Tamil Alphabets, Thirukkural and Nammalwar

 It is highly thought-provoking if we study the Tamil alphabets, the nomenclature of vowels and consonants. Vowels in Tamil are called 'uyir' letters. Again the name given to 'letter' is very significant. 'Letter' is called 'ezhutthu'. The base of the word 'ezhutthu' is 'ezhu', meaning 'giving rise to'. Now back to vowels. Why vowels are called 'uyir' ezhutthu? And again consonants are called 'mey' ezhutthu (consonants mute). Vowels are called 'soul letters' and consonants are called 'body letters'. Without soul body does not function. Without vowels consonants are not 'moving', operational. When 'uyir' letters combine with 'mey' letters 'uyirmey' letters, consonants which can be sounded are obtained. So the philosophical thought of soul animating the body, 'uyir' 'ensouling' the 'mey', is right there inscribed at the level of learning the alphabets.

Now how the great Tamil savants down the time have made use of this philosophical aspect inscribed in the nomenclature of the alphabets, is another quite interesting matter. Thiruvalluvar in his Thirukkural, in the very first Kural, viz., 'akara mudala ezhutthellAm Adibhagavan mudaRRE ulagu', brings this philosophical aspect to the right and full focus. In the first Kural he says: 'Vowel A is the prime-most and fundamental to all the letters of the alphabet. Likewise is Adibhagavan for the world.' Vowel A is also called the uncaused and natural sound which again forms the most basic letter. Why is it called natural and uncaused? Because it does not require any strain or effort to make the sound, vowel A. Just opening the mouth and start of the vocal chords you get the vowel. All the other vowels and consonants are acquired just by the various phonological efforts of the mouth, lips, tongue, throat and the jaws. The physical system of speech providing by various contortions, the different contexts which occasion the other vowels and consonants, for all of which, the basic vowel A forms the natural and uncaused fundamental sound. The natural vowel A forms the basis and soul of not only all other 'soul letters' but also of all the 'body letters' as well. Just like that is the case of Adibhagavan with the world. The world consists of both souls and matter. As Vedanta Visishtadvaita will say 'the world consists of chit and achit, conscious beings viz., souls and material substances devoid of consciousness.' ParamAtmA or the Uncaused and Natural Almighty Soul or Adibhagavan is giving existence to both the souls and the matter by being the inner soul of both chit and achit, souls and material substances. The simile employed to bring home this philosophical concept is the relationship of the basic uncaused natural sound, the vowel A forming the inner soul of both the 'uyir letters' and also 'the mey letters, other vowels and consonants. The commentators of Thirukkural have done well by employing hermeneutics to explain this beautiful point of Vedanta.

Again we come across this concept succinctly illustrated and explained in detail in TolkAppiyam, Ezhuttadikaram, commentary by Nacchinarkkiniyar. Tolkaappiyam aphorism says - 'meyyin iyakkam akaramodu sivaNum'. While commenting on this sootthiram or aphorism Nacchinarkkiniyar says :

“இங்ஙனம் மெய்க்கண் அகரங் கலந்துநிற்குமாறு கூறினாற்போலப் பதினோருயிர்க்கண்ணும் அகரங் கலந்து நிற்குமென்பது ஆசிரியர் கூறாராயினார், அந்நிலைமை தமக்கே புலப்படுத்தலானும் பிறர்க்கு இவ்வாறு உணர்த்துதல் அரிதாகலானுமென்று உணர்க. இறைவன் இயங்குதிணைக் கண்ணும் நிலைத்திணைக் கண்ணும் பிறவற்றின்கண்ணும்

அவற்றின் தன்மையாய் நிற்குமாறு எல்லார்க்கும் ஒப்ப முடிந்தாற்போல அகரமும் உயிர்க்கண்ணுந் தனிமெய்க்கண்ணுங் கலந்து அவற்றின் தன்மையாயே நிற்குமென்பது சான்றோர்க்கெல்லாம் ஒப்பமுடிந்தது. 'அகரமுதல' என்னுங் குறளான், அகரமாகிய முதலையுடைய எழுத்துக்களெல்லாம்; அதுபோல இறைவனாகிய முதலையுடைத்து உலகமென வள்ளுவனார் உவமைகூறிய வாற்றானுங், கண்ணன் எழுத்துக்களில் அகரமாகின்றேன் யானேயெனக் கூறியவாற்றானும் பிற நூல்களானும் உணர்க.”

(நச்சினார்க்கினியர் உரை; தொல்காப்பியம்)

Again coming to Nammalwar we see him singing surcharged by this concept:

'நிலம் விசும்பு ஒழிவறக் கரந்த சில் இடம்தொறும்,

இடம்திகழ் பொருள்தொறும் கரந்து எங்கும் பரந்துளன்’

‘திட விசும்பு எரி வளி நீர் நிலம் இவைமிசைப் படர்பொருள் முழுவதும் ஆய், அவைஅவைதொறும்

உடல்மிசை உயிர் எனக் கரந்து, எங்கும் பரந்துளன்’

‘Earth or Sky, leaving nothing, in all the finest material forms everywhere and also in all the subtle souls embodied in such matter-forms, He has pervaded everything, immanent everywhere'

'The so-called firm Sky, Fire, Wind, Water, Earth in all these and in all the objects, He has become every existing thing and in all existents He has become immanent in each and everything like the soul embodied in the form, immanent in all'.

Starting with the alphabet and in very erudite and mystical works, the philosophical spirit is suffusing through out.

Srirangam Mohanarangan

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