>Bhagya sri113: Disambiguating the name "Pillai"

2021-03-16T13:43:55Z

Disambiguating the name "Pillai"

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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}
[[File:Tirukkural manuscript.jpg|thumb|upright=2|Palm leaf manuscript of the Tirukkural]]
The dating of the [[Tirukkural]], and by extension the period of its author [[Valluvar]], has been a subject of intense debate among scholars for centuries, and it continues to remain so. The [[Tamil Nadu government]] has ratified 31 BCE as the [[Thiruvalluvar year|year of birth of Valluvar]].{{sfn|Iraikkuruvanar, 2009|p=72}} Still the precise date as to when Valluvar completed writing the Kural text remains murky. This article speaks about various dates arrived at by various scholars over time.

==Dating bases==
The Tirukkural belongs to the [[Sangam period|Late-Sangam period]] and has been listed as one of the chief text of the [[Sangam literature|Sangam corpus]]. However, scholars find it difficult to ascertain the exact period of the text and its author and have employed, besides archaeological research, various historical references and linguistic methodologies to arrive at a date.{{sfn|Thamizhannal, 2004|pp=141–143}}

The following are some of the [[Linguistic analysis|linguistic methodologies]] scholars use to date the Kural text:{{sfn|Desikar, 1969|pp=128–130}}
* Comparing the text with other contemporary [[Sanskrit]] texts and finding out the date by the relevance found in them.
* Finding out the date on the basis of the number of Sanskrit loan words found in the Kural literature.
* Arriving at a date on the basis of the meaning of certain terms as suggested by [[Ten Medieval Commentators|early commentators]].

The Sangam texts were historically grouped as the [[Eighteen Greater Texts]] (which includes the [[Ten Idylls]] and the [[Eight Anthologies]]) and the [[Eighteen Lesser Texts]] in that order. Many scholars count only the Eighteen Greater Texts as proper Sangam texts and refer to the Eighteen Lesser Texts as the late-Sangam works. The Kural literature, which has been traditionally listed under the Eighteen Lesser Texts group, is the oldest of this group.{{sfn|Kovaimani and Nagarajan, 2013|p=237}} Evidently, there is no mention about Valluvar in any of the proper Sangam texts. Thus, scholars conclude that the Kural literature appeared only after the Ten Idylls and the Eight Anthologies texts.{{sfn|Sundaramoorthi, 2000|pp=403–408}}

In the earliest Sangam literature, verses were composed mostly in the asiriyappa [[Metre (poetry)|metre]]. Later texts were written in the vanjippa metre. Other metres such as kalippa, paripaadal, and [[venpa]] appeared much later. Verses in all the proper Sangam texts appear in the asiriyappa, kalippa, and paripaadal metres. The Kural couplets were composed in the venpa metre. Thus, Kural is said to have been composed after the Ten Idylls and the Eight Anthologies texts.{{sfn|Sundaramoorthi, 2000|pp=403–408}}

The Kural literature has been dated variously from 300 BCE to 7th century CE. According to traditional accounts, it was the last work of the third [[Tamil Sangams|Sangam]], appearing before other post-Sangam texts,{{sfn|Sundaramoorthi, 2000|pp=403–408}} and was subjected to a divine test (which it passed). The scholars who uphold this tradition, such as [[Somasundara Bharathiar]] and M. Rajamanickam, date the text to as early as 300 BCE. Historian [[K. K. Pillay]] assigned it to the early 1st century CE.{{sfn|Zvelebil, 1975|p=124}}

==Content-based dating==
While other Sangam texts approved of, and even glorified,{{sfn|Sivagnanam, 1974|p=8}} the four immoral deeds of [[Ethics of eating meat|meat-eating]], [[alcohol consumption]], [[polygamy]], and [[prostitution]], the Kural literature strongly condemns these as crimes.{{sfn|Sundaramoorthi, 2000|pp=403–408}}{{sfn|Mahadevan, 1985|pp=193–195}} In fact, it was the Kural text that condemned these as crimes for the first time in the history of the [[Tamilakam|Tamil land]].{{sfn|Sivagnanam, 1974|pp=10,11,96}}{{sfn|Kovaimani and Nagarajan, 2013|pp=176–181, 328–334}} Thus, scholars find this as another reason to place the Kural text after the proper Sangam era.{{sfn|Sundaramoorthi, 2000|pp=403–408}}

==Historical dating==
Scholars who consider Kural to be a work of the 1st century BCE include J. M. Nallaswamy Pillai,{{sfn|Manavalan, 2009|p=23}} D. P. Palaniyappa Pillai,{{sfn|Desikar, 1969|p=130}} [[C. Rajagopalachari]],{{sfn|Desikar, 1969|p=130}} C. Dhandapani Desikar,{{sfn|Desikar, 1969|pp=128–130}} M. Rajamanickam,{{sfn| Rajamanickam, 1963|pp=122–123}}{{sfn|Thamizhannal, 2004|p=141}} [[V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar]],{{sfn|Thamizhannal, 2004|p=141}} [[Maraimalai Adigal]],{{sfn|Thamizhannal, 2004|p=141}}{{sfn|''Thiruvalluvar Ninaivu Malar'', 1935|p=117}} and [[Tarlochan Singh Bedi]].{{sfn|Bedi, 2012|pp=xiii–xix}} According to these scholars, there are many evidences that put Valluvar's date during or before the 1st century BCE. For instance, in his work ''Description of Ceylon'' (1726), [[Dutch people|Dutch]] scholar and Christian missionary [[François Valentijn]] quotes [[Seneca the Younger]]'s (c. 4 BCE–65 CE) mentioning of the Tirukkural in his works, hinting that Valluvar must have lived during or before Seneca the Younger's time: "Tiriwalluwir: One of their best prayer books, composed in clear and concise verses by Thiruwalluwer. Those who can read and understand him, can also understand the most difficult poets. This writer, according to the writings of Seneca, lived over 1500 years ago at Mailapore."{{sfn|Arasaratnam, 1978|p=61}}

In his 1969 book, C. Dandapani Desikar cites the work ''Studies in Tamil Literature'', which lists several historical evidences about Valluvar's period:{{sfn|Desikar, 1969|pp=128–130}}
* [[Elelasingan|Elaela Singan Chettiyar]], historically known as a contemporary and friend of Valluvar, who has been mentioned as [[Ellalan|Elaela]] and Alara in [[History of Sri Lanka|Ceylon history]], lived between 144 BCE and 101 BCE.
* [[Tiruvalluva Maalai]], a collection of paeans praising the Kural text and Valluvar, was written by various [[List of Sangam poets|late-Sangam authors]], some of whom lived during the 1st century BCE.
* [[Mamulanar]], one of the contributors of the Tiruvalluva Maalai, has mentioned about the [[Ganges]] flood in [[Pataliputra]]. However, he has not mentioned about the Pataliputra fire during the 1st century CE. This shows that Mamulanar lived before 1st century CE.
* The Kural text's books on ''[[Aram (Kural book)|aram]]'' and ''[[Porul (Kural book)|porul]]'' bear semblance with various [[Sanskrit]] texts such as the [[Dharmaśāstra|Dharma Shastra]] and [[Artha Shastra]]. [[Chanakya|Koutilya]] (371 BCE–283 BCE) authored the Artha Shastra during the 4th century BCE. If the Kural were based on these, it must have been authored no later than a couple of centuries.
* The Kural text is divided into three parts, which was a common practice during the period of the writing of works such as [[Panchatantra]], [[Hitopadesha]], Kamandaka, and other texts, which makes them a contemporary of the Kural literature.{{sfn|Desikar, 1969|pp=128–130}}

==Linguistic dating==
Opining that the Kural literature does not belong to the [[Sangam literature|Sangam]] period, [[Czech Republic|Czech]] linguist [[Kamil Zvelebil]] dates it to somewhere between 450 and 500 CE.{{sfn|Zvelebil, 1975|p=124}} His estimate is based on the language of the Kural text, its allusions to the earlier works, and its borrowing from some [[Sanskrit literature|Sanskrit treatises]].{{sfn|Zvelebil, 1973|p=156}} Zvelebil notes that the Kural text features several grammatical innovations, that are absent in the older Sangam literature. The Kural text also features a higher number of [[Sanskrit]] [[loan word]]s compared with these older Sangam texts.{{sfn|Zvelebil, 1973|p=169}} According to Zvelebil, besides being part of the ancient Tamil literary tradition, Valluvar was also a part of the "one great Indian ethical, didactic tradition," as a few of his verses seem to bear similarities with the verses in Sanskrit texts such as ''[[Dharmaśāstra|Mānavadharmaśāstra]]'' and [[Kautilya]]'s ''[[Arthaśāstra]]''.{{sfn|Zvelebil, 1973|p=171}}

[[S. Vaiyapuri Pillai]] assigned the work to c. 650 CE, believing that it borrowed from some Sanskrit works of the 6th century CE.{{sfn|Zvelebil, 1975|p=124}} Zvelebil disagrees with this assessment, pointing out that some of the words that Vaiyapuri Pillai believed to be Sanskrit loan words have now been proved to be of [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian]] origin by [[Thomas Burrow]] and [[Murray Barnson Emeneau]].{{sfn|Zvelebil, 1973|p=171}} Many Christian missionaries, such as [[George Uglow Pope]]{{sfn|Pope, 1886|p=iv (Introduction)}} and [[Robert Caldwell]],{{sfn|Manavalan, 2009|p=39}} even pushed the date further down to between 800 and 1000 CE, claiming that “Christian Scriptures were among the sources from which the poet derived his inspiration.”{{sfn|Pope, 1886|p=iv (Introduction)}} However, scholars, including Zvelebil, J. M. Nallaswamy Pillai, Sundaram Pillai, Kanakasabai Pillai, and Krishnaswamy Aiyengar, and even missionaries such as [[John Lazarus (missionary)|John Lazarus]] refute such claims.{{sfn|Manavalan, 2009|p=39}}{{sfn|Zvelebil, 1973|pp=156-171}}{{sfn|Manavalan, 2009|pp=26–27}} Albert Schweitzer hinted that “the dating of the Kural has suffered, along with so many other literary and historical dates, philosophies and mythologies of India, a severe mauling at the hands of the Christian Missionaries, anxious to post-date all irrefutable examples of religious maturity to the Christian era.”{{sfn|Schweitzer, 2013|pp=200–205 (cited in ''Shakti'', Volume 5, 1968, p. 29)}} Zvelebil points out to the Kural's unwavering emphasis on the ethics of [[moral vegetarianism]] (Chapter 26) and [[non-killing]] (Chapter 33), as against any of the [[Abrahamic]] religious texts,<ref>{{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|14:3–14:29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Quran|5|1|end=5|style=ns|t=p}}</ref> which suggests that the ethics of the Kural is rather a reflection of the [[Jain philosophy|Jaina moral code]] than of [[Christian ethics]].{{sfn|Zvelebil, 1973|pp=156-171}} Nallaswamy Pillai declares Pope's claim as "an absurd literary anachronism" and says that the first two books of the Kural in particular are "a stumbling block which can browbeat the most sublime ideas of Christian morality."{{sfn|Manavalan, 2009|pp=26–27}} John Lazarus observes that, in stark contrast to the Bible's concept of killing, which refers only to the taking away of human life, the Kural's concept of killing pertains to both humans and animals as it "deals exclusively with the literal taking away of life."{{sfn|Manavalan, 2009|p=42}}

Notwithstanding the incessant debate on the precise date, taking the latest of the estimated dates, the [[Government of Tamil Nadu|Tamil Nadu government]] officially declared 31 BCE as the year of Valluvar, as suggested by [[Maraimalai Adigal]], in 1921.{{sfn|Zvelebil, 1975|p=124}}{{sfn|Arumugam, 2014|pp=5, 15}}{{sfn|''Hindustan Times'', 16 January 2020}} On 18 January 1935, [[Valluvar Year]] was officially added to the calendar.{{sfn|''Thiruvalluvar Ninaivu Malar'', 1935|p=117}}

==See also==
* [[Tirukkural]]
* [[Glossary of names for the Tirukkural]]
*[[Thiruvalluvar year]]
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== Citations ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
{{ref begin|30em}}
* {{cite book |author=Iraikkuruvanar |title= திருக்குறளின் தனிச்சிறப்புக்கள் [Tirukkural Specialities] |year= 2009 |publisher= Iraiyagam |location= Chennai|ref={{sfnRef|Iraikkuruvanar, 2009}} }}
* {{cite book |author= S. Arasaratnam (Ed. and Trans.) |title= François Valentijn’s Description of Ceylon (Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indien, 1726) (395 pages)|series= Hakluyt Society, Second Series (Book 149)|year=1978 |publisher=The Hakluyt Society |location=London |isbn=978-0-904180-06-0|ref={{sfnRef|Arasaratnam, 1978}} }}
* {{cite book |author=A. Arumugam |title=வள்ளுவம் [Valluvam] |year=2014 |publisher=Periyar E.V.Ramasamy-Nagammai Education and Research Trust | location=Chennai |series=Philosophy Textbooks Series |ref={{sfnRef|Arumugam, 2014}}}}
* {{cite book |author= Tarlochan Singh Bedi |title= Tirukkural in Punjabi |year=2012 |publisher=Central Institute of Classical Tamil |location=Chennai|isbn=978-93-81744-02-4|ref={{sfnRef|Bedi, 2012}} }}
* {{cite book |author= C. Dandapani Desikar |title= திருக்குறள் அழகும் அமைப்பும் [Tirukkural: Beauty and Structure] |year=1969 |publisher=Tamil Valarchi Iyakkagam |location=Chennai|ref={{sfnRef|Desikar, 1969}} }}
* {{cite book |author= M. G. Kovaimani and P. V. Nagarajan |title= திருக்குறள் ஆய்வுமாலை [Tirukkural Research Papers] |year= 2013 |edition= 1|publisher=Tamil University | location= Tanjavur |language=ta|isbn = 978-81-7090-435-9 |ref={{sfnRef|Kovaimani and Nagarajan, 2013}}}}
* {{cite book |author=A. A. Manavalan |title=Essays and Tributes on Tirukkural (1886–1986 AD) |year=2009 |publisher=International Institute of Tamil Studies |location = Chennai|edition = 1|ref={{sfnRef|Manavalan, 2009}}}}
*{{cite book |author= Albert Schweitzer |title= Indian Thoughts and Its Development |year= 2013 |edition = | publisher=Read Books |location= Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | isbn=978-14-7338-900-7|pages=200–205 | ref={{sfnRef|Schweitzer, 2013}} }}</ref>
* {{cite book |author=G. U. Pope |title=The Sacred Kurral of Tiruvalluva Nayanar |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.43871 |year=1886|publisher=Asian Educational Services | edition = First | location = New Delhi| isbn = 8120600223 |ref={{sfnRef|Pope, 1886}}}}
* {{cite book |author= M. Rajamanickam |title= தமிழ் மொழி இலக்கிய வரலாறு [History of Tamil Language and Literature] |year= 1963 |edition= 1 | location= Chennai|ref={{sfnRef|Rajamanickam, 1963}} }}
* {{cite book |author=M. P. Sivagnanam |title=திருக்குறளிலே கலைபற்றிக் கூறாததேன்? [Why the Kural did not mention art?] |year=1974 |publisher=Poonkodi Padhippagam | location=Chennai |ref={{sfnRef|Sivagnanam, 1974}}}}
* {{cite book |author=I. Sundaramoorthi |title=குறளமுதம் [Kuralamudham] |year= 2000 |publisher= Tamil Valarcchi Iyakkagam |location= Chennai|ref={{sfnRef|Sundaramoorthi, 2000}}}}
* {{cite book |author= Thamizhannal |title= உலகத் தமிழிலக்கிய வரலாறு [History of World Tamil Literature] |year= 2004 |edition= 1 |publisher= International Institute of Tamil Studies| location= Chennai|ref={{sfnRef|Thamizhannal, 2004}}}}
* {{cite book |author=Kamil Zvelebil |title=The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=degUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA155 |access-date=7 March 2018|year=1973 |publisher=E. J. Brill |location=Leiden|isbn=90-04-03591-5 |ref={{sfnRef|Zvelebil, 1973}} }}
* {{cite book |author=Kamil Zvelebil |title=Tamil Literature |series=Handbook of Oriental Studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kx4uqyts2t4C&pg=PA124 |access-date=7 March 2018|year=1975 |publisher=E. J. Brill |location=Leiden|isbn=90-04-04190-7 |ref={{sfnRef|Zvelebil, 1975}} }}
* {{cite news | title = Thiruvalluvar Day 2020: History, significance and all you need to know about the iconic poet | newspaper = Hindustan Times | publisher = HindustanTimes.com | date = 16 January 2020 | url = https://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/thiruvalluvar-day-2020-history-significance-and-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-iconic-poet/story-qmbysM7eb6TZdzsDg7xdsJ.html | access-date = 21 September 2020| ref={{sfnRef|''Hindustan Times'', 16 January 2020}} }}
* {{cite journal|title = Thiruvalluvar Ninaivu Malar| year=1935| pages = 117|ref={{sfnRef|''Thiruvalluvar Ninaivu Malar'', 1935}} }}
* {{cite book |author= Kathir Mahadevan |title= Oppilakkiya Nokkil Sanga Kaalam [Sangam Period from a Comparative Study Perspective] |year=1985 |edition = Third | publisher=Macmillan India Limited |location=Chennai|ref={{sfnRef|Mahadevan, 1985}} }}
{{ref end}}

==Further reading==
{{ref begin}}
* {{cite book |author= Ki. Vaa. Jagannathan |title= திருக்குறள், ஆராய்ச்சிப் பதிப்பு [Tirukkural, Aaraicchi Pathippu] |year= 1963 |edition=3rd |publisher=Ramakrishna Mission Vidhyalayam | location= Coimbatore }}
{{ref end}}

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{{Tamil language}}

[[Category:Tirukkural]]
[[Category:Ancient India]]
[[Category:Ancient Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Tamil history]]

Dating the Tirukkural - Revision history

>Bhagya sri113: Disambiguating the name "Pillai"