AGASTYA IN THE T AMIL LAND BY IV A RA A PIL L A I B . A K N . , . § J i T m l U n iv rs it of M a dr a s . Re a de r n a i , e y U NIVE RSITY OF M A DRA S . F or i n e l s. 6 d Pr ice Rupee One] [ g . PA G E . S ection. i Int oduc ti on . r U niversality of th e Agastya t radit ion in the Tamil — — count ry it s r ise f r om Bgvédic Times Agast ya ' — not included among th e s dpafi J Agastya and th e Star Canopus . ’ 1 A ast a s bi h . 1 . g y rt — Incr edible myths about h is bi r th his divine parent age . ii ar ier M th s . i . E l y T r l r r o r and th e l t r r o h e ea ie g up , A yan a e g up , D r avidian— Par allelism between these gr oups A ryan sour ce of t h e D r avidian myths —At tempt — t o D ravidianise th e Agastya myth F anciful der ivat i on of t h e name Agastya f rom A kath i s ot r t Aga tya n a D avidian Sain . i i R fl ct ns . v . e e o ’ —f - Contac t wi th natur e-myths A gastya s cursing pr oclivi ty- Per sons wh o have suffer ed from h i s mu s— h is t t l r M uru a th e se u e age unde Siva , g , and S un43od . H s E od t t S o v . i us o h e u h x t . Three st rata of t radit i ons : ( 1 ) h is residen ce near — N ii sik mar r ies Lop fimud r a and meets Rama l r (2 h i s r c at M alakfi a E t whi e he e , ) esiden e t , as — of B fidfimi Dest ruc t ion of Vfitfip i and I lvala t k l c r 3 h i s r c at Poth i il a es p a e he e , ( ) esiden e y — i n th e Péndya count ry his founding th e fir st 8802 09 iv CO NT ENT S ct A Se ion . P GE Tamil Academy and wr it ing th e fir st Tami l G r ammar — T wo mor e st r at a of legends (4) h i s o l 5 h i s t r l t o visi ts t o Ind nesian Is ands , ( ) ave s — Siam and Cambodia h is mar ry i ng Y asomati - addi t i onal legends by lat er Pur e mi c wr i ter s ’ Agastya s attempt t o plant Ar yan r eligious r ites — in t h e South h igh vener at ion in whi ch ’ — A gastya s name i s held Tamil race adop ting l h im as their spi r itua guide . i A aiseme n of radi ion . v . p pr t T t — r t o t r l c r o of t or i t T adi i n , na u a ba kg und his y is a ’ means of unders tandi ng some aspe c t s of man s spi r itual evolut i on— necessi ty of s cient ific sifting of t r t o — scie ntific t m r m t od and adi i ns e pe , e h sympatheti c imaginat i on ne cessar y for such sift i ng— Tradi t i ons t o be t rustwor thy should b e fr ee fr om inter nal in consistenc ies and c ont r ad ic t i ons and should c laim unb r oken continui ty m f r with t h e t i e o it s o igin . n i d on V“ A t quity of Tra iti . N ot ear lier than when t h e A r yans c r ossed th e — Vindh yas Tide of A ryan migr at i on along th e — c our se of th e G anges i t s south- wester ly c our se — t o O r issa Refer enc e i n th e A it ar éya Br ahmana t o cer tain D asyu t r ibes on t h e outskir ts of th e ’ Vi ndh as— D r B h and a ka on y . r r Panini s want of o l of o t — B e r ar s th e ol t kn w edge S u h India , des Ar yan p r ovin ce i n th e South— Agastya mar r ying L o amud r a t r of t h e n of e r r p , daugh e Ki g B a T t mo y o f th e ama n — t mon of es i n ‘ R ya a Tes i y Kte sias f Kn i - o d os and M egasth e nesf wan t of — r efer en ce t o th e South i n thei r wor ks Ki tyi ’ yana s imper fec t knowledge of th e South ’ Patan al l s r r c th e t j efe en e t o Sou h . Sect ion . PA GE . m l count A a in th e a i . viii . ga sty T ry ’ P t olemy s r eferen ce t o B e tt igo and his silen ce — about A gastya Tamil Classi cal L i ter atur e h as — ’ no r eference t o Agastya N acch i n ar kkiniyar s attempt to int roduce th e Agastya legend i nt o ’ — ~ M a d ur a z é dfic/z z H i s inter pretat i on examined ' — l 5 - 8 and r eje cted P a r z pdda a late Sangam w or k . 1 1 — x A ast a a di ion its ost - classical i . g y T r t p o i in r g . — A ryans and D ravidians thei r dist inc t ive nati onal — char acter isti cs Pr e - A r yan S outh India c ompar a — tiv ely f r ee f rom M yths M ythi c lor e most ly r m th e r imp or ted f o no th . A as a adi ion — its ost ainistic x . g ty Tr t p J o i in r g . Buddhist Tr adi ti on assoc iates Poth iyil with ' ‘ Avaloki t e svara— A gastya t radi t i on late r— Due t o r l o c m t 2 1 - 26 e igi us s his s hen pr evalent . x i Pre dis os c us s for th e cc t . p mg a e a e p a nce of t h A a t a adi ion e g s y t r t . T h ree i n number (i) A ppeal t o th e sense of r acial t T h e c r c t r a nd r l o digni y , (ii) high ha a e e igi us c t t of th e rl r m T h e san i y ea y B ah ans , (iii) c c f th m 3 de aden e o e Ta i ls . 26 2 di i n t R xi l . A ast a a on i h e ama ana g y Tr t y . I r r e c onc ilable r efer enc es t o A gastya i n th e — Ramayana Agas tya t r adi ti on r ises after t h e 4th - c t r A . D en u y . 32 34 iii A di o . as a a i n and T ol k i x g ty T r t app yam . N o r efer ence to A gast ya i n T olkap p iyam— none b Panam ar anar and A tanko asfi n t wo ot r y p tt , he t of A ast a - s udents g y . 34 36 Vi CONT E NT S S é etio n . ’ x i . s efk v A ga t y a s w s . ’ Sangam Tradit ion and Agastya-é A gastya s mi scel — lafiediis Wr itin gs i n Tamil t hei r Spur i ous — character H i s G rammar A gatt iya m The — mode r n charac ter of i t s S ii t ra s c r it i cism of thei r t l and c o e t s - s y e nt n . 36 43 A a s a S u a s and T olk xv . a i m g t y t r pp ya . Agastya S fi t r a s later than T olkap p iyam— The t r r t t o of m l t o l an d ipa i e divisi n Ta i in Iya , Isai , N at akam l t r cl s c t o .