The Meyyocratic Hermeneutics Of The Tamils.

The Meyyocratic Hermeneutics of the Tamils 



It has been puzzling me and still puzzles as to why only among the Tamils and that too only among the Saivites the Fundamental Ontology that Pati(BEING), Pasu( the selves) and Pasam ( the binding fetters) are Anati, uncreated and eternally there- was achieved and repeatedly rediscovered by a host of brilliant philosophers. They all agree upon one thing- the method of investigation is that of Meyyocraric Hermeneutics, simply the NuuneRi where the search is for the TRUTH and nothing else. 


This Hermeneutics which is with the Tamils from the days of Tolkaappiyam at least( 300 B.C) if not earlier, though comparable in some ways to the various kinds hermeneutics in the West , the Biblical Hermeneutics, the Literary Hermeneutics, Philosophical Hermeneutics the Radical Hermeneutics and so forth, it has its own peculiarities and for which reason I call it Meyyoocratic Hermeneutics, Phenomological Hermeneutics, Pedagogical Hermeneutics and so forth. I have also called it simply Hermeneutic Science with it’s own Hermeneutic Logic( eeraNaviyal) by way of rendering the essence into English


This method of investigation is also non-reductionistic in the sense that it ventures bravely into the ontological investigations without becoming closed in visions on the way and all in a heroic struggle to encounter TRUTHS and nothing else no matter what. It appears to me that while the West seems to have built-in prejudices against accommodating in the Fundamental Ontology BEING(God) and Selves, this is not so with the Meyyocratic Hermeneutics of the Tamils where they accommodate the TRUTH of BEING(God) and innumerable psychic entities(pasus) without inventing various kinds of spurious arguments to deny their autonomous and uncreated existence from eternity remaining there always indestructible. They are admitted all because it is a TRUTH. 


What is the essence of Dravidian Meyyocratic Hermeneutics called simply NuuneRi ( the way of TEXTS) in Tolkaappiyma( 300 B.C.)? 


The following sutra explains it succinctly where it underlies also the metaphysics of kuRaL as much as the MeykaNda Sastras of later times. 



EraNaviyal- Hermeneutic Logic-2

சூத்திரம் 25. இயலிய நூலியம்


அறிவிற் படுவதனைத்தும் ஆயவருந் நூல்
பொருளை இரட்டுருவிற் காட்டி யகத்தே
இலங்கிடு மறியாமை இருளைப் பாரிடும்
ஏதமில் லுத்திகள் எழுப்பிடு திறத்தன. 



Sutra 25: Phenomenological Hermeneutics


ARiviR paduvatanaittum aaya varum nuul
PoruLai iradduruviR kaaddi yakattee
IlaGkidum aRiyaamai iruLaip paaridum
Eetamil uttikaL ezuppidum tiRattana 

Meaning:

Whatever that reaches the human understanding is a TEXT that stimulates investigations. By this it discloses something with a DUALITY of structure, the Surface Structure(SS) and Deep Structure(DS) where the DS discloses also for the individual the ignorance in his understanding. This in turn stimulates the practice of various kinds of effective utties or interpretations that would destroy the ignorance exposed.

Thus this sutra outlines the birth of inquiries among human beings in general. The presence of an object as a TEXT stimulates various kinds of interpretive moves or investigations that would remove the ignorance disclosed. Metaphysical inquiries are instituted by the presence of objects as thus.


The notion of ‘interpretation’ and with that gaining an understanding that is well informed is common to the Hermeneutics of both West and the Dravidian. However in the case of the Dravidian there is a difference with respect to what is interpreted and how that interpretations itself proceeds.



What is interpreted in Dravidian hermeneutics is a TEXT with a DUALITY of Structure and this TEXT is a product of SEEING as such. When a person SEES something he generates out of this seeing-experience a TEXT which is retained in the understanding and where the TEXT generated has a duality of structure the Surface Structure and Deep Structure. The interpretation here is actually locating the DS elements that accounts for the features of SS. In Tolkaappiyam these are termed Utties, the various cognitive moves that would furnish a TRUE and FAULTLESS understanding of the TEXT under study



Thus Meyyocratic Hermeneutics of the Tamils is not only TRUTH-Seeking but also archaeoductive, going into DS to account for the features of SS of the observed or seen but now retained as a TEXT with its duality of structure.



This methodology is that which the Tamils have applied for investigating Metaphysics as well and which is available very clearly at least from the days of TirukkuRaL where the First kuRaL established the TRUTH of BEING( Ati Bahavan) through taking the world as a whole a TEXT with a duality of structure and where the observable surface structure features is shown to disclose the presence of BEING (God) as the causal ground for the world to be what it is i.e a complex of various kinds of individuals.



It is the same methodology in the magnificent Ciivanjana Botham of MeykaNdar and host of Meykanda Sastras where gets established the Fundamental Ontology of the TRUTH of Pati, Pasu and Pasam as eternally there uncreated and indestructible and where the phenomenal world is seen a play of a kind between these fundamental entities, a DANCE of Siva-Sakti.


Dr Loganathan Krishnan @ Ullaganar