Tea with the giants...

 Let's have some tea with the giants. May not be in the 'giantly' way, but we with whatever little cups we take along.

Some 700 hundred years ago (some may say no no 600, some others 500, some again 400...) but as per the editors of the book 'Sivappirakasap Perunthirattu' K Vadivelu Chettiyar and M Shanmuga Mudaliyar, the book of anthology of Vedantic verses available in Tamil some 700 years ago was made by one Swarupanandar in the name of his Master Sivappirakasar. Hence the name Sivappirakasap Perunthirattu - which means 'The Great anthology of Sivappirakasa'. Swami Swarupanandar has made this anthology of Vedantic poems and verses out of nearly more than 140 Tamil works of Vedantha which were all available then. How many of those have survived the flow of Time, nobody knows. But whatever verses have been included in this anthology are a net gain to us. This anthology was published in 1912, printed in Chennai Komaleswaranpettai Press. Nearly all the poems are nuggets of gold in Vedantha. We can be really proud of our Vedantic heritage in our Tamil. One verse caught my attention somehow. It is this.

’எடுத்த எம் மதம் எந்நூல்கள் யாவையும் தமதாய் ஆங்கு

வடித்த நற்பொருளே கொண்டு வளம்பட மகிழ்வதல்லால்

படித்து ஒரு பொருளைப் பற்றிப் பாங்கினால் அதில் ஒதுங்கிப்

பிடித்தது பிடித்துக் காதும் பேதைமை பெரியோர்க்கு இன்றே.’

Meaning -

'Great men consider whatever ideologies and whatever books they come across, they read those books deeply and make whatever good thoughts in those books and ideologies they are able to find, their own and rejoice in such good things. Such men never become partisan and take sides with any single thought in the books they read and they never make quarrels based on their likes and dislikes.'

What great sentiments and mature approach !

And by the by this verse comes in an old Vedantic Tamil work, viz., 'avirOdabOdam', meaning may be 'Non-antagonistic Awareness'

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People are wondering, 'can a single man write so much? is he one author or many called by the same name?' All such bewilderment is meaningless. For one Vyasa, you are thinking like that. What about such persons of extensive calibre, not one but many down the time? Some persons write one or two books in their lifetime. But some write not one or two, but libraries of books. Occasions have been many even till our own time. Otherwise how can you explain a Ganganatha Jha? Do you know what he has produced?

A scholar who has translated into English the tough commentary of Logic, Vatsyayana's Nyaya Bhashya. And he has written his own commentary. In our scale, simply a job of lifetime. Even this alone.

And again he has translated that still more tough and dry commentary of Purva Mimamsa, Sabara Bhashya. In my scale it is a job of two lifetimes. Not only that. There is a commentary on Sabara Bhashya by Kumarila Bhatta. One commentary? Nay but two. Slokavartika and Tantravartika. All these are running into more than 1000 pages 1500 pages or 2000 pages when translated and put into printed pages. Can you imagine the tediousness of translating, that too from a highly technical treatise in Sanskrit? It is a real challenge to your powers of imagination.

The giant is not satisfied with doing all these immense jobs. He has translated Manusmriti with commentaries in five volumes. And of course he has also translated Yoga Sastra with its commentary. And there is another book, Buddhist, Tattva Sangraham by Santarakshita with the commentary of Kamalasila. Our G Jha has translated the whole text and commentary into English in two volumes, all more than 1500 pages. And Chandogya Upanishad with the commentary of Sankara translated. I am trying to list only what comes to my mind. There are many more.

In addition to all these herculean tasks, our 'Vyasa' has written a lot of original treatises, which are superb and sine qua non. Books like Purva Mimamsa in its original Sources, Sources of Hindu Law, Prabhakara School of Purva Mimamsa and again many more.

In addition, yea, in addition to all these, he has edited innumerable texts. And not to speak of hundreds of articles written for scholarly journals.

As for me, Vyasa has always been a Present Tense in our history. And perhaps hopefully will remain so for ever.

Srirangam Mohanarangan

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