________________
44
Study of Civakacintāmaņi
(the Perunarkkilli who performed Rājasuya sacrifice!) serve as good examples. These show the predilection the Tamil kings had for Vedic sacrifices. A detailed description of sacrificial rites can be seen in the 160th poem of the Puranānuru. There are also other references to penances and sacrifices in Cankam literature. The introduction of sacrifices and Vedic rituals also brought along with it the Aryan gods like Śiva, Vişnu, Brahma, Indra, Skanda. etc. to Tamil literature. There are also references in Cankam works to Vişnu's several incarnations, the five elemeats (pancabhūta), etc.5
Besides there, these is also 4 multitude of Sanskrit purānic incidents mentioned in poems like the Paripāțal and the Kalittokai, which are of late Cankam period, The burning of the three aerial cities by Siva, the battle between Lord Muruga and Śūrapadma," the plans of Duryodhana to kill Pāndavas in the palace of lac,g the churning of the milk ocean,9 Rāvana lifting Mount Kailāsa, 10 Bhima breaking Duryodhana's thigh, 11 the birth of lord Saņmukba, 13 the story of Ahalyā 1 8 etc, are referred to in these works.
In addition to the religious and mythological lore and its impact on literary and social life, the day-to-day intermingling of people at all levels of society caused a certain amount of cultural and liaguistic mixture. The linguistic aspects of this have been considered in chapter VI.
An inspection of post Cankam works shows definite increase in the extent of Sanskrit interaction. The rise of the Pallava kings in seventh century A.D. led to an increase in Sanskrit influence. Foreign invasions like that of the Kalabhras brought in a lot of changes. During this time Buddhists and Jains migrated into Tamil land in large numbers.
We do not know exactly when the Jains first came to Tamil land. The names of poets like Uloccaņār14 and Mātīrttan show the presence of Jaina poets in earlier times, 15 Even though there are a few references to Jains in Cankam literature, Jains do not appear to have attained the importance enjoyed by the Aryan brahmins dur. ing this time, 1 Rājasūya is a great sacrifice or religious ceremony performed at the coronation of a supreme
sovereign or universal monarch by the king himself and his tributary princes. Monier Williams,
Sanskrit English Dictionary, Oxford, 1964, p. 874, col. 2. 2 Puranāņūru vv. 397, 361. Kalittokai, v. 130, 36, 119. 3 Perumpāņārtuppatai, lines 371-73, 402-403. 4 Panca-bhūta, are earth, fire, air, water, and akaśa. 5 Ref. K. K. Pillay, “Aryan influence in Tamilabam during Sangam epoch", Tamil Culture,
vole XII, Nos. 2 and 3, p. 165 ff. 6 Paripaļal, 5. line 25.
10 Kalittokai, 38. 7 Kalittokai, 27. Paripāļal, 5. line 4.
11 Ibid, 52. 8 Kalittokai, 25.
12 Paripāļal, 5. lines 27-49. 9 Paripatal, 2. lines 71-72; 3. lines 33-34. 13 Ibid, 19. lines 50-52. 14 Tamil, Uloccu, Skt. lunca-Pulling out the hair on one's head with one's own hands. The name
Uloccaņār would have come from this ritual which is performed by Jains. 15 S. Vaiyapuripillai, History of Tamil Language and Literature, Madras, 1965, p. 59.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
