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Chola Warlords: Who Were the Paluvettaraiyars?

Ponniyin Selvan I movie poster showing actor Sarathkumar as Periya Paluvettaraiyar and actor Parthiban as Chinna Paluvettaraiyar. In 2024, Oxford University Press published  Minor Majesties: The Paluvēṭṭaraiyars and Their South Indian Kingdom of Paluvūr, 9th–11th Centuries A.D ., a groundbreaking study by historian Valerie Gillet. In the book’s opening chapter, A Tentative Biography of the Paluvettaraiyars , Gillet delves into the lineage and origins of this influential fami ly.  These Chola warlords traced their lineage to the formidable Maravars, an ancient warrior tribe renowned for their valor. However, I believe that while the Paluvettaraiyars were indeed of Maravar descent, they likely forged alliances through intermarriage with those of the Kallar and Agambadiyar clans, further solidifying their power and influence. Prominent figures in the medieval Chola era, the Paluvettaraiyars played a pivotal role in shaping the empire’s political and military landscape. Through st...
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Does God Only Understand Sanskrit?

Picture credit :mariaparaffina

I had an interesting discussion with a few people this week. One of the question which I came across was if God only understands Sanskrit.

You can actually pray in any language including English. You can even pray by heart without any sound. How do you think the deaf and mute pray? God is beyond linguistic boundaries.

Sanskrit is a formulated language used mainly for mantric purpose. Although it can also be structured for daily conversation, it is not used as a mother tongue even by the Tamil Brahmins at home. They speak Tamil at home and many Brahmins can speak better Tamil than most of us.

Because of its mantric values, Sanskrit is considered as a more suitable language for chanting. Tamil prayers are poetic and not mantric. You can sing Tamil prayers but you can't chant Tamil prayers. Tirumurai is sung in Pann Isai and not chanted in metres unlike the Sanskrit mantras from Vedas or Agamas.

Singing prayers creates devotional attachment which is good. But chanting mantras repeatedly helps to condition the mind. Such conditioning is helpful for those who wish to elevate themselves spiritually especially those who are into meditation.

Even the Tamil Othuvars chant the Sanskrit panchakshra NaMaSiVaYa. If prayers can be done in Tamil alone, why are the Othuvars still using Sanskrit mantras like this? Why not make it exclusively Tamil without a single Sanskrit word?

Many beeja mantras such as hreem, glaum, phat, sauh etc cannot be written in Tamil because it will cause the pronunciation to go wrong. 
Sanskrit is classified as an Indo-European language by the linguists. It is used in certain villages such as in Mattur but nobody claimed Sanskrit as their mother tongue. Not even the Brahmins of India.

To think of it, it is actually good to use Sanskrit in Hindu temples because it is a language common to all Hindus. Whether your mother tongue is Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, Gujerati, Thai, Balinese, Javanese, English, German etc etc, using Sanskrit gives it a neutral position in every Hindu temple. 

Unlike Islam which emphasise on Arabic, mother tongue of the Arab people, Hinduism does not emphasise on a particular tribe's mother tongue. Devotional songs or poems can be in any language but the mantras are only in Sanskrit.

God is not human. God has no ethnic identity. God is not a property of the Tamil people alone. Hinduism gives an opportunity for both Tamils and non-Tamils to use Sanskrit as a neutral language. 

Today there are many opportunity for Hindus to learn Sanskrit or at least learn the meaning of the mantras which they recite. There are many reliable sources available. It is not an impossible thing. 

So why complain about it? 

Be happy that we have Sanskrit as it creates a sense of unity among Hindus when everyone use the same neutral language to recite the mantras instead of another person's mother tongue. 

Comments

  1. KallarTuesday, 21 March, 2017

    ஐயா உங்கள் அனைத்து பதிவுகளும் அருமை. என்னுடைய வேண்டுகோள் உங்கள் பதிவுகள் மற்றும் நீங்கள் தரும் ஆதாரங்களை நாங்கள் எடுத்து பயன்பெறும் வகையில் அமைத்து தரவும். எல்லாம் password போடப்பட்டுள்ளது என்று நினைக்கிறேன்.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownTuesday, 16 May, 2017

    Dear Sir, I am aMalaysian and came across your blog. My husband's kula deivam is Pechiaman. But my side I dont know. How can I get to know this? Can you please write for me gayathri mantra for pechiaman.
    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownTuesday, 16 May, 2017

    Dear Sir, I am aMalaysian and came across your blog. My husband's kula deivam is Pechiaman. But my side I dont know. How can I get to know this? Can you please write for me gayathri mantra for pechiaman.
    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownTuesday, 16 May, 2017

    Dear Sir, I am aMalaysian and came across your blog. My husband's kula deivam is Pechiaman. But my side I dont know. How can I get to know this? Can you please write for me gayathri mantra for pechiaman.
    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownFriday, 18 August, 2017

    You are a wise man and humble as well.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Shankar ShivaWednesday, 08 April, 2020

    Thanks bro for uniting all Hindus from all over the world. Hindus need to forget about the language differences and learn about their philosophy (Vedanta , Shaiva Siddhanta , Kashmir Shaivism ). These philosophies did not discriminate anyone based on their language or their customs. Hinduism provides spiritual democracy where we can choose our own philosophy to follow. These sickulaar people try to divide Hindus and Hinduism supported by Christian missionaries. So sad ! - from Singapore

    ReplyDelete

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