Learning in Sumeria

SumerianTamil as the Learning Society

I consider most fortunate that I took up seriously the study of Sumerian literature, which has provided me with concrete evidences to argue in favor of Tamil origins of Hinduism and Indic Civilization in general. 

I cannot help feeling that the bulk of Indian scholars still continue their slave mentality induced by some European Indologists who distorted the historical documents to paint a picture of the Aryan mighty race that were the beginners of civilization as such and a branch of whom entered India and civilized the Tamils and other natives there. Such lies continue their influence and which is seen in the total neglect of  Tamil in Indological studies and the tyrannical opposition to every proposition in favor of the Tamils.  

In many forums, anyone speaking in favor of Tamil is booted out mercilessly and which to me is another expression  of Brahmanism with its idolatry of Sanskrit language and VarNasrama Dharma. It is unfortunate also that the Tamil scholars remain unadventurous and suffer from a serious mental slavery where independent thinking is NOT cultivated. It remains a painful puzzle to me as to why despite of hundreds of my postings on SumeroTamil showing the important connections with the historical Tamil, they still refuse to accept them even as matters that should be investigated further.

Against this, the following lines should count as the greatest discovery of the Sumerian beginnings of Tamil culture and how the basic principles enunciated as far back as c. 3000 BC continue to sustain it. These lines may also account for the amazing continuity of the Tamil culture and why it has been  so productive with a capacity to survive despite many calamities. 

When a culture is TRUTH oriented and the society as a whole organized as for LEARNING the truths, it seems to survive somehow.

The most important line is: 

246

nig.nam kal-kal-en nig-e me-kal-kal ( You appreciate something, it appreciates you)

Tamil: nikaznam kalkalen nigavee mey kalkal  ( If you study all happenings, you also study great truths)

Tamil: நிகழ்நம் கல்கல்-இன் நிகவே மெய் கல்கல்

This line can pass for good  Tamil even now and even a rudimentary knowledge of Tamil is sufficient to understand it. The words ‘kal” and  “me' (> mey : truth) are still in use and amazingly in the same sense as in this NeRi. The ‘nig.nam' is nikaz.nam, that which happens, the events around and Suruppak says that if one studies the happenings around then one would also learn great truths!

You can see this is the philosophy in Tolkaappiyam,  TirukkuRal, Tirumantiram, CivanjanBotam and all other major milestones in Tamil literature. 

The NATURE must be studied for the truths are there in the world and it is only by such studies the great truths, the metaphysical truths can also be learned.

Tamil culture right from its inception has been a culture of Natural  Metaphysics, where deep reflections begin with seeking to understand the natural and in that also discovering the hidden and concealed realities.

But why should the Nature be studied and the truths there understood? The brilliant Suruppak also attends to these related questions.

 Positively speaking it helps one to live  a life of happiness and joy:

244.

sa-hul-la i-im-diri-ge  . . . . . .  ( A very joyous heart . . . . )

Tamil: saay uvalla iiyim tirigee  ( he can roam around with a joyous heart  . . . . )

Negatively it leads to IGNORANCE and that in turn to mental slumber, inactivity, sloth or in short ‘dullness' of the mind.

245.
nig.nam nu-kal zi ku-ku-da ( Nothing is precious (except) a sweet life)

Tamil: nikaznam naa-kal jii kukuuyidu ( If you do not learn about the happenings around, your soul will sleep)

Now another important discovery that really surprises by its modernity is that brightness of intelligence, the shining forth as ‘bright' child is also related to this learning of the natural world.

247.

dumu-mu  gun-gim igi.gun.gun  ( My son, with its eyes brilliant like antimony)

Tamil: tamu.moo kan.Gim iGi. Kan.kan ( My son, your eyes should be brilliant like the sun)

Here “gun” is Ta. kun, kan which has become ‘kanal' heat woith ‘kanali' as same for the sun. The learning of nature, acquiring truths already, dispel the inner darkness and ‘enlightens' the individual and because of which there is an inner radiance, an active presence of the Inner Sun and because of which the EYES of the individual will shines forth bright like the sun.

Thus we see here a scientific criteria is also given for identifying INTELLIGENCE qualitatively , the brightness of the eyes and which we use even now for a quick assessment of intelliegence.

These lines thus should go as the Golden Lines that established the birth of Tamil Civilization  in the distant past (c. 3000 BC) and which continues to this day

Suruppak's NeRi

244.

sa-hul-la i-im-diri-ge  . . . . . .  ( A very joyous heart . . . . )

Tamil: saay uvalla iiyim tirigee  ( he can roam around with a joyous heart  . . . . )

Sa , sag Ta. taan : self 

Hul-la . Ta. uvalla: the ‘-a' is an adjective formant as is the case even now e.g. Periya Viidu, nalla aaL etc

i-im ‘ Ta. ii-um : here ‘ii' is the demonrative or cuddu ‘I, ii' etc meaning ‘this he ‘ etc. The ‘im' here is tha Ta. um the particlicle of conjuction, meaning ‘also' ‘and' etc.

245.

nig.nam nu-kal zi ku-ku-da ( Nothing is precious (except) a sweet life)

Tamil: nikaznam naa-kal jii kukuuyidu ( If you do not learn about the happenings around, your soul will sleep)

Nig.nam: Ta. nikaz.nam: nika: that which happens, nika.nam: the happenings around. It is communicated by the term ‘nikacci' which also has the same root ‘nig'

Kal. Ta. kal: to study, learn etc. Still in use in Tamil.

Ku-ku Ta. kukkuu: to crawl around, to sleep. See Ta. kokkoo : to sleep in the bed and enjoy sex. Also Ta. kuGku, kaGku: darkness

246

nig.nam kal-kal-en nig-e me-kal-kal ( You appreciate something, it appreciates you)

Tamil: nikaznam kalkalen nigavee mey kalkal  ( If you study all happenings, you also study great truths)

Kal.kal.en : Ta. kalkaliyen : Here the verbal suffix ‘-en' is the arche form of Ta. -in,  the conditional verbal suffix.

Nig-e Ta. nikavee, mikavee : great, excellent, outstanding. Ta. nii, nivar : to stand tall, to rise up etc.

Me-kal-kal Ta. mey kal.kal : learn the truths; mey: truth

247.

dumu-mu  gun-gim igi.gun.gun  ( My son, with its eyes brilliant like antimony)

Tamil: tamu.moo kan.Gim iGi. Kan.kan ( My son, your eyes should be brilliant like the sun)

Gun' Ta. kan, kanal : to shine radiating heat, Ta. kanali : the hot sun

Igi.kan.kan  Ta. imikan.kan: the eyes shining bright. Also the intelligence shining bright.

Loganathan @ Ullaganar

( Editing and re-paragraphing by his student )

( photo taken from https://pixabay.com/en/photos/ with thanks )