TO INSPIRE FURTHER RESEARCH ON TAMIL ALPHABET : ITS MYSTICAL ASPECT.......

UNDER AN UGC FUNDED PROJECT IN FIRST YEAR AFTER SEARCHING FOR SUITABLE SCHOLAR, I WAS GIVEN ONLY 5 MONTHS @ Rs 10,000 peer month. This is just few pages of January 2016 Report.. For REMAINING 4 YEARS I WAS NOT GIVEN EXTENSION BECAUSE I FAILED TO BE A GHOST WRITER BEHIND SCENE AND ALLOW CREDIT TO COORDINATORS

Linking the Origins of Japanese Language with Tamil

Japanese Tamil scholar Susumu Ohno passes away

 

Prof. Susumu Ohno (1.02.1928 - 13.01.2000)

Professor Susumu Ohno, distinguished scholar of Japanese linguistics, known for his phenomenal research of linking the origins of Japanese language with Tamil, passed away on Monday in Tokyo at the age of 89, reported The Japan Times. He was working on the relationship between Tamil and Japanese languages for the last 30 years and even last year came out with a publication, reasserting to his theories. A 1999 book of him on Japanese language sold nearly 2 million copies. Born on 23rd August 1919 and initiated into linguistics in the late 1930s at the Tokyo University, his academic contributions date back to the times of the Second World War. He later became a Professor at the Gakushuin University of Tokyo.Ohno’s researches included the study of language found in the earliest poetry of Japan, compiled in the 8th century, and in an epic-novel of 11th century. His monumental publications dealt with the origins, practice and usage of the Japanese language.

In the late 1970s he came out with his first writings on the affinities between Tamil and Japanese. He was not the first to come out with such a study, but he became the central figure in theorizing it. Ohno’s Tamil-Japanese studies didn’t just stop at linguistics: comparing sounds, words, grammar, and literature, but involved a wider area covering archaeology, folklore etc. It is well known that Chinese and Japanese are fundamentally different languages despite their geographical proximity. Linguists, account to this difference by speculating maritime origins for the Japanese language.

Prof. Ohno, while accepting a Polynesian base for the Japanese language in prehistoric times, put forwarded the theory of the influence of Dravidian languages, especially Tamil shaping Japanese, along with the introduction of agriculture in Japan in the Yayoi period between 500 BCE and 300 CE. He envisaged maritime contacts behind such developments.

To substantiate his theories he conducted research on the comparison of the Yayoi burials of Japan with the Megalithic burials (1300 BCE – 300 CE) of South India and Sri Lanka. This study in early 1990s revealed amazing similarities in pottery, burial habits and above all in the graffiti marks between the two cultures.

Prof. Susumu Ohno maintained a long connection with Tamil institutions and scholars. He encouraged many Japanese students to learn Tamil.Sri Lankan Tamil scholars, Prof. A. Sanmugadas and Manonmani Sanmugadas worked for a long time with Prof. Ohno and have brought out joint publications while Dr. P. Ragupathy was associated with him in the study of Yayoi burials. Encyclopedia of Languages & Linguistics refers to his Tamil-Japanese studies in the following words:

"His search for the roots of Japanese language started in 1957. He compared Japanese with Korean, Ainu, and Austronesian languages. Unable to establish any kind of genetic kinship between them, he turned to a branch of Dravidian. Encouraged by professors Emeneau and Kothandaraman, Ohno pursued his Japanese-Tamil hypothesis in spite of withering criticism by some Japanese scholars. Commenting on it, Zvelebil (1990) said: 'The similarities between Japanese and Dravidian cannot be regarded as mere freakish coincidence and may indeed reflect a very deep genetic kinship...' Ohno's studies are trying to prove this kinship."

Tantra and Tantric Rituals of Saivism and Buddhism

Master Thesis Proposal         

Author:	Ravi Devaraj	guide:	Mr.N.Nandhivarman
E-mail:	ravivararo@gmail.com	E-mail:	nandhivarman@gmail.com
Phone:	+919884942966	Phone:	+919244445508
Specialization:	Linguistic, Mythology, History	Period:	Aug  2021

 Proposed Topic:  Tantra and Tantric Rituals of Saivism and Buddhism

(Transformations and Transfer of Tantra in India and Beyond)

Topic Characteristics:

My thesis will focus on Tantra and Tantric rituals and its role in Saivism and Buddhism. Tantra is a esoteric principle that holds an important place in both Hinduism as well as Buddhism. The spread of Buddhism to East Asia and Southeast Asia gave rise to the introduction and evolvement of tantra in these regions of the world as well. Tantra is a esoteric principle that holds an important place in both Hinduism as well as Buddhism. The spread of Buddhism to East Asia and Southeast Asia gave rise to the introduction and devolvement of tantra in these regions of the world as well.

The aim of Tantra is to guide aspirants to realise both the supreme end of liberation and the secondary ends of wealth, sense-pleasure, and righteousness, according to their inner evolution and desires. It therefore lays down an endless variety of rituals suited to different times, places, and individual competencies. Usually a Tantric ritual consists in the assigning of the different parts of the body to different deities, the purifying of the elements of the body, breath-control, meditation, imparting of life to the image, and mental and physical worship.

The regular rituals in Tantrism include poojas or prayers being offered, making use of Mantras, Yantras and Mandalas. Both Hindu and Buddhist yoga traditions make use of these tools for prayers. Tantric Buddhism, also known as Vajrayana Buddhism, is an ancient and a highly complicated system of Buddhist philosophy. Because of usage of language, structure and rules, Vajrayana is complicated one. Vajrayana branched mainly from Hinduism and hence, the rituals need to be analyzed more before embarking on a research on the subject. Pooja is an ancient and powerful Tantric system of worship consisting of mantra, mudra, visualization, ritual action, meditation and offerings. There are layers of symbolic, philosophical, mystic and devotional meanings in each practice. What follows is a simple introduction to some of the technical aspect of puja based on the Tantric scriptures and oral tradition.

Tantric texts employ twilight language, which is purposely coded in order to keep it complex and sacred. This script relies on the use of symbolisms, metaphors, synonyms and associated words, thereby making it very difficult to decode its many niceties.

The Tamil Siddhas are a religious order of mystics. They form a distinctive part of a larger movement which spread throughout South Asia, from Sri Lanka in the South to Tibet in the north. Siddhas everywhere share common practices, cosmology, and symbols in Tantrism whether the practitioner is Hindu, Buddhist, or Jain. All are part of a "pan-Indian tantric institution.

Tirumandiram (or Thirumandiram) written by the Yoga Siddhar Tirumular (or Thirumoolar) in Tamil, in more than three thousand verses, probably between the 4th and 6th centuries A.D., is the oldest and most important text of Yoga from south India, It is a work of Yoga, tantra, mysticism, mantra, kundalini and monistic theism. The 12th century philosophical school of Saiva Siddhantha traces its origins to it.

 Four major components of (broadly-defined) Tantrism:

1.    sources relating to shamanic and yogic beliefs/practices

2.    Sakta worship - particularly worship of the matrikas and fierce goddesses

3.    sources relating to the particular schools of tantra

4.    'Tantric' texts themselves

Tirumular - Saivaite - was aware of the SriVidya system, and incorporated elements of it into the Tirumantiram (a text comprising of three thousand verses. Brooks sees this as evidence for a 'pan-Indian' Sakta Tantrism in early medieval India, and also suggests that elements of Sakta Tantrism may have been transmitted orally at least two centuries prior to them appearing as Sanskrit texts.

Tantra, which in its earliest written form was a distinctly iconoclastic, private, and esoteric practice, evolved into a number of respected, exoteric orders (sampradaya). It is convenient, although somewhat false, to group the orders into two categories: left-handed and right-handed. Left-handed tantras (vaama marg) incorporate five sacraments (pancamakarapuja) of fish, meat, parched grain, wine and sexual intercourse into ritual practice. Right-handed tantras, on the other hand, advocate the visualization of these antinomian practices.

Tantra exists in Vaisnava, Shaiva, and Shakta forms, among others. Extolled as a short-cut to self-realization and spiritual enlightenment by some, left-hand tantric rites are often rejected as dangerous by most orthodox Hindus

A 'union' could mean the actual act of sexual intercourse, ritual uniting of concepts through chanting and sacrifice, or realisation of one's true self in the cosmic joining of the divine principles of Shiva and Shakti in Para Shiva.

Mantra and Yantra: As in all of Hindu and Buddhist yogas, mantras play an important part in Tantra for focusing the mind, often through the conduit of specific Hindu gods like Shiva,  Kali (mother Kali, another form of Shakti) and even Ganesh , the elephant-headed god of wisdom (refer to the Ganesha Upanishad). Similarly, puja will often involve concentrating on a yantra or mandala.

Tantra, being a development of early Hindu-Vedic thought, embraced the Hindu gods and goddesses, especially Shiva and Shakti, along the Advaita (nondualist Vedic) philosophy that each represents an aspect of the ultimate Para Shiva, or Brahman. These deities may be worshipped externally (with flowers, incense etc.) but, more importantly, are used as objects of meditation, where the practitioner imagines him- or herself to be experiencing the darshan or 'vision' of the deity in question.

Tantras prescribe a strict regimen of penance, meditation, sensory control, cleansing the self of negative thoughts and seeking truth and justice before an individual can hope to transcend from her or his natural state. However Tantra is used now as a general term which relates to sexual practice as a spiritual evolutionary scheme.

In traditional pockets of Tantric practice in India, such as in Assam near the venerated Hindu temple of Kali, Kammakha, in parts of West Bengal, in Siddhanta temples of South India, and in Kasmiri Shiva temples up north, Tantra has retained its true form.

Tibetan Tantrics emphasize the true Mahayana ideal of rapidly gaining the enlightenment that characterizes a Buddha entirely dedicated to the purpose of relieving the suffering of others.

Tantra may be divided into practices based on Hinduism and Buddhism and needs to be studied in depth.

Hypothesis:

1.    TANTRA is an encyclopedic literature.

2.    TANTRA has contributed much towards Ayurveda,  Alchemy , Symbolic Science , Yoga, History , Literature, Philosophy , Religion.

3.    Where Theravada urges us to reflect on the repulsiveness of the body, Tantric Buddhism tells us to revere it as a temple and to indulge its most sensual impulses. Theravada preaches the renunciation of all desires: Tantric Buddhism their over-fulfillment.

4.    Tantra is not a technique, but love; a prayer.

5.    Tantra is neither philosophy, nor religion in the rigid sense, and yet it doesn’t oppose either of them.

Methodology:

Concerning the Tantric literature in the first part of the thesis, I am going to employ the qualitative literature review methodology, using research tools like interviews, surveys, and Observations.   I am going to use especially the classical models of Structural Anthropology, by Claude Lévi-Strauss.

Outline:

1.    Introduction

2.    Theoretical background and the review of Tantra

3.    An Analysis of Tantra

a.       Philosophical Significance

b.      Tantra in Saivism, Indo-Tibet and Thai Buddhism-Religious Significance

c.       Literary Analysis

d.      Historical Cultural analysis

4.    The Ritualistic Tradition of Tantra

a.       Erotic Rituals

b.      Non erotic rituals

5.    The Sacred Secrets of Tantra

6.    Tamil Siddhas and Tantra

7.    Conclusions

8.    References / Bibliography

References / Bibliography:

·         Thirumandiram, Thirumoolar.

·         Tantra Sastra

·         Secret of the Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet; Reginald A. Ray

·         Uttaratantra Shastra,

·         Tantric Temples: Eros and Magic in Java, Peter Levenda – 2011

·         Tantra and Dharma Teachers from Kashmir in Nepal, by Michael Witzel

 Author            D.RAVI DEVARAJ                                                 Guide N.NANDHIVARMAN

TOPONYMICAL PROBE TRACING ONENESS OF HUMANITY

N.Nandhivarman

Pondicherry is a melting pot of various linguistic groups and cultures. Therefore it is no surprise that lot of people from Orissa have found a haven in Pondicherry. Trailing them to study for his research papers R.Balakrishnan I.A.S, Chief Electoral Officer of Government of Orissa often visits Pondicherry. There is another dimension to his visits, which is to pay respects to his teacher Dr.Vijayavenugopal of Ecole Francaise D’Extreme Orient. Mr.Balakrishnan had presented numerous research papers and he specializes in toponymical probe.

  

“Place names are fossilized representations of the past. In retracing the footprints of our ancestral migrations, place names can be our guiding stars. Our case in this regard is built on the foundation that the migrating people do carry their place names and reuse them in new found homeland as a mark of continuity with past.” says R.Balakrishnan explaining the rationale of the toponymical probe he had ventured into.

 In an article that appeared in the International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics, R.Balakrishnan throws “New lights on ancient contacts between Kalinga and Indonesia”. A study conducted by him revealed remarkable similarities between the place names of Java, Sumatra and Bali regions of Indonesia on one hand and the places of Southern Orissa on the other hand. The Chilka region of Orissa seems to have been the focal point of Kalingan interactions with South East Asia.

 Balakrishnan is serious in his research and had done extensive travel to remote regions to draw similarities of place names. In another research paper titled Tamil: A Toponymical Probe he had given a long list of place names that bear the “Tam” prefixes. In a state wise alphabetical list of Tam prefixed place names in India, he states that in Andhra Pradesh [29], Arunachal Pradesh [11], Assam [38], Bihar [53], Gujarat [5), Goa [1], Haryana [3], Himachal Pradesh [34], Karnataka [24], Maharastra [120], Meghalaya [5], Manipur [14], Madya Pradesh [60], Nagaland [4], Orissa [84], Punjab [4], Rajasthan [26], Tamil Nadu [10], Uttar Praseh [64], West Bengal [24] with a grand total of 612 places names resembling Tamil and Tamil influences do occur.

    

This research may sound funny, but researches are always working out new avenues to trace truths of the past. One of the pioneers of rice research in India Mr.Ramiah had identified Jeypore region of Orissa as another independent center of origin of rice. Subsequent researches established that broad geographical region comprising Jharkand; Chattisgarh, Western Orissa and Jeypore tracts of Orissa satisfy the basic requirements to claim as center of origin of cultivated rice. If one can trace roots of rice cultivation why not trace roots of a civilization and its spread, asks Dr.Arivunambi, Dean of Tamil Studies in Pondicherry University.

 “In the Godda District of Bihar there is a village named Tamilgoda. In that District alone there are 12 place names, which end goda Tamilgoda is one of them. In the Puri District of Orissa a place name called Tamilikudi draws our immediate attention. There is no need to establish the Dravidian etymology of the suffix kudi. Tamilikudi is not an isolate case of occurrence as there are 37 place names with kudi suffix within the administrative boundary of Orissa.

 “In the process of locating Tamil related place names the entire list of India was scrutinized and I found a name called Tamia in Chindwara District of Madya Pradesh. Having come across Tamilgoda and Tamilkudi is not surprising to me. However when this name was noticed in the surprising company of such typical Tamil place names Palani, Tekadi, Theni, Bodi and many other geographical names that are in currency in the Madurai region of Tamilnadu and its adjoining upcountry neighbor Idukki, its significance and implications could be understood,” says Balakrishnan.

 Another research paper titled  “Toponymy of Konark”, by Balakrishnan traces the spread of the word Kona. The place name of Konark is a combination of two words kona and arka. A search for Kona as a place name prefix reveals as many as 249 occurrences. Out of this Kona, a mono word place name has been used at least in 13 places [4 in Andhra Pradesh, 3 in Uttar Pradesh, 2 in Madya Pradesh one each in Orissa, Bihar, Haryana and Maharastra]. Kon seems to be a universal term. ‘The primitive tribes of Austro-Asiatic and Dravidian origin use the term as much as the speakers of Indo-Aryan do. Even the English terms such as cone, conical based on Latin conus (derived from Greek konus) show definite affinity with the term. 

Depending on the context, Vedic people used a number of terms to denote angle and most common of them is Karna. The term Karna means Sun, the son of Kunti by Surya and hence the sun nexus of the term would be obvious. Karna denoting ray or beam of light is considered to be the basis for the Greek term Karneios that means radiant. This establishes the nexus between the angle and ray. The Peruvian prefix Kon means Sun and the mythical Sun king who claimed direct descent from Sun is called Kon-Tiki. So goes on Balakrishnan identifying in Iran on the Gulf of Oman just 3 km away from main coastline a village called Konark. About 5 kms away from Persian Gulf he traces another village Konark. Again in the plateau of Iran he finds Konark. The toponymical probe is a new way to establish oneness of the human race. Deveneya Paavanar and his successor R.Madhivanan have used etymological probes to prove that all languages emanated from one common language. As all continents were once united in Pangea that in Latin means All Earth, the distribution of place names across continents in another way proves continental drift and the migration of human race from one place to another.

courtesy: The New Indian Express -weekend-18.06-2005

தெலுங்கு மொழி ஈப்பிரூ மொழியின் குழவியாம்....

வெற்றுப் புகழ்ச்சியில் வீண் ஆரவாரத்தில் மயங்கி தமிழை வளர்க்காத கலைஞர்

மறக்கடிக்கப்பட்ட வரலாறுகள்....

இந்திய மொழிகளில் ஓம் : சொற்பிறப்பியல் அறிஞர் ரவி வரராவ்

Another Tamil word in Turkish and European languages.

சொல் sol n. 1. [Kannada ಸೊಲ್ (sol), Malayalam. ചൊല്ല് (col).] Word; term; மொழி. சொல்லினாகு மென்மனார் (தொல். சொல். 158). 2. Saying, speech; பேச்சு. சான்றோர் கொடுத்தாரெனப்படுஞ் சொல் (நாலடி, 100). 3. Proverb, maxim; பழ மொழி. அல்லவை செய்தார்க் கறங் கூற்றமாமென்னும் . . . சொல் (சிலப். 20, வெண்பா.) 4. Declaration, promise, assurance; உறுதிமொழி. தோழமை யென்றவர் சொல்லிய சொல்லொரு சொல்லன்றோ (கம்பரா. குகப். 15). 5. [M. col.] Praise, encomium, panegyric; புகழ். தன்சொலாற் றான் கண்டனைத்து (குறள், 387). 6. Incantation; மந்தி ரம். சொல்லுங்காற் சொல்லும் பலவுள (பு. வெ. 12, வென்றிப். 9). 7. Curse; சாபம். சொல்லொக்குங் கடிய வேகச் சுடுசரம் (கம்பரா. தாடகை. 72). 8. Command, direction; கட்டளை. என்சொற் கடந்தா லுனக்கியாதுள தீனமென்றான் (கம்பரா. நகர்நீங்கு. 140). 9. Advice; புத்திமதி. தந்தைசொல் மிக்க மந்திரமில்லை. 10. (Gram.) Part of speech, of which there are four, viz., peyar-c-col, viṉai-c-col. iṭai-c-col, uṟi-c-col; பெயர்ச்சொல், வினைச் சொல், இடைச்சொல், உரிச்சொல் என்ற நால்வகை மொழிகள். (நன். 270.) 11. (Gram.) Words in Tamil language, of four classes, viz., iyaṟ-col, tiri-col, ticai-c-col, vaṭa-col; தமிழ்ப்பாஷையி லுள்ள இயற்சொல், திரிசொல், திசைச்சொல், வட சொல் என நால்வகைப்பட்ட மொழிகள். (தொல். சொல். 397.) 12. (Nāṭya.) Speech or utterance on the stage, of three kinds, viz., uṭ-col, puṟa-c-col, ākāca-c-col; நாடகவரங்கிற் பேசப்படும் உட் சொல், புறச்சொல், ஆகாசச்சொல் என்பன. (சிலப். 3, 13, உரை, பக். 87.) 13. Sound; சத்தம். பல்லி சொல். 14. Sarasvatī, as Goddess of Speech; நாமகள். சொல்லென்றது நாமகளாகிய தெய்வம் (தொல். சொல். 57, சேனா.). 15. See சொல் விளம்பி. (அக. நி.)

சொல் sol-> சொலவு solavu n. 1. Saying, telling; சொல்லுகை. சொற்செல்லாவழிச் சொலவு (முது. காஞ். 87). 2. Proverb; பழமொழி. ஆயிரங் காக்கைக்கு ஓர் கல் என்று ஒரு சொலவு உண்டு. Loc.

சொல் sol-> söz [Azeri] word
һүҙ (hüð) [Bashkir] word
сло́ва (slóva) [Belarusian] word
сло́во (slóvo) [Bulgarian] word
slovo [Czech) word
سوز (söz) [Chagatai] word
söz [Crimean Tatar] word
өс (ös) [Dolgan] word
sõna [Estonian] word
söz [Gagauz] word
szó [Hungarian] word
сёз (söz) [Karachay-Balkar] word
so'z [Karakalpak] word
сөз (söz) [Kazakh] word
сӧс (sös) [Khakas] word
сёз (söz) [Kumyk] word
сөз (söz) [Kyrgyz] word
сло́во (slóvo) (archaic) [Macedonian]
соьз (söz) [Nogai] word
(söz)Old Turkic] word
سوز (söz) [Ottoman Turkish] word
сӧс (sös) [Shor] word
сӧс (sös) [Southern Altai] word
süz [Tatar] word
söz [Turkmen] word
söz [Turkish] word
сөс (sös) [Tyvan] word
سۆز (söz) [Uyghur] word
soʻz [Uzbek] word
өс (ös) [Yakut] word
слово (slovo), ⱄⰾⱁⰲⱁ (slovo) [Old Church Slavonic] word
слово (slovo) [Old East Slavic] word
псалъэ (psāłă) [Kabardian] word
słowo [Polish] word
сло́во (slóvo) [Russian] word
сло́во (slóvo) [Rusyn] word
slovo [Serbo-Croatian] word
slovo [Slovak] word
słowo [Lower Sorbian] word
słowo [Upper Sorbian] word
сло́во (slóvo) [Ukrainian] word
sao [Ilocano] (literally) word

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