On Kampa Ramayanam

[Guest guest]

Sri:

AzhwAr emperumAnAr jeeyar thiruvadikalE Saranam,

appan thiruvadikalE Saranam.

 

Dear Group,

 

Dear Group

 

There has been some exchanges on this thread that I have not

completely read. Please forgive me for any repetition.

 

 

According to Sri K. K. A Venkatachari, the first commentator to use

Kamba Ramayanam and other tamil classics like Tirukkural and other

sangam works (kurunthokai) was Sri Vadakku thiruveedhi pillai in his

Idu commentary. Following is a quote from his book "Sri Vaishnava

Manipravala"

 

"Explanation via references to social customs is closely related to

VatakkuttiruvItippillai's use of proof-texts from Tamil Literature.

Cankam works, Tirukkural, Kampan's Ramayanam, Tamil grammar - all are

amply quoted"

 

...

 

"Or he draws from kampan's Ramayanam to give a parallel description

for NammAlwar's use of the term KidantavARu (which refers to the

recumbent posture of the Lord) in stanza 5:10:6. Commenting on

NammAlvAr's description on how lanka was consumed by a fire set by

HanumAn, he explains that this is because Agni (the god of Fire) had

been subjugated and restrained by RAvana for so long that, feeling

liberated at last, he

consumed with gusto the island of Lanka."

 

Idu - 5.10.6

 

Following is just my humble observation. From Pillan to Nanjeeyar the

commentary tradition was in a early development stage. They

concentrated on specific works like Sri Pillan's 6000 padi or Sri

bhattar's tiruneduntandakam or Nanjiyars' 9000 on tiruvaymozhi and

other 4 works by alwars. One can see a significant shift in the nature

of the commentaries by subsequent acharyas, starting with Nampillai

and Vadakku tiruvIdhi pillai, periyavAcAn pillai and so on (Even

though, nampillai is not known to have written independent

commentaries, he is credited with the work of reproducing Nanjeeyar's

9000 and Idu is also known as Nampillai's work, since it was based on

his lectures). The above mentioned later acharyas, have used wide

ranging resources to bring out the essence of the works at hand. These

acharyas represent a more developed and defined form of commenting

on sacred works with the specific purpose of targeting the entire

human community, not just the intelligentsia.

 

note: Please refer to Sri K. K. A Venkatachari's book "Sri Vaishnava

Manipravala" for an analysis of various acharya's commentaries on

Divya Prabhandam.

 

adiyEn

Venkatesh Elayavilli