Post 7: Analysis Of Pattupattu

Hello everyone, and welcome back to yet another post on “Divinity through  Tamil History”. In today’s episode, we will be analyzing the Pattupattu or the Ten Idyls. First, I will give context, then I shall give a deep analysis of the text while comparing it to the Puranas. And finally, I will go and compare artistic representations of the Gods with Tamil art that dates similar to the book, with the art from North-India miniatures. Now, let’s go on to…   

Context: 

The Pattupattu, just like the Ettuttokai, is an anthology of Tamil literature written by various authors. It is written around the same time as the Ettuttokai, so between the 2nd to 5th century C.E. Its literal meaning is the Ten Idyls, which indicates that there are ten sections in the book. These sections are Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai (2nd-4th century C.E.), Kuṟiñcippāṭṭu (2nd-3rd century C.E.), Malaipaṭukaṭām (around the 3rd century C.E.), Maturaikkāñci (2nd-4th century C.E.), Mullaippāṭṭu (around the 3rd century C.E.), Neṭunalvāṭai (2nd-4th century C.E.), Paṭṭiṉappālai (around the 2nd century C.E.), Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai (2nd-5th century C.E.), Poruṇarāṟṟuppaṭai (around the 2nd century C.E.), and Ciṟupāṇāṟṟuppaṭai (3rd-5th century C.E.). The Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai is a section dedicated to the god Ceyyon, now addressed as Muruga, and is composed by the scholar Nakkirar. The Kuṟiñcippāṭṭu s a poem dedicated to the landscapes, specifically the mountain areas, and is written by Kapilar. The Malaipaṭukaṭām describes society and nature under the rule of King Nannan and is written by Perunkaucikanar. Maturaikkāñci is written by Mankuti Marutanar and describes the bustling life of the city of Madurai. Mullaippāṭṭu is mainly a love poem that describes the heroine and her love for her lover and is written by Nappitanar. The Neṭunalvāṭai is written by Nakkirar and is another love poem between the heroine and the Pandya King Netunceliyan. The Paṭṭiṉappālai was written by Uruttiran Kannanar and describes the life of a variety of people such as fishermen, markets, etc. Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai talks about describes the different regions in the Kanchi region of Tamil Nadu while also describing the life that happens in each region. Poruṇarāṟṟuppaṭai describes the arts and bards and the meeting of the ancient Chola King, Karikala Chola, and is written by Mutattamakkanniyar. Finally, the Ciṟupāṇāṟṟuppaṭai is written by Narrattanar and describes bards and musicians and their travels around different Tamil Kingdoms. Now that that is finally out of the way, we can now delve deep into Pattupattu.   

Analysis: 

The text I have used to provide evidence for my analysis is the Pattupattu Ten Tamil Idylls translated by J.V. Chelliah M.A. which I found, again from the Internet Archive. Now, let’s start the analysis,  starting with the Goddess of victory herself, Korravai.   

The reference we get to the Goddess comes from the section, Neṭunalvāṭai (2nd-4th century C.E.). Here, Korravai is only invoked in a small section of the poem, which goes like this… 

Her maid prays, “Mother, grant him victory great, 

And end the war, and thus remove the thoughts 

That greatly pain the loving, lonely wife.” 

This small section indicates the Goddess’ powers. That she is the goddess of war who grants victory to those who worship her. What is interesting is that she is being worshipped by women. As of now, we had information of only warriors worshipping Korravai in order to have a victorious battle. Yet now we see, she is applicable to women too, who worship her to make sure their husbands stay safe. While for the warriors, she is portrayed as a vicious killer who allows this same type of vigor to those who worship her. Yet when the women worship her, she is portrayed as a nurturing Mother Goddess who protects those who pray to her and who are prayed for. This is yet another example of Korravai resembling the Tamil Mother Goddess, Amman, rather than her Puranic counterpart Durga. While yes, Durga is seen as a protective Goddess of war, her iconography of being multiarmed as well as riding a lion does not fit with Korravai’s descriptions.   

Now let’s shift to the forest dweller, Mayon. Unlike Korravai, he is mentioned throughout the text. First, we see Mayon in the section, Mullaippāṭṭu (around the 3rd century C.E.). In this section, he is invoked in the first few lines, which go like this…

With a turn to the right, as Vishnu– he who bears 

In mighty hands the disc and right-whorled chank, 

And Lakshmi clasps– once measured earth’s expanse, 

And rose with water dripping from his hands. 

One thing to note before getting into the analysis of this excerpt is that while the translator mentions him as Vishnu, he does say that at that time, the corresponding deity to Vishnu would be Mayon. Most probably, the Tamil word used here would be Thirumal. Anyways, we see his iconography being described as holding the chakra and the shankha, or a conch shell. This resembles the descriptions of Vishnu in the Bhagavad Purana, where he is described as chakra-dhara, who wields the wheel. It also references him arising from the ocean, which is similar to the setting Vishnu resides in according to the Bhagavath Purana, the Ksheera Sagara, or the Milky Ocean. There are two more references to Vishnu, one as his form of Trivikrama, or the one who stepped thrice, who measured the whole world to claim under his protection, and the other as the consort of Lakshmi, which in the Bhagavath Purana is known as Sripati, the lord of Lakshmi, and Srinivasa, the one who holds Lakshm in him. This entire excerpt thus proves that Mayon/Malon is now a synonymous term to the Puranic Vishnu. However, it is interesting to note that the title of this section is called the “Mullaippāṭṭu” which itself means the “Song of the Forest”. If we remember from the Tolkappiyam episode, we see that Malon is known as the protector of the Mullai/forest region. And in this excerpt, he is exalted in the first few lines of the poem. Thus, we see while Malon’s iconography descriptions seem to perfectly match his Puranic counterpart, his original form as described in the Tolkappiyam is still remembered. 

Yet, we see throughout the Pattupattu in sections like the Maturaikkāñci (2nd-4th century C.E.) and Malaipaṭukaṭām (around the 3rd century C.E.), Malon/Thirumal is nothing but a synonym for Vishnu. In both sections, he is again referenced for either his incarnations, his dark skin, his weaponry, or that he has Lakshmi in his heart, all of which are used to describe Vishnu from the Bhagavath Purana. So, it seems that when it comes to the transition of Dravidian Gods to their Puranic counterparts, Malon is the first God to go through this drastic change, especially compared to Korravai and Ceyon, since he completely embodies Vishnu starting from the Ettutokai.   

Finally lets us shift to the youthful red war God, Ceyon, and see his presence in the Pattupattu. The first reference we see to him is in the Kuṟiñcippāṭṭu (2nd-3rd century C.E.). Keep in mind, just like Malon and his reference in the Mullaippāṭṭu, Kurinci, the mountain region, is said to be the dwelling of Ceyon according to the Tolkappiyam. And so, to reference Ceyon in this section seems apt, and shows how Ceyon still retains his Dravidian roots, even though we do see that he is starting his transition to become his counterpart, Karthikeya. The excerpt in this section goes like this. 

The lessened waters of the ocean dark, 

And swelling shine like Muurga’s leaf-shaped spear 

Against Asuras used in fights with drums. 

This excerpt itself shows Murugan again as the warrior God, eradicating evil and restoring justice. This is common as seen in the previous episodes. However, we as readers get a more in-depth description of Ceyon/ Murugan in the section known as Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai (2nd-4th century C.E.). This entire section is dedicated to Ceyonn, unlike the other section which only had small descriptions of Malon and Korravai. In this section, there are a variety of descriptions of him. First, he is shown as beautifully decorated with various garlands and jewels. Another reference to Ceyon’s iconography is that he now holds the rooster flag and the iconic vel. One more thing to highlight is that this poem indicates that Ceyon is six-headed, one head represents a story or an attribute of Ceyon such as him dispelling evil with one head and wooing his mountain-girl wife Valli with another. One thing to note is while the other depictions of  Ceyon described him as mainly a youthful war God, here there is an emphasis on him providing knowledge and being the forerunner of presenting eternal wisdom to those who seek it. Thus Ceyon presents as not only a youthful war God, but even a  God of wisdom. Also, it is important to note that Ceyon is seen as the protector of the Vedas, thus showing an existing transition from Ceyon to Karthikeya. This section also references Deviyani the first wife of Ceyon and his temple at the mountain, Thiruchendur, one of the Arai Padai Veedu (see episode 1). Here it is quite clear, Ceyon has adapted to a new persona, one that has adapted some of the Pan-Indian characteristics of the god  Karthikeya, yet still remains true to his Dravidian origin. For example, we see Ceyon now having new attributes, such as having six faces and 12 arms, bestowing protection over the Vedas, and even having a wife named Devasena/ Devayanai all of which match with the description of Karthikeya in the Skanda Purana. However, Ceyon still is seen as a youthful war god, who still dwells in the mountain regions. He still has his own identity which is different than his Puranic version.   

That is all for today’s analysis, sadly again, since we are talking about the Snagm era, we do not have any remaining art of these Gods besides the one talked about in episode 1. Stay tuned for the next few episodes. I am your host, Aaron Thomas, and this has been “Divinity through Tamil History”!