Topic started by R.Sri Hari (@ 203.143.17.147) on Sun Aug 26 13:21:50 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Dear Friends,

I was reading through a small booklet titled the "Atharva Veda" written in English by Mr Bibek Roy & Dipavali Roy, and published from New Delhi.

In this booklet the author has selected few sections of interest from each of the twenty kandas of the Atharva Veda, and have presented the English Translation of the Saskrit original of these sections, for the benefit of the readers.

I am reproducing a section given in this booklet being a part of the seventh kanda of the "Atharva Veda" and titled as 'mother tongue', which is of much interest to the Tamil - Saivites & Vaishnavites of Tamil Nadu, and the other parts of the world.

"Mother Tongue".......
.......Let us not turn away from our mother tongue. May we always look upon our mother tongue with favour.

Those who are desirous of pleasing the Gods chant prayers to them in the mother tongue. It is the mother tongue which performs the function of purification.

Each word of the mother tongue is bound to us with ties of blood. Clarified butter flows through each word of the mother tongue.

All the sacred arts find expression in our mother tongue. May we use our mother tongue to describe the glory of the Gods......"

The above reference clearly supports my view (and also of many others) that the "Archanais" in the Saivite & Vaishnavite Temples in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere patronised by the Tamils, should always be conducted by the Priests purely in Tamil, reciting the "Thiruth thandaham" Pathikams of Thirunavutkarasu Nayanar ending with the word "Pottri" and the Pathikams from the Nalayira Thivya Pirapandam of the Tamil Vaishnava Saints within the Sanctum Sanctorium of these respective Temples.

The sacred Hyms recited by them in the other religious rituals too to be in Tamil selected from Tamil Thirumurais and Nalayira Thivya Pirapandam, replacing the Sanskrit Vedic Mantras.
Further this also hints towards the Tamils who feel shy to talk to the other Tamils (not the Non-Tamils) in Tamil Language, but only in English Language.

It also supports my view in an earlier thread (now under old topics) that at "Tamil Music Festivals" you should always sing Tamil Keerthanas and Tamil Songs, and not the Telugu Keerthanas as widely practised in Tamil Nadu and elswhere today.

Will the above reference in "Atharva Veda" help us to meet our ends.

Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: Walter Vadivelu (@ cs2417546-4.austin.rr.com) on: Mon Feb 2 14:56:16 EST 2004
  
  Why worship in Sanskrit:
  
  http://tamilartsacademy.com/articles/article26.html
  
  Dear R Sri Hari,
  
  Sri Vaishnava temples have regular recitations of Nalayira Divya Prabandham. They give EQUAL status to tamil and sanskrit. At times, even the Sri Vaishnava Acharyas themselves say Tamil is better.
  
  
• From: vadib (@ h-66-134-126-45.lsanca54.covad.net) on: Mon Feb 2 15:23:00 EST 2004
  
  Why is your name Walter disney Vadivelu Thangamelu?
  
  
• From: R.Sri Hari (@ modem52.bayrac4.eureka.lk) on: Mon Feb 2 23:48:18 EST 2004
  
  Dear Walter Vadivelu,
  I am happy to read the information in your response. At least the Vaishnava Temples in Tamil Nadu are "adoring the Tamil Language" by the regular recitation of the pathikams from the Tamil - Naalaayira Thivya Pirapandam. I too very often read through the Aandaal's Thiruppaavai and enjoy it's beautiful Tamil verses.
  
  Let the Saivite Temples in TamilNadu too follow same, and recite Prayers at the time of worship in temples - taken from the eleven Tamil Thirumuraihal of the Tamil Saiva Saints of Tamil Nadu. Let them re-introduce the Othuvaar System in this connection in "all Saivite Temples".
  
  This Othuvar System was first introduced in Saiva Temples by the greatest Tamil Emperor of TamilNadu namely the RajaRaja Cholan (A.D.985-1014) who built the great Birahadeeswarar Temple (originally known as Rajarajaiswarem)in Thanjavur.
  
  Over a period of time this Othuvar System has been abondoned, and presently found practised only in few Siva Temples in Tamil Nadu - a tradition which should be revived again.
  
  Let the Poosais (Pujas) in all Saivite Temples in Tamil Nadu to the deity in the Karuvarai and elsewhere be in Tamil. Let them do these Poosais with Thiruththandakam pathikams of the Tamil Saiva Saint Thirunaavukkarasar, and the pathikams of the Tamil Saiva Saints Thirugnanasampanthar, Suntharar & Maanikkavaasagar ending with the word "Pottri".
  
  "LET US ALL CHANT PRAYERS TO GOD IN OUR MOTHER TONGUE" - in a language you understand, knowing what you are saying in term of your praises of the God almighty, and in terms of all your requests to him for his salvation for your wellbeing.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• From: Madurai Veeran (@ adsl-66-125-224-239.dsl.sntc01.pacbell.net) on: Tue Feb 3 00:35:03 EST 2004
  
  Dear Sri Hari,
  
  I can understand why Atharva Veda suggests using the mother tongue to sing the glory of the gods.
  
  According to one of the recent papers of Prof.Witzel, in the 'old' parts of RgVeda (Mandalas 2-8) you do not find any Dravidian loan words. What has been assume to be Dravidian might be para-Munda. And based on this he posits that IVC, at least the northern part of it, might in fact be a para-Munda civilization. The dancing girl figure, the white sandstone bust of a man and even the so called bust of 'Vasista' are very much Austric/Negroid in character. However, the southern part, the Sindh region might have been Dravidian. Sindhi language is largely Dravidian.
  
  The percentage of Dravidian in RgVeda increases from 10th mandala onwards. The first and tenth mandala appear to belong to the same age, from a linguistic point of view and appear to be later additions. All the great things, including the creation hymn, about RigVeda that Sanskrit supremacists point to are in the 10th mandala.
  Here comes the interesting thing. 10th mandala appears to be a duplication of Atharva Veda. All the speculative philosophies of Upanisads are an outgrowth of Atharva Veda. Prof Witzel also points out that Atharva Veda might be more ancient than RigVeda itself.
  
  Also remember Atharva Veda was not accepted as one of the Vedas for a long time. I do faintly recall some references in Sangam literature mentioning only 3 Vedas.
  
  Apart from the philosophical speculations, Atharva Veda also includes a whole lot of charms and spells - voodoo stuff. In all probablities, Atharva Veda is the original 'Veda' of the ancient Dravidian voodoo priests and philosophers who were taken in the Aryan fold - the 'dasyu putra brahamanas', to borrow a Vedic expression.
  
  Some time back, MMC (the original 3 haired choza maharaja) mentioned about Valluvar castes reciting Sanskrit mantras until recently. I have been thinking about it. Yes it is true, valluvans would chant some mantras for things like scorpian sting - the so called 'thEL kati mantiram'. I wonder if our paarpanars are none but the cousins of valluvans. May be that is the reason, why they wanted to confer brahamanahood on Thiruvalluvan himself. The Anthanars of ancient Tamil country might infact be the ancient Dravidian voodo priest-philosophers.
  
  I strongly suspect that these valluvans are the remants of the original Atharva Vedic priest philosophers. No wonder Atharva Veda suggests one to sing the glory of god in one's mother tongue.
  
  P.S.
  
  This cartoon character Walter Vadivelu is our confused RSS hood, iyengar Karuvaayan.
  
  
• From: krishnan (@ dsl-kk-192.198.95.61.touchtelindia.net) on: Fri Oct 22 02:39:17
  
  can u tel me the meaning of 'assya illa mitra...'
  
  

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