This book entitled, Philosophy of Ancient Tamil is a study on the intellectual tradition of ancient Tamils. Though some parts of Indian Philosophy contain the philosophical concepts having Tamil roots, the distinctive and exclusive contribution of ancient Tamils have been largely ignored. For example the concept of God. Though the ancient Tamil works mention Shiva and Vishnu (the ancient Tamil work Paripadal mentions Vishnu as Mayon) most of the books on Hinduism refer to these Gods as part of Vedic Pantheon. Similarly, the worship of Korravai in ancient Tamil Literature is referred to as Kali or Durga. The God Murugan of Tamils has been Aryanised as Subramanya. The second chapter on Ajivikas discusses about the sect which was once popular in Tamil Nadu, but later on disappeared from the land. However, some of the aspects of Ajivikas have been assimilated in Jainism. Shaivism and Vaishnavism. The Ajivikas believed in Niyativada (Fatalism), Anunvada (Atomism) and Akriyavada (non-action theory). They also believed in materialism and pleasure theory. The ideas of Ionians of Greece are similar to those of the Ajivikas. The Ionians too like Ajivikas rejected creator God. The pleasure theory of Epicurus and atomism of Democritus are similar to Ajivika theory. It is surprising that these views are mentioned in the Mesopotamian civilisation (Babylonian and Sumerian). The third chapter is on Tolkappiyam. It is the oldest grammar work in the world. It mentions about Eluttatikaram, Sollathikaram and Porulatikaram. It also discusses at length about Tinai olukkam (the five geographical zones such as Kurinji, Mullai, Marutham, Neithal and Palai). The fourth chapter gives briefly an account of Jainism and Buddhism whose doctrines are used in Tamil epics such as Silappadikaram, Valaiyapathi, Seevagasinthamani, Manimekalai, Kundalakesi and Neelakesi. The fifth chapter is about the Transcendental Reality in Ancient Tamil Literature. Though Ajivikas reject any transcendental or creator God, both Shaivism and Vaishnavism have elaborately discussed about Shiva and Vishnu as both Immanent and Transcendental Realities. The Thirumandiram of Thirumular, Shaiva Siddhanta and the works of Alwars and Nayanmars give an account of the Transcendental God in various perspectives. The Bhakti Movement in Tamil Nadu and the huge temple structures for these Gods reveal the Tamil's contribution to theology. The fourth chapter is on Epistemology. The popular notion that the Indian school of thought Nyaya alone contributed to Logic and Epistemology is not true. The ancient Tamil work Manimekalai authored by Cattanar and Sivajnana Siddhiyar have given a deeper study of sources (pramanas) of knowledge, validity of knowledge and theories of error. The terms such as Katci (Pratyaksa), Karutal, Oppumai (Upamana), Urai (agama)
This book is an attempt to give a bird's eye view of different aspects of the Philosophy of Tamils. Tamils are a distinct group of people with their own culture, religion, and philosophy. They have contributed immensely to all fields of human knowledge and endeavor, including poetry, literature, and so forth. The philosophy of Shaiva Siddhanta is the best outcome of Tamil religiosity. The moral and spiritual aspects of Tamil culture which are very relevant to the present rapidly changing worlds of social, technological & historical trajectories. Tamil culture and civilization with their variety and creativity, have an appropriate place in the full gamut of Indian philosophical traditions. Tamil scholars who glorify the ancient past of the Tamils refer to the literary works of the Sangam period. It is necessary to focus on the philosophical aspects of the contributions made by the Ancient Tamils. This book throws light on topics like Transcendentalism, Jainism and Buddhism (through Tamil works), Materialism, Ethics and Aesthetics. We hope this book become a source of interest for further research and understanding, as it enables the readers to broaden their understanding of the philosophical contributions of the ancient Tamils to the main stream intellectual tradition of Indian Philosophy as such.
Dr A. Appan Ramanujam (b. 1947) did his B.Sc. (Physics) from Madurai University and M.A. (Philosophy) and Ph.D. from Annamalai University. He was awarded the Junior Research Fellowship by the U.G.C. in 1976. Apart from research papers, articles and scripts on philosophical topics, he delivered lectures on Philosophy of Science. Starting his career as a Demonstrator in Physics (1969-1971) at A.J. College, Sivakasi, he retired as a Head of the Department of Philosophy, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, Chennai in 2006. His main interests are Ethics, Psychology, Western Philosophy, Philosophy of Science and Vaisnavism. He participated as a symposiast at the 79th session of the Indian Philosophical Congress held at Madurai College, Madurai in 2004 and at the World Philosophy Congress held at Delhi University, New Delhi in 2006. The All India Sattada Srivaisnava Association has conferred on him the title "Vaisnava Kula Bhushana" for his original contribution to Vaisnavism. His book Philosophy and Cultural Traditions of East Asia, won the Best Bod Award at 95th session of the Indian Philosophical Congress held at Wardha, December 2022. He was awarded as 'Best Academic Achiever by Indian Philosophical Congress in 2024.
Hindu (1819)
Philosophers (2354)
Aesthetics (318)
Comparative (76)
Dictionary (12)
Ethics (58)
Language (352)
Logic (86)
Mimamsa (62)
Nyaya (144)
Psychology (559)
Samkhya (65)
Shaivism (67)
Shankaracharya (237)
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