southern region, but his proficiency in Sanskrit is great as reflected in his works in both Bhashyas and Prakarana Grantas. His thought provoking Advaita Siddhartha had a poignant effect on all other schools of thought of that time by the flow of his language and classical expression with out any ambiguity. The opponents of his philosophical thought also enjoyed his flowering language. It is beyond any doubt that the outpourings are the products of his inner determinations and the language presentations were based on the flow of thought of his mother tongue. It is probable for every writer to express in any language only after conceiving it in his mother tongue. In other words if the language in which the thoughts are conceived is fertile; the resultant writing in any form will also be splendid in all respects.
Sanskrit and Tamil are the two ancient languages of the Bharatham and for official records and Prakrit and Tamil were used which had a reach of common public. This is attested by the discovery coins datable to 1st CE ***issued by the Satavahana Kings with bilingual legends in Prakrit and Tamil in Krishna valley. The ancient Tamilakam, as defined by the introductory Verse of Tolkappiam (ancient Tamil grammar work), is the area between Thiruvenkatam and Kanyakumari, and only Tamil was the spoken language. The entire geographical area was ruled by the Sankamage kings of Chola Chera Pandyas of early Tamil sankam period.
Kerala the birth place of Adi Sankara was part of Chera Kingdom and it is little difficult to ascertain the exact limit of the beginning of Malayalam. Some Linguistics have propounded that distinct features of Malayalam were noticed in west coast dialects before 10th CE and hence a distinct language other than Tamil was in Kerala earlier than that. The world renowned Indologist K.G.Krishnan analyzed the problem on the basis of epigraphical records available in Kerala and bordering districts of Kerala in Tamil Nadu and pointed out that the inscriptions have colloquial dialect till the end of 11th CE. On the basis of these records and in the absence of any Malayalam literature datable to that period, it is not possible to date the language earlier than the middle of 12thCE. It was during that period inscriptional records are available to definitely date the birth of Malayalam.
The above fact is corroborated by the Saiva and Vaishnava Bhakti literature of Tamil country. The Vaishnava saint Kulasekhara Alwar, the founder of second Chera Empire during later part of 8th CEÂ and his son Cheraman Peruman of 9th CE, both the kings of that dynasty have left hoary of Tamil poems in the praise of Vishnu and Siva respectively.
The Vaishnava pasurams of Kulasephara Alwar deal in chaste Tamil various subjects of Vaishnava philosophy, but never give any insinuation to find the origin of Malayalam. His son the contemporary of Sundaramurti Nayanar, rather considers Thillai i.e. modern Chidamabaram as his model pilgrimage and had created a mini Chidambaram in his capital city Thiruvanchaikalam (Mahodayapuram). He composed a poem of hundred songs on Nataraja of Chidambaram known as PONVANNATTU ANDADI. In his chaste Tamil work also nothing is indicated even about the dialects that were prevalent there in west coast. Neither Malayalam as language was known to these Tamil Saints.
Nevertheless, the Saiva saint of earlier century (6th CE.), ThirujnaanaSambanadar mentions about the different slang of this area in his devotional songs. While praising the Lord of Pazhavur, he mentions that Siva of that place was adored by Malaya lees who praise Him in soft spoken language. He hints at the dialect being different from that of Chaste Tamil. Probably a difference was felt by this great Tamil jnanasambanadar over the pronunciations of the Malayalees or the west coast people. Bereft of this no other material is available to establish a date for Malayalam language earlier than the middle of 12th CE, as established by K.G.Krishnan.
Having born in West coast, in Nambudri family, who spoke Tamil in pre Malayalam era Adi Sankara also, had Tamil language as his mother tongue. This is well attested by the fact that the Nambudri always had the local language as their mother tongue as they have Malayalam in modern days. Linguistics knows well that a master of one classical language can exhibit his skill in other classical language by their well found expressions and presentations. He preferred to compose his works on Advaita commentaries and Bhakti literature in Sanskrit, another classical language, only to take home these principles to the common public and philosophers of All India. His mission was to over rule the heterodox schools of Thoughts in the entire India and hence selected Sanskrit as the medium of his works. But for that only Tamil was his mother tongue.
Let us probe into his contributions in the field of Art in Tamil country in the next Issue.
**Former Director of Archaeology
  Government of Kerala.
***Beginning of Christian era is named as CE (Common Era )Â Â Â Â Â
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
...... to be continued.
                     Mother tongue of Adi Sankara
                              By
                         T.Satyamurthy**
It is very interesting to probe into the mother tongue of Adi Sankara the polemic of ancient philosophical systems of India. His birth in Kerala indicates the affiliation of his mother tongue as only a language of southern region, but his proficiency in Sanskrit is great as reflected in his works in both Bhashyas and Prakarana Grantas. His thought provoking Advaita Siddhartha had a poignant effect on all other schools of thought of that time by the flow of his language and classical expression with out any ambiguity. The opponents of his philosophical thought also enjoyed his flowering language. It is beyond any doubt that the outpourings are the products of his inner determinations and the language presentations were based on the flow of thought of his mother tongue. It is probable for every writer to express in any language only after conceiving it in his mother tongue. In other words if the language in which the thoughts are conceived is fertile; the resultant writing in any form will also be splendid in all respects.
Sanskrit and Tamil are the two ancient languages of the Bharatham and for official records and Prakrit and Tamil were used which had a reach of common public. This is attested by the discovery coins datable to 1st CE ***issued by the Satavahana Kings with bilingual legends in Prakrit and Tamil in Krishna valley. The ancient Tamilakam, as defined by the introductory Verse of Tolkappiam (ancient Tamil grammar work), is the area between Thiruvenkatam and Kanyakumari, and only Tamil was the spoken language. The entire geographical area was ruled by the Sankamage kings of Chola Chera Pandyas of early Tamil sankam period.
Kerala the birth place of Adi Sankara was part of Chera Kingdom and it is little difficult to ascertain the exact limit of the beginning of Malayalam. Some Linguistics have propounded that distinct features of Malayalam were noticed in west coast dialects before 10th CE and hence a distinct language other than Tamil was in Kerala earlier than that. The world renowned Indologist K.G.Krishnan analyzed the problem on the basis of epigraphical records available in Kerala and bordering districts of Kerala in Tamil Nadu and pointed out that the inscriptions have colloquial dialect till the end of 11th CE. On the basis of these records and in the absence of any Malayalam literature datable to that period, it is not possible to date the language earlier than the middle of 12thCE. It was during that period inscriptional records are available to definitely date the birth of Malayalam.
The above fact is corroborated by the Saiva and Vaishnava Bhakti literature of Tamil country. The Vaishnava saint Kulasekhara Alwar, the founder of second Chera Empire during later part of 8th CEÂ and his son Cheraman Peruman of 9th CE, both the kings of that dynasty have left hoary of Tamil poems in the praise of Vishnu and Siva respectively.
The Vaishnava pasurams of Kulasephara Alwar deal in chaste Tamil various subjects of Vaishnava philosophy, but never give any insinuation to find the origin of Malayalam. His son the contemporary of Sundaramurti Nayanar, rather considers Thillai i.e. modern Chidamabaram as his model pilgrimage and had created a mini Chidambaram in his capital city Thiruvanchaikalam (Mahodayapuram). He composed a poem of hundred songs on Nataraja of Chidambaram known as PONVANNATTU ANDADI. In his chaste Tamil work also nothing is indicated even about the dialects that were prevalent there in west coast. Neither Malayalam as language was known to these Tamil Saints.
Nevertheless, the Saiva saint of earlier century (6th CE.), ThirujnaanaSambanadar mentions about the different slang of this area in his devotional songs. While praising the Lord of Pazhavur, he mentions that Siva of that place was adored by Malaya lees who praise Him in soft spoken language. He hints at the dialect being different from that of Chaste Tamil. Probably a difference was felt by this great Tamil jnanasambanadar over the pronunciations of the Malayalees or the west coast people. Bereft of this no other material is available to establish a date for Malayalam language earlier than the middle of 12th CE, as established by K.G.Krishnan.
Having born in West coast, in Nambudri family, who spoke Tamil in pre Malayalam era Adi Sankara also, had Tamil language as his mother tongue. This is well attested by the fact that the Nambudri always had the local language as their mother tongue as they have Malayalam in modern days. Linguistics knows well that a master of one classical language can exhibit his skill in other classical language by their well found expressions and presentations. He preferred to compose his works on Advaita commentaries and Bhakti literature in Sanskrit, another classical language, only to take home these principles to the common public and philosophers of All India. His mission was to over rule the heterodox schools of Thoughts in the entire India and hence selected Sanskrit as the medium of his works. But for that only Tamil was his mother tongue.
Let us probe into his contributions in the field of Art in Tamil country in the next Issue.
**Former Director of Archaeology
  Government of Kerala.
***Beginning of Christian era is named as CE (Common Era )Â Â Â Â Â
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
...... to be continued.