Tiruviṭaivācal, Puṇyanāthasvāmin, no king, no year

Editors: T.G. Aravamuthan, Renato Dávalos, Emmanuel Francis.

Identifier: DHARMA_INSTamilNadu00026.

Summary: A patikam of eleven stanzas by Tiruñāṉa Campantar in praise of the sacred Viṭaivāy (Tiruviṭaivācal). This hymn is not attested in the manuscripts of the Tēvāram, but has been included in the modern printed editions (Tēvāram 3.126).

Language: Tamil.

Repository: Tamil Nadu (varia) (tfa-tamilnadu-epigraphy).

Version: (f8dc812), last modified (bee907d).

Edition

I. kaliviruttam

⟨1⟩ maṟi y-ār-karatt’ entai y-am-māt’ umaiyōṭum

1

piṟiyāta pe⟨2⟩mmā¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ Uṟaiyum Iṭam e¡n!⟨ṉ⟩par

2

poṟi vāy vari vaṇṭu ta¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ pūm pe⟨3⟩ṭai pulki

3

veṟi y-ār-malariṟ ṟuyilum viṭaivāyē ~

4
II. kaliviruttam

Ovvāta v-e⟨4⟩¡n!⟨ṉ⟩pē y-iḻaiyā v-oḷi meḷali-c

1

cevvā¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ mati vai⟨⟨t⟩⟩tavar cērv’ iṭam e¡n!⟨ṉ⟩⟨5⟩par

2

Evvāyilum ¿E?⟨Ē⟩ṭ’ alar kōṭal am-pōtu

3

ve⟨⟨v⟩⟩-vāy aravam malarum viṭai⟨6⟩vāyē ~

4
III. kaliviruttam

karai y-ār kaṭal nañc’ amut’ uṇṭavar kaṅkai-t

1

tirai y-ār caṭai-t⟨7⟩tīvaṇṇar cērv’ iṭam e¡n!⟨ṉ⟩par

2

kurai y-ār maṇiyuṅ kuḷir cantamum koṇ⟨8⟩ṭu

3

virai y-ār pu¡n!⟨ṉ⟩al vant’ iḻiyum viṭaivāyē ~

4
IV. kaliviruttam

cūca-t taḻal pōla ⟨9⟩ viḻiyā varu cūṟṟai-p

1

pācattoṭum vīḻa Utaittavar paṟṟ’ ām

2

vāca-k ⟨10⟩ katir-c cāli veṇ-cāmaraiyē pōl

3

vīca-k kaḷi A¡nn!⟨ṉṉ⟩a malkum viṭai⟨11⟩vāyē ~

4
V. kaliviruttam

tiriyum pura-mūnṟaiyum centaḻal uṇṇā

1

E⟨12⟩ri y-amp’ eyta kuṉṟa villi Iṭam e¡n!⟨ṉ⟩par

2

kiriyun taru māḷikai-c ⟨⟨cūḻi⟩⟩⟨13⟩kaita¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ mēl

3

viriyuṅ koṭi vā¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ viḷicey viṭaivāyē 5

4
VI. kaliviruttam

⟨14⟩ kiḷḷai moḻiyāḷai Ikaḻnatava¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ muttī-t

1

taḷḷi-t talai takkaṉai⟨15⟩-k koṇṭavar cārv’ ām

2

vaḷḷi maruṅkul neruṅkum mulai-c cevvā⟨16⟩y

3

veḷḷai ¡nn!⟨n⟩akaiyār naṭañcey viṭaivāyē 6

4
VII. kaliviruttam

pātatt’ oli pāriṭam pāṭa naṭañcey

1

⟨17⟩ nātatt’ oliyar navilu¡mm!⟨m⟩ iṭam e¡n!⟨ṉ⟩par

2

kītatt’ oliyum keḻu⟨18⟩mum muḻavoṭu

3

vētatt’ oliyum payilum viṭaivāyē 7

4
VIII. kaliviruttam

Eṇṇāta v-arakka¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ Urattai nerit⟨19⟩tu-p

1

paṇ-ṇ ārtaru pāṭal ukantavar paṟṟ’ ām

2

kaṇ ār viḻaviṟ kaṭivītikaḷ tōṟum

3

viṇṇōrkaḷum ⟨20⟩ vant’ iṟaiñcum viṭaivāyē 8

4
IX. kaliviruttam

puḷ vāy piḷantā¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ Aya¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ pū-muṭi pātam

1

Oḷvānilan tēṭum Oru⟨21⟩vaṟk’ iṭam ām

2

teḷ vār punaṟ ceṅkaḻunīr mukai ta¡nn!⟨ṉṉ⟩il

3

viḷ vāy naṟav’ uṇṭu vaṇṭ’ ār-viṭaivāyē 9

4
X. kaliviruttam

⟨22⟩ Uṭai y-ētum ilār tuvār āṭai Uṭuppōr

1

kiṭaiyā neṟiyān keḻum¿i?⟨u⟩¡mm!⟨m⟩ iṭam e¡n!⟨ṉ⟩par

2

Aṭaiyār pura⟨23⟩m vēva mūvaṟk’ aruḷ ceyta

3

viṭai y-ār-koṭiyā¡n!⟨ṉ⟩ aḻak’ ār-viṭaivāyē 10

4
XI. kaliviruttam

Āṟum matiyum poti vēṇiya⟨24⟩ṉ ūr ām

1

āṟ’ il peruñ celva mali viṭai vāyai

2

nāṟum poḻiṟ kāḻiyar ñā¡n!⟨ṉ⟩acampanta¡n!⟨ṉ⟩

3

cūṟun tamiḻ vallavar ⟨25⟩ kuṟṟam aṟṟōyēy

4

Translation by Subrahmanya Aiyar et al. 2007

I
Viṭaivāy, where the male bee which has dots and lines embraces its beautiful female bee and sleeps in the fragrant flower, people say that it is the place where our father who holds a young deer in his hand and who is not separated from Umai, the beautiful lady, dwells.
II
Viṭaivāy where the mature buds of white species of malabar glory-lily unfold their petals and blossom like hood of the cruel cobra everywhere, people say that this is the place where Civaṉ, after adorning himself with bones, which are not suited to his greatness, placed the crescent rising on the red sky, on his brilliant head.
III
Viṭaivāy where the fragrant water comes and descends,1 carrying precious stones which make sound and cool sandal-wood, people say that this is the place where Civaṉ, who has the colour of fire and a caṭai on which the Kaṅkai with waves, stays, and who consumed the poison which rose in the roaring ocean, just like nectar.
IV

Viṭaivāy, where the mirthful swans stay [in the lotus flowers] when the fragrant paddy having ears of corn fans like the white yak’s tail

?

is the dwelling place of desire of Civaṉ who kicked the god of death Yamā to fall down with his weapon of noose-cord, who came upon the Lord frightening and staring at him as if spitting fire from eyes.

?
V

Viṭaivāy where the spread-out flags on the open terrace of the mansions which appear like hills invite celestials to come to the earth,

?

people say that this is the place of Civaṉ who has a bow of a mountain from which he discharged an arrow spitting fire to make it engulf all the three wandering cities.

?
VI

Viṭaivāy where ladies with waist like the creeper, breasts close to each other, red lips and white teeth, dance

?

is the residence of Civaṉ who removed the head of Takkaṉ, who despised Umai, whose words are like the sweet voice of the parrot, destroying the three fires.

?
VII

People say that Viṭaivāy is the place where the sound of musical composition accompanied by muḻavu and the chanting of the Vedas are always existing without ceasing,

?

while, when the pūtams sing to the accompaniment of the sound produced by the movement of the feet, Civaṉ produces the sweet musical sound of the dance.

?
VIII

Viṭaivāy where, in every street of splendour during festivals which are feasts to the eyes, the celestials leaving heaven and coming to the earth pay obeisance to Civaṉ,

?

who crushes the chest of the arakkaṉ, who had no sense about the greatness of Civaṉ, is the dwelling place of Civaṉ, who rejoiced at hearing his songs full of music.

?
IX

Viṭaivāy where the bees, having drunk the honey in the unfolded petals of the buds of the purple indian water-lily which grows in the clear running water, hum loudly,

?

people say that this is the place of the unequalled Civaṉ whose beautiful head and feet Māl, who split the beak of a crane, and Ayaṉ searched in the bright sky and the earth.

?
X
The exceedingly beautiful Viṭaivāy of Civaṉ, who has a flag of a bull and granted his grace to three acurar, when the cities of the enemies were burning, people say that it is the place where Civaṉ dwells, he who cannot be approached by camaṇars, who have completely given up dress and by buddhists, who wear a dress soaked in red ochre.
XI
Those who are able to recite the Tamiḻ verses, by Ñāṉacampantaṉ, who is the chief of the residents of Kāḻi, which has fragrant gardens, on Viṭaivāy in which big wealth which does not change 2 is in abundance are definitely without faults.

Commentary

According to Krishna Sastri 1918, the inscription is on the “south wall of the central shrine”, which seems to mean the southern wall of the vimāna. According to Aravamuthan 1933-1934 (p. 267, fn. 10): “One half occupies the southern wall of the ardha-maṇḍapa and the other half the west wall of the mahā-maṇḍapa.”

In July 2024, we observed that all the inscribed blocks making this inscription are found on the southern wall of the mahāmaṇḍapa. The temple indeed has been renovated in 1960. This would account for the fact that these blocks are now found on a single wall, while there are no inscribed blocks any more on the vimāna and few only on the ardhamahāmaṇḍapa (southern base), whereas inscribed blocks may have been lost (or built in without showing the inscriptions any more) and most of the remaining inscribed blocks are today displayed in disorder.

Bibliography

Reported in Krishna Sastri 1918 (ARIE/1917-1918/C/1918/8).

Edited in Swāminātha Upādhyāya 1918, Cōmacuntara Tēcikar 1918-1919, Swāminātha Upādhyāya 1921. Edited in Aravamuthan 1933-1934, based on autopsy (1919-06, 1921-12) and two ASI estampages (Aravamuthan 1933-1934, p. 268, n. 17).

This edition by Renato Dávalos and Emmanuel Francis (2024), based on Aravamuthan 1933-1934, autopsy (2024) and photos (2024). This translation adapted from Subrahmanya Aiyar et al. 2007.

ASI transcript and estampage(s), if any, yet to be consulted.

Primary

[S1] Swāminātha Upādhyāya, T. M. 1918. Untitled. Tiruvārūr.

[C] Cōmacuntara Tēcikar, S. 1918-1919. Untitled. Centamiḻ 27, pp. 169–172.

[S2] Swāminātha Upādhyāya, T. M. 1921. Untitled. In: caivacamayamum tamiḻ pāṭaiyum. Maṉṉarkuṭi, pp. 43–44.

[VMS] Aravamuthan, T. G. 1933-1934. “A new hymn of Jnana-Sambandha.” QJMS 24, pp. 266–275, 343–360.

[VMS] Subrahmanya Aiyar, V.M., Jean-Luc Chevillard and S.A.S. Sarma. 2007. Digital Tēvāram = kaṇiṉit tēvāram. Pondicherry: Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient; Institut français de Pondichéry. Section Mūvār Tēvāram 3:126.

Secondary

Krishna Sastri, H. 1918. G.O. No. 1172, 6th September 1918. Epigraphy. Recording, with remarks, the progress report of the Assistant Archaeological Superintendent for epigraphy, Southern Circle, for the year 1917-1918. No place. Page 89, item 8, appendix C/1918/.

Krishna Sastri, H. 1918. G.O. No. 1172, 6th September 1918. Epigraphy. Recording, with remarks, the progress report of the Assistant Archaeological Superintendent for epigraphy, Southern Circle, for the year 1917-1918. No place. Page 149.

Gros, François. 1984. “Pour lire le Tēvāram.” In: Tēvāram. Hymnes śivai͏̈tes du pays tamoul. Volume I. Ñāṉacampantar. Vol. 68.1. PIFI. Pondichéry, Inde: Institut français d'indologie, pp. v–xxxvi. Page xxx.

Gros, François. 1984. “Towards reading the Tēvāram.” In: Tēvāram. Hymnes śivai͏̈tes du pays tamoul. Volume I. Ñāṉacampantar. Vol. 68.1. PIFI. Pondichéry, Inde: Institut français d'indologie, pp. xxxvii–lxviii. Page lxii.

Notes

  1. 1. The water is the floods in the rivulet Pāṇtavāy which is mentioned in the veṇpā by Aiyaṭikaḷ Kāṭavar Kōṉ Nāyaṉār quoted before.
  2. 2. That is, which has no equal.