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The Indian Analyst
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South Indian Inscriptions |
EPIGRAPHIA INDICA Âḷvâr-Tirunagari Nâdamunigaḷ was directed to recite twelve thousand times, with his mind concentrated on Nammâlvâr, a poem (beginning with Kaṇṇinuṇ śiruttâmbu) composed by Madurakavi Âlvâr, Nammâlvâr’s elder contemporary and disciple. He was told that Nammâlvâr would then appear to him in a vision and grant what required. Accordingly, Nâdamunigaḷ’s ‘ eye of knowledge ’ was opened, and he was initiated into the Tiruvâymoli and other ‘ mysteries ’ by Nammâlvâr. No reference is, however, made to the recovery of any manuscript of the poem. If this tradition be true, the only conclusion warranted by historical criticism is that Nâdamunigaḷ himself composed almost the whole of the existing text of the Tiruvâymoli.[1] I would, however, consider this surmise as purely provisional until the date of Nammâlvâr is established from independent sources. At any rate, the tentative period of Tirumaṅgai-Âlvâr obtained in this paper need not be altered in the light of any conclusions based on the existing text of the Tiruvâymoli. The object of the subjoined inscription is to record that the priests[2] (kulaṅgilâr)of the Triplicane temple had mortgaged a field, belonging apparently to the temple, and that, in consequence, the equivalent of the interest on forty-five kâḍis of paddy fell short in the rice offerings presented to the god. A certain Pugalttuṇai-Viśaiyaraiyan gave thirty kâḍis of paddy and five kalañjus of gold and redeemed the mortgaged field. Thirty kâḍis of paddy and five kalañjus of gold were therefore equal to forty-five kâḍis of paddy. Thus paddy was sold at the rate of three kâḍis for the kalañju of gold. We do not know at present how much a kâḍi contained. It is mentioned in a Gaṅga-Pallava inscription at Ukkal, in a Chȏḷa copper-plate grant preserved in the Madras Museum, and in two stone inscriptions at Conjeeveram.[3] The interest on forty-five kâḍis of paddy apparently amounted to 5 nâlis every day or 18¾ kalams per year. The five nâlis of paddy were converted into two nâlis of rice to be offered to the god at night. If this failed, the master’s share (svâmi-bhôga)in certain other fields was to be utilized for the offering.
A lamp-stand, cup and pot are particularly mentioned as deserving to be taken care of, probably because they were special gifts of the donor Pugalttuṇai-Viśaiyaraiyaṇ. TEXT.
1 Svasti śrî [||*] Pa[l]lava-kula-tilada[4] [Bh]âra-
[1] Internal evidence in support of this surmise is not altogether wanting. Unlike other hymns, each decade
of the Tiruvâymoli consists, not of ten verses, but of eleven, the last of which declares it to be ten out of the
thousand composed by Nammâlvâr. In the Śaiva Dêvâram the last verse of each hymn furnishes the Name
of the composer, while each hymn of the other Vaishṇava Âlvârs contains generally ten verses. At any rate,
none of them had determined beforehand the total number of verses which he should compose. It is worthy
of note that in the poem, which Nâdamunigaḷ was required to recite twelve thousand times, the number of verses
composed by Nammâlvâr is given as one thousand. In verse 573 of the Tiruvaymoli occurs the following :─
ninr-ilaṅgu-muḍiyinây= irubattôr-kâl = araśugaḷai kaṭṭa venri-nîṇ-maluvâ, etc. The portion in roman type occurs
in the historical introduction of the inscriptions of the Chôḷa king Râjêndra-Chôḷa I. These two points do not
prove anything by themselves. But taken with the surmise based on tradition they are not altogether meaningless.
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