andhaNar, vEdhiyar, paarppanar, battar and BrahmaNar

[Guest guest]

vijayt (Vijay Triplicane)

quotes from a kaalakshEbam

"anthaNeer araNGgamE - the land of sriraNGgam with brahmins.

 

It looks like a description of a pond where there is a crane eating crabs

and 'vaaLai' and keNdai' and the BlueFlower are also described. OK! But how

does it get connected to the brahmins living in sriraNGgam????"

------

Many (non-Brahmin) Tamil scholars question the translation of andhaNar

as Brahmin. It probably did not mean a caste. But meant noble people.

{Just like people talk about the word "arya" in Sanskrit.}

 

Vidya Dehejia in her book also translates "andhaNar" as well

as "battar" as "Brahmin".

In fact, she claims, periyaazhvaar could have been a Brahmin King.

 

Well, a Brahmin King with poor knowledge of the vedic shastras,

and so much humility!. It is hard far me to believe.

 

The translations I feel to be more appropriate are:

 

vEdhiyar - "expert in the vEdha Sastras".

andhaNar - People of high virtues or sanctity, Philosopher

battar- cook (periazhvaar was more likely the Chief cook (battar piraan)

than a Brahmin Chief)

paarpanar - seer (one who can foretell things, philosopher)

piramanar, brahmaNar - Brahmin

 

The aazhvaars use vEdhiyar, andhaNar, battar, paarpanar mostly.

 

Is there any instance of brahmaNar (or piramaNar) in aazhvaars' works.?

 

I hope I am not offending anybody with this opinion.

 

Srinivasan K

[Guest guest]

At 04:52 PM 11/21/96 -0500, Srinivasan K wrote:

>

>

>Many (non-Brahmin) Tamil scholars question the translation of andhaNar

>as Brahmin. It probably did not mean a caste. But meant noble people.

 

These non-brahmin Tamil scholars (were) are members and sympathizers

of Dravidar Kazhagam whose spaciality is hate mongering. If one

looks at Azhvaar's own words, "saathi andhaNar" (Thirumaalai 43)

it is clear that the term "andhaNar" meant the brahmin caste, so

did paarpanar, etc.

 

>Well, a Brahmin King with poor knowledge of the vedic shastras,

 

 

This simply cannot be accurate if we are to believe the legend

of the Azhvaar establishing Sriman Narayana as the supreme in

the Pandiyan court filled with vedic scholars of opposing view.

Azhvaar's words of modesty should not be confused with lack of

knowledge. Nammaazhvaar says "adiyEn siRiya jyaanaththan."

I am sure no one would take these words literally?

 

Thanks,

 

-- Dileepan

[Guest guest]

> Azhvaar establishing Sriman Narayana as the supreme

> the Pandiyan court ...

 

It is my understanding that Periyaazhvaar was a poor

temple brahmin who was engaged from a very young age in

performing pushpa kainkaryam to Vatapatrasaayi PerumaaL

in Villiputtur. He had no special philosophical

credentials, and in fact, only went to Madurai because

the Lord commanded him to do so in his dream. It is

only because of the Lord graced him in the Pandya raja's

court that he was able to speak so fluently and convincingly

about the Vedas.

 

The epithet ``bhattar piraan'' most probably was applied

to Vishnuchittan because of his great bhakti to PerumaaL, and that

too only after his vision of the Lord at Madurai as recorded

in the thiruppallaandu.

 

periyaazhvaar thiruvadigaLE SaraNam

 

kaarmali mEni niRaththu kaNNapiraanai ugandhu

vaarmali kongai yasOdhai manchanam aattiya vaaRRai

paarmali thol pudhuvaik kOn bhattar piraan sonna paadal

seermali senthamizh vallaar theevinaiyaadhum ilarE

 

Mani