The Sumerian Tamil Origin Of Agastya

The SumeroTamil Origins of Agastya

I believe Agastya is derived from SumeroTamil ‘gestu’ meaning wisdom with ‘a-gestu’ meaning extraordinary wisdom perhaps deep metaphysical understanding. Agastiya Tamil akattiyar will be a person with this kind of understanding.  

A few centuries ago there was an Agattiyar in Tamil Nadu who wrote extensively and such great Siddha classics like ParipuuraNam 2000 , Sittar Paripaashai 400  AmutaKalaiknjaam Panjca Padci Saattiram and so forth.

In Sumerian we have Gestin Anna, the Dream interpreter and who was a woman . the sister of Dumuzi- the noble son and which has given us the word Tamil itself ( dumu-zi> tamuzi> tamuz). Dumuzi is also called Sipa( siva) here.

For ‘gestu’ meaning wisdom we have the following lines from Sulgi Hymn B:

18 dinger Nidaba sig-ga Nidaba-ke     (as for me) goddess Nidaba, fair faced Nidaba

  திங்கள் நிடபை, சிக்க நிடபைக்கே

19. gestu-gizzal-la su dagal-la ma-ni-in-dug 

    With a generous hand, provided me with intelligence and wisdom

 கஸ்த்து கீச்சல்ல செய் தகல்ல  தூக்குமன்னின் 

Here gestu-kiizzal i.e Tamil kestu-kiiccal is translated as ‘intelligence and wisdom”. Gestu perhaps means ‘wisdom’

In the enormously interesting Dumuzi’s Mamu i.e the Dream of Dumuzi we have the occurrence ‘gestin-an-na” but rendered in latest transcript as ‘jectin-an-na’ which I think is NOT an improvement on earlier transcriptions . See the line 20 below. I give also the Tamil reconstructions briefly. I hope to take up the whole  text sometime later as it seems to be the earliest account of systematic dream interpretation.

This Gestin Anna is a skillful   reader of tablets, who understands the wiring on clay, who comprehends divine songs, who is skillful in semantics and who most of all clever also in dream interpretations. All these go quite well with whatever we know of the Agastya from various puraNas.

The various legends like he drank the ocean dry, came from the North to South , founded the Tamil language and Culture may all relate to  the fact that some gifted scholar, an Agastiya came from Sumeria to Tamil Nadu to transplant the Sumerian language and culture there .

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¹⁵ud ul-e ba-nu₂ ud ul-e ba-nu₂ sipa ud ul-e ba-nu₂

¹⁶sipad ud ul-e ba-nu₂-gin₇ ma-mu₂-de₃ ba-nu₂

¹⁷i-im-zig₃ ma-mu₂-da i-im-bu-lu-uh₂ u₃-sa₂-ga-am₃

¹⁸igi-ni cu bi₂-in-kij₂ nij₂-me-jar sug₄-ga-am₃¹⁹tum₂-mu-un-ze₂-en tum₂-mu-un-ze₂-en nin₉-ju₁₀ tum₂-mu-un-ze₂-en^20djectin-an-na-ju₁₀ tum₂-mu-un-ze₂-en nin₉-ju₁₀ tum₂-mu-un-ze₂-en

²¹dub-sar im zu-ju₁₀ tum₂-mu-un-ze₂-en nin₉-ju₁₀ tum₂-mu-un-ze₂-en

²²nar en₃-du zu-ju₁₀ tum₂-mu-un-ze₂-en nin₉-ju₁₀ tum₂-mu-un-ze₂-en

²³lu₂-ban₃-da cag₄ inim-ma zu-ju₁₀ tum₂-mu-un-ze₂-en nin₉-ju₁₀ tum₂-mu-un-ze₂-en

²⁴um-ma cag₄ ma-mu₂-da zu-ju₁₀ tum₂-mu-un-ze₂-en nin₉-ju₁₀ tum₂-mu-un-ze₂-en

²⁵ma-mu₂ ga-mu-un-na-bur₂²⁶ma-mu₂-da nin₉-ju₁₀ ma-mu₂-da cag₄ ma-mu₂-da-ja₂

^15-18In ancient times he lay down, in ancient times he lay down, in ancient times the shepherd lay down. When in ancient times the shepherd lay down, he lay down to dream. He woke up -- it was a dream! He shivered -- it was sleep! He rubbed his eyes, he was terrified.

^19-25"Bring, bring, bring my sister! Bring my Jectin-ana, bring my sister! Bring my scribe proficient in tablets, bring my sister! Bring my singer expert in songs, bring my sister! Bring my perspicacious girl, bring my sister! Bring my wise woman, who knows the meanings of dreams, bring my sister! I will relate the dream to her."

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¹⁵ud ul-e ba-nu₂ ud ul-e ba-nu₂ sipa ud ul-e ba-nu₂

¹⁶sipad ud ul-e ba-nu₂-gin₇ ma-mu₂-de₃ ba-nu₂

¹⁷i-im-zig₃ ma-mu₂-da i-im-bu-lu-uh₂ u₃-sa₂-ga-am₃

¹⁸igi-ni cu bi₂-in-kij₂ nij₂-me-jar sug₄-ga-am₃

15. uti uuz-ee  aNai-ba uti uuz-ee aNai-ba Sipa uti uuz-ee aNaiba  ( At the time or origins he went to sleep, at the time of origins , he went to sleep, sipa at the time origins, when he to sleep)

nu= na-u > Ta. aNai: to sleep

உதி ஊழே அணை-ப உதி ஊழே அணை-ப சிப உதி ஊழே அணை-ப

16. sipa uti uuz-ee aNai-ba-Gin mammuudee aNai-ba ( When at the time of origins the sipa lay down to sleep, he lay down to dream) சிப உதி ஊழ்.ஏ அணை-ப-ஙின் மம்மூதே அணை-ப  ma-mu : Ta. mammar : a state of half consciousness, dullness 17. ii-im jiga mammuta ii-im buu-uh  uu saaika aam ( He woke up, a dream! He shivered but it was only during sleep) ஈ-இம் ஜீக மம்மூத ஈஇம் பூஉ ஊ சாய்க ஆம் bu-lu-uh = bu-uh . Ta. buu.u bayam : fear/ Ta, peey: ghost 18. igi-nee cuurbiyin kiir nooy mey kaar suulga aam ( He rubbed his eyes, fear embraced his whole body) nij= ni > Ta. nooy: fear kij= kir Ta, kiir: to scratch இமைனே சூர்பியின் கீர் நோய் மெய் கார் சூழ்க ஆம் 19tum2-mu-un-ze2-en tum2-mu-un-ze2-en nin9-ju10 tum2-mu-un-ze2-en20djectin-an-na-ju10 tum2-mu-un-ze2-en nin9-ju10 tum2-mu-un-ze2-en 21dub-sar im zu-ju10 tum2-mu-un-ze2-en nin9-ju10 tum2-mu-un-ze2-en 22nar en3-du zu-ju10 tum2-mu-un-ze2-en nin9-ju10 tum2-mu-un-ze2-en 23lu2-ban3-da cag4 inim-ma zu-ju10 tum2-mu-un-ze2-en nin9-ju10 tum2-mu-un-ze2-en 19. tummun seyyin tummu seyyin nin-ju tummun seyyin ( Bring forth bring forth my sister bring her forth) தும்முன் செய்யின் தும்முன் செய்யின் நிந் ஜு தும்முன் செய்யின் 20. kestin annaa-ju tummun seyyin nin-ju tummun seyyin ( My  gestin anna bring her forth, my sister bring her forth) கெஸ்தின் அன்னா-ஜு தும்முன் செய்யின் நின்.ஜு தும்முன் செய்யின் 21. tub-saaR.u iiyam suu-ju tummun seyyin nin-ju tummun seyyin ( Bring forth my sister who can read tablets and understands them) dub-sar : Ta. tubbu saaRRu : to read writings þ-im= iiyam   Ta. iiyam : clay , tin derived from mud துப்பு சாற்று ஈயம் சூஜு தும்முன் செய்யின் நிஞு தும்முன் செய்யின் 22. naar eentu suu-ju tummun seyyin ninju tummun seyyin ( Bring forth  who knows great songs, bring forth my sister) nar en-du : Ta. naar eentu : great songs 23. uLu paaNda saan enema suuju tummun seyyin ninju tummun seyyin ( Bring forth the one skillful in knowing the meaning of words, my sister , bring her forth) paaNda Ta. maaNda : great , clever perumaaNda> pirmaaNda: extremely great உளு பாண்ட சான் எனெம்ம சூஜு தும்முன் செய்யின் நிஞு தும்முன் செய்யின்  24um-ma cag4 ma-mu2-da zu-ju10 tum2-mu-un-ze2-en nin9-ju10 tum2-mu-un-ze2-en 25ma-mu2 ga-mu-un-na-bur226ma-mu2-da nin9-ju10 ma-mu2-da cag4 ma-mu2-da 24. ummaa saan mammuta suuju tummun seyyin ninju tummun seyyin ( Bring forth the woman who the essence of dreams, my sister bring her forth) உம்மா சான் மம்முத சூஜு தும்முன் செய்யின் நின்.ஜு தும்முன் செய்யின் 25. mammu njaan moona puri ( I will reveal my dream to her) bur : Ta. puri: reveal மம்மு ஞான் மோன்ன புரி 26. mammuta ninju mammuta saan mammuta ( A dream sister a dream and in the dream.. ) மம்மூத நிஞு மம்மூத சான் மம்மூத Concluding Remarks It appears quite clear that Gestin Anna, a woman has become the Agastin Anna , the man and  later the Agastya, a figure in both Tamil and Sk puranas. To the present day among the Tamils,  the name Agastya is still in use where some Siddhas assume this name. Ultimately it goes  back to the Sumerian times where Gestin Anna was a noted Dream Interpreter. ULLAGANAR 2004 ( editing and re-paragraphing by his student ) ( photo courtesy of http://www.siddharpulippanitradition.org/18-siddhas.htm with thanks )