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JAINA LITERATURE IN TAMIL
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of Agastya, the mythical founder of Tamil literature.1 It contains a preface by a contemporary author, Panampāraṇār, who certifies that the Aindiram-niraiñca Tolkäppiyam, i.e., the Tolkäppiyam full of the Aindra grammar system, was read in the Pandyan assembly and approved by Adaṁkōṭṭāśān. Dr.Burnell maintains3 that the author of the Tolkäppiyam was a Buddhist or Jaina and that he is one of the unquestionably old Tamil authors. In the same preface of Panampāraṇār, Tolkappiyar is referred to as the "great and famous Paḍimaiyōn". The word Paḍimaiyōn is explained by the commentator as one who performs tapas. It is well known to students of Jaina literature that Pratima-yōga is a Jaina technical term and some Jaina yōgis were spoken of as Pradhana-Yogadhāris. On this basis,
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p. 1.
1. The prefatory verses of Pannirupaḍalam, Purapporulveṇbāmālai and Agapporul-vilakkam make this claim. For relevant quotations, see K. N. Sivaraja Pillai: Agastya in the Tamil Land, p. 47.
2. The relevant lines read:
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nilan- taru tiruvir-Paṇḍiyan avaiyattu arangaņai nāviņ nāṇmarai murriya Adankōṭṭāśārku ariltapatterittu.
See, also, S. Vaiyapuri Pillai : Tamil-ccuḍarmaṇiga! (1949),
Jain Education International
3. The Aindra System of Sanskrit Grammar (1875). 4. 'Pal-pugal-nirutta Paḍimaiyōn'.
5. The commentator Ilampūraṇavaḍigal explains Paḍimaiyōn as 'tavav-ofukkattinaiy-uḍaiyōn', i. e., 'he who observes the norms of tapas'. Pratima is a Jaina technical term. It refers to the stages of religious life of a pious householder. There are eleven Pratimas.
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