________________
198
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
"If the cloud standing (in the sky) deceives (by not falling in rain to the earth), hunger will afflict, standing in the midst of the widespread earth, though (this earth is) surrounded by an expanse of waters."
The clouds charged with moisture stand over the hills, big with the promise of fertilizing showers. If they remain there, and do not fulfil their promise, the earth, though surrounded by vast oceans of water, must fall a prey to all the miseries of famine.
During the late disastrous droughts, each day heavy clouds collected and hung over the Maisûr province; but winds arose and bore them away in the direction of the sea, leaving the broad fields dry and parched, and abandoning multitudes to misery and death by famine. Those who have seen this can understand the force of the poet's lines.
The compound viri-nir-viyan-ulagam is interesting. It is verb + noun + adjective + noun, extend+water+broad world. The wide world around which the ocean spreads.' Observe the alliteration. Perhaps Sanskrit grammar would divide this into two compounds (1) Viyan-ulagam, being a 'Karmadharaya,' where viyan (S. viyat) is descriptive of ulagam the wide world; (2) viri-nir being a 'bahu-vrihi.'
Viri is the stem, or crude form, used in Sanskrit (Comp. S. vri, vi-vri, vi-vrita.) The Tamil grammarians see here only ellipsis (togai) of inflectional particles and of connecting words. Couplet IV.
érin | uráar | uravar | puyalennum vári | valam kundri | kál.
Scansion :
tēmā | půlimâ pulimā | půlimāngāy tēmā pūlimänguy | nāl.
"The ploughmen plough not with the yoked oxen when the abundance of the cloud-deluge is diminished."
Agriculture is the great employment of the Tamil people; it ceases when the rains are not abundant.
The roots ér and ur are very remarkable.
ér is the plough with its yoke of oxen.' It is found in all the S. Indian languages. ĕr-uthu is 'a bull,' er-umai is a buffalo', érru is the male of any animal.' (Tuda, er and esht.) Here we may compare A. S. ear-ian, (Eng. ear), Lat. ar-are,
[AUGUST, 1880. aratrum. (See Fick), arman,' Lat, ar-mentum. (See also Fick, ardya).
The Kanarese has ul for ur (cerebrals interchangeable) and had. The Tamil has pur-uthi for 'pulverised earth,' this in ancient Kan. is hudi.
It is curious that the Sanskrit and Telugu words for plough' are quite different from each other, and from Tam., Kan., Mal., &c. Couplet V.
Keḍuppathúum | keṭṭárkku | sárváy matt' | angê eduppathium | ella' | marai.
Scansion:
kărăvilǎngay te mängãi | te mängãi | tēmā kărăvilăngay tēmā | mălăr.
"That which will ruin, that which will uplift, becoming a help to the ruined: all this is rain."
The destructive violence of tropical storms, and the life-giving effects of the first burst of the monsoons in India, are referred to here.
Ked destroy,' 'perish.' [S. skad. chid. Fick. another form is serru.]
Sár vu' support. The root édr= 'lean, recline against. Hence the idea of 'prop,' 'support.' éér='approach.' Comp. S. char.
Edu take up,' lift,' 'assist.'
=
Roots with d as the significant letter, preceded by what seems to be a prefix, are many in Tamil.
Thus :
1. ko-du 'give.'
2. i-du'give,' 'place.'
3. vi-du leave.'
4.
=
4-dumove about.'
5. po-duput.'
6. e-du 'take up.'
7. ta-du hinder.'
8. na-du='middle,' 'plant.'
9. a-du='cook.'
10. ka-da'cross.' 11. na-da'walk.'
12. u-du clothe."
13. 6-durun.'
14. pa-du, suffer,'' sink.'
Whether these are not compounds of a root like
dd or dhd of the Sanskrit, and be of the Greek, is an interesting question.
A parallel list with as the significant letter, which may be formed from a root like yi or ar, or eru of the Sanskrit is:
1. ko-ru, soft,' 'grow fat."
2. ka-ri, pass off.'
3. vi-ru, 'fall.'
4. a-ri, perish.' 5. va-ri, 'way.'
6. i-ru, 'draw.'
7. po-ri, 'pour forth.'
