SARASWATI IN SUMERIA

Tantrism or Agamism is a meta-darsana system,that I have named 'METATHEISM', something that urges the people to SEE and see truths and which are SHOWN by BEING.

Thus the unifying theme of Hinduism as Tantrism is the dialectics of SHOWING by BEING and SEEING as shown by the anmas and which generates truth-experiences when the anmas succeed in seeing exactly as shown. Because of this there is AGREEMENT between the anmas and BEING each time a truth-experience is had and which brings the anma closer and closer to BEING and in that also Pure and Clean.

Now here we also note the presence of METATHEISM, the ONE and SAME BEING showing Himself in different iconic or archetypal forms and all just to illuminate the mind of the soul with respect to certain metaphysical truths. So Tantrism has many gods and goddesses but all understood as expressions of one and same God and where when the metaphysical truths encrypted in a certain iconic form is mastered, the mind frees itself from that deity and moves on to the worship of a higher deity.

The limit comes when BEING is witnessed as Pure radiance, the Mey Sooti, Amara Sooti etc as the Sumerians called.

The 42 temple Hymns bring out all these and the final hymn is fittingly of 'Dingir Nisaba', the Goddess of Learning and who is now more popularly known as Saraswati, KalaivaaNi, NaamakaL, Vaak Devi and so forth.

Ullaganar

Sumerian as Tamil from at least 3000 B.C.

One of the oldest Sumerian texts available is 'The Instructions of Suruppak', which I have titled as   Suruppak's NeRi in Tamil and a well preserved archaic text from the Abuu Salaabiikh and hence from about 2500 B.C. is known.

Even at that early period, the text was considered ancient and hence something that existed in oral form for several centuries at least. Thus we can assign a date somewhere close to 3000 B.C as the time the actual texts was composed.

This text with about 282 lines, is now being published online with Tamil commentary both in English and Tamil and I give the following lines to show its Tamil character.

61 . uru.tus lu-ka na-ab-ta-bal-e-de
( Do not transgress people's dwelling places)

62. si-du-un si-du-un si-me-si-ib-be-e-ne
( Go away! Go away! -- they will say to you

*Ta. uurutunjcu uLu-aka naa aabta paalyidee (" )

*celiduun celiuduu siimmee ceppiyinee (")

ஊருதுஞ்சு உளு.அக நா ஆப்த பால்யிடே
செலிடூஉன் செலிடூஉன் சீம்மே செப்பினே

The words uru ( Ta. uuru: town, city ) tus ( Ta. tunjcu: to sleep) bal ( Ta. paal ; to cross over) e-de ( Ta. idu: todo, an auxilliary verb), si (Ta. cel: to go away) si-ib-be ( Ta. ceppu : to tell) ene ( Ta. inam: a collectivity, here plural marker).

Another sample from about 2200B.C.

These lines are taken from the famous philosopher-poet Enhudu Anna, said to be the eldest daughter of Sargon the Great.

From Kes Temple Hymns

14. e-kes mus-kalam-ma gu-hus-aratta
( Kes temple, foundation of the country, fierce ox of Aratta)

15. hur-sag-da-mu-a an-da gu-la-a
( growing up like a mountain, embracing the sky)

*Ta. il-kes mutu-kaLamma koo ushNa Arattaa (")

*Ta. kuRsen-odu muuu-a vaan-odu kulaa-a (" )

இல்கேசி முதுகளம்ம கோ உஷ்ண அரத்தா

குற்/.உசென்னிஒடு மூஉ-அ வான்.ஒடு குலாவ்-அ

e (Ta. il: house, koo-il: temple) kes ( Ta. keeci: a name for Siva), mus ( Ta. mutal : the foundation) kalam (Ta. kaLam: country, land) gu ( Ta. koo: bull, cow); hus ( Ta. ushNa, ukkira: intense heat, fierce); hur-sag ( Ta. kunRu-senni: the peak) mu (Ta. muuu. muuL, muLai : to sprout, move forward) an ( vaan:sky) du ( Ta.odu: committative case marker), gu-la (Ta. kulaavu: to jostle and interact) . The -a here is the cuddu Ta. a that also functions as the genitive case marker.

From Exaltations of Inanna ( Siirbiyam)

44. ka-gal-a-be de mu-ni-in-dal
( Its grand entrance you have reduced to ashes)

*Ta. kaakaLLabee tii munnin taL
( Its grand gate (you) have thrown into fire)

காய்கள்ளப்பே தீ முன்னின் தள்

ka ( Ta. katavu: entrance) . Also kaay> vaay: mouth, vaayil: entrance. gal-a ( Ta kaLLa: grand , great) The -a here is the adjectival formant even as it is now. de (Ta. tii: fire) mu-ni-in (Ta. munnin: infront); dal (Ta. taL: to push)

Sample from 2000 B.C.

The following lines are taken from Sulgi's Hymn B (mutarIbiyam), the last great King of the Ur III dynasty

3. Sul-gi lugal Uri-ma-ke
( Sulgi's , the King of Ur)

4. a-na za-mi-bi-im kalag-ga-na sir-bi-im
( This is the song of his power, this is the hymn of his valour)

5. gal-an-zu nig sag-bi-se e-a-na mu-da-ri-bi-im
(Of the wise , in all things foremeost, this is the lasting record.

*Ta. Sulgi uLukaL uurimmakee (")

*Ta. aal-aana saamipiyam kalaGkanna siirbiyam (")

*Ta. kalan cuuz mika senbiceey eeyanna mutariibiyam (")

சூல்கி உளுகள் ஊரிம்மக்கே

ஆல்-ஆன்ன சாமீபியம் காளங்கன்ன சீர்பியம்

கலன்சூழ் மிக செம்பிசேய் ஏயன்ன முதரீபியம்

The Tamil character is so obvious that a detailed consideration  may not be necessary. I can also give from sample from the Old Babylonian Period ( ~ 1800 B.C.) and even later from the Incantations such as Udug Hul , Er Semma and so forth

What we have here is a thousand year old history , sample of sentences very very Tamil in lexicon grammar and semantics but of course Archaic where we see the beginnings of features that became well established later.

Ullaganar

( Note : only a few lines are given here )

( editing and re-paragraphing by his student )

History Of Science - Wisdom Of Tamils Part 1

Talk by Dr Sivakumar PhD in Teachers Training College, Ipoh, Malaysia.
Dr Sivakumar is a senior lecturer in University Science Malaysia.