Ettuthokai
Encyclopedia
Ettuthokai– 'The Eight Anthologies' - Classical Tamil poetic work - form part of the Pathinenmaelkanakku anthology series of the Sangam Literature
. Ettuthokai and its companion anthology Pattupattu
are some of the oldest available Tamil Literature
and dated to belong to between 200 BCE and 200 CE.
to stanzas of forty lines in Purananuru
. The following poems form the Eight Anthologies:
The following Tamil poetry by an anonymous author lists the component parts of this Anthology:
நற்றிணை நல்ல குறுந்தொகை ஐங்குறுநூறு
ஒத்த பதிற்றுப்பத்து ஓங்கு பரிபாடல்
கற்றறிந்தார் ஏத்தும் கலியோடு அகம்புறம்
என்று இத்திறத்த எட்டுத் தொகை.
The ancient Tamil lyrical poetry compiled in The Eight Anthologies is unique and vigorous, full of vivid realism.
and to different professions.
Some of them were very popular like Kapilar
, Nakkirar and Auvaiyar
and some others are rarely remembered by their names. Yet a general harmony prevails throughout these eight anthologies. The tone and temper of the age is reflected in all their poems with a singular likeness. They were moulded according to certain literary conventions or traditions that prevailed in the Sangam age. Yet they reveal the individual genius of the poets who sang them.
These poems artistically describe the sun, the moon and the nature. They however do not describe the nature for its own sake, rather they are utilised as containers of various aspects of human life. Nature provides the rich background for human emotions.
The poets of Ettutokai believed in the unique effects of a few deft touches of description, not in the elaborate and full descriptions of all the parts of a beautiful object or scene. They preferred to directly describe an object with a few vivid words just enough to communicate the emotions associated with the physical object. In this they can be compared with the Japanese Haiku
poetic style.
The poems of Ettutokai are composed using a number of meters unique to Tamil poetry.
and Paripaatal
. The poems of Kalittokai are in Kali metre which is known for its dramatic and lyrical qualities and which, according to Tolkappiyam
is well suited to express the emotions of the lovers. There is repetition of certain lines and phrases and this, added to the haunting music of the metre, is very appealing.
is a metre full of rhythm and music and the anthology known by this name consists of songs composed in this metre. There are religious poems as well as those on love-themes. The love-theme is worked against the background of bathing festivities. These songs were sung in different tunes as is evident from the notes on the music at the end of these. The names of the musicians who set tunes to these songs are also mentioned therein.
is a notable exception. This is a collection of poems, which are set to music and written about Thirumaal
, Murugan
and the river Vaigai. This must be the earliest Tamil religious work known to us.
Sangam literature
Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years c. 600 BCE to 300 CE. This collection contains 2381 poems composed by 473 poets, some 102 of whom remain anonymous The period during which these poems were composed is commonly referred to as the Sangam...
. Ettuthokai and its companion anthology Pattupattu
Pattupattu
PathuPattu – The ten Idylls, is an anthology of ten mid length books and is one of the oldest surviving Tamil Poetry. This collection is considered part of the Sangam Literature and dated approximately between 300 BCE and 200 CE...
are some of the oldest available Tamil Literature
Tamil literature
Tamil literature refers to the literature in the Tamil language. Tamil literature has a rich and long literary tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution...
and dated to belong to between 200 BCE and 200 CE.
Contents of the Anthology
Ettutokai consist of 2,371 poems varying from small stanzas of three lines in AinkurnuruAinkurnuru
Ainkurunooru a classical Tamil poetic work, containing five hundred short poems and is part of Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology. The poems in this book were written by numerous authors and were compiled by Kudalur Kizhar at the instance of Chera King Yanaikkatcey Mantaran Ceral...
to stanzas of forty lines in Purananuru
Purananuru
Purananuru is a Tamil poetic work in the Pathinenmaelkanakku anthology of Tamil literature, belonging to the Sangam period corresponding to between 200 BCE – 100 CE. Purananuru is part of the Ettuthokai anthology which is the oldest available collection of poems of Sangam literature in Tamil....
. The following poems form the Eight Anthologies:
- AinkurnuruAinkurnuruAinkurunooru a classical Tamil poetic work, containing five hundred short poems and is part of Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology. The poems in this book were written by numerous authors and were compiled by Kudalur Kizhar at the instance of Chera King Yanaikkatcey Mantaran Ceral...
(ஐங்குறுநூறு) - AkananuruAkananuruAkananuru , a classical Tamil poetic work, is the seventh book in the Sangam literature anthology Ettuthokai. It contains 400 Akam poems dealing with matters of love and separation...
(அகநானூறு) - PurananuruPurananuruPurananuru is a Tamil poetic work in the Pathinenmaelkanakku anthology of Tamil literature, belonging to the Sangam period corresponding to between 200 BCE – 100 CE. Purananuru is part of the Ettuthokai anthology which is the oldest available collection of poems of Sangam literature in Tamil....
(புறநானூறு) - KaliththokaiKaliththokaiKalithogai ,a classical Tamil poetic work,is the sixth book of Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology. Kalithogai contains one hundred and fifty poems and were written by various authors. Nachinarkiniyar, a Tamil scholar living during the sixth or the seventh century C.E...
(கலித்தொகை) - KuruntokaiKuruntokaiKuruntokai ,a classical Tamil poetic work, is the second book of Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology. Kuruntokai contains poems dealing with matters of love and separation content matter and were written by numerous authors. Nachinarkiniyar, a Tamil scholar living during the sixth or the ...
(குறுந்தொகை) - NatrinaiNatrinaiNarrinai ,a classical Tamil poetic work, is a book of Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology. Natrinai contains 400 poems dealing with the five landscapes of Sangam poetry – kurinchi, mullai, marutham, neithal and paalai. This belongs to some of the oldest extant Tamil literature and is dated...
(நற்றிணை) - ParipaatalParipaatalParipaatal ,a classical Tamil poetic work, is the fifth book in the Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology. Paripaatal contains seventy poems on various deities of the Hindu pantheon. This is a rare example of religious poetry we find in Sangam literature and is possibly the oldest religious...
(பரிபாடல்) - PathirruppaththuPathirruppaththuPathiṟṟuppaththu is a classical Tamil poetic work. It is the fourth book in the Ettuthokai, an anthology of Sangam literature. The name Pathiṟṟuppaththu means 'ten tens', referring to the ten sets of ten poems the book contains. The first and the last ten poems have been lost beyond recovery...
(பதிற்றுப்பத்து)
The following Tamil poetry by an anonymous author lists the component parts of this Anthology:
நற்றிணை நல்ல குறுந்தொகை ஐங்குறுநூறு
ஒத்த பதிற்றுப்பத்து ஓங்கு பரிபாடல்
கற்றறிந்தார் ஏத்தும் கலியோடு அகம்புறம்
என்று இத்திறத்த எட்டுத் தொகை.
The ancient Tamil lyrical poetry compiled in The Eight Anthologies is unique and vigorous, full of vivid realism.
Authors
There are 470 poets known either by their proper names or by causal names deduced from their works. The authors are unidentified in the case of a hundred stanzas. The poets belonged to different parts of Tamil NaduTamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and to different professions.
Some of them were very popular like Kapilar
Kapilar
Kapilar was a Sangam poet. He was a contemporary of Karikala Chola, Irunkōvēl and Vēl Pāri. He was the close friend and confidant of Vēl Pāri, one of the Vēlir kings.-Life:He was born into a Brahmin family in Tiruvadavur in the Pandyan Kingdom...
, Nakkirar and Auvaiyar
Auvaiyar
The Avvaiyars "respectable women" was the title of more than one poet who was active during different periods of Tamil literature. The Avvaiyar were some of the most famous and important female poets of the Tamil canon. Abithana Chintamani states that there were three female poets titled...
and some others are rarely remembered by their names. Yet a general harmony prevails throughout these eight anthologies. The tone and temper of the age is reflected in all their poems with a singular likeness. They were moulded according to certain literary conventions or traditions that prevailed in the Sangam age. Yet they reveal the individual genius of the poets who sang them.
Composition Style
In those early days of Sangam Literature, the convention of the later days, that Tamil poetry should only deal with the four aspects of life, namely, virtue (அறம் - aram), material (wealth and politics) (பொருள் - porul), joy (love and pleasure) (இன்பம் - inpam), and salvation (including death) (வீச்சு: veechu), was not prevalent. The poets sang either of subjective (Akam) or objective (Puram) matters. Akam dealt with ideal love and Puram with the rest, such as war, munificence, etc.| குறிஞ்சி - தலைவன் கூற்று கவவுக் கடுங்குரையள் காமர் வனப்பினள் குவவுமென் முலையள் கொடிக்கூந் தலளே யாங்குமறந் தமைகோ யானே ஞாங்கர்க் கடுஞ்சுரை நல்லா னடுங்குதலைக் குழவி தாய்காண் விருப்பி னன்ன சாஅய்நோக் கினளே மாஅ யோளே. -சிறைக்குடியாந்தையார். (குறுந்தொகை - 132) |
| What he said to his friend: A girl of dark complexion is she Ever ready to embrace, desirable in beauty, with delicately bulging breasts and long flowing hair! How can I forget her and be at rest? In her look is such longing as in the look of a new-born tender calf that longs to see its mother whose udders are ready to flow! - Kuruntokai 132 |
These poems artistically describe the sun, the moon and the nature. They however do not describe the nature for its own sake, rather they are utilised as containers of various aspects of human life. Nature provides the rich background for human emotions.
The poets of Ettutokai believed in the unique effects of a few deft touches of description, not in the elaborate and full descriptions of all the parts of a beautiful object or scene. They preferred to directly describe an object with a few vivid words just enough to communicate the emotions associated with the physical object. In this they can be compared with the Japanese Haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
poetic style.
The poems of Ettutokai are composed using a number of meters unique to Tamil poetry.
Akaval Meter
Of the eight anthologies five are on Akam, two on Puram, and one on both. Six of them are in 'akaval' metre which is a kind of verse, interspersed with alliterations and rhymes. The poems on Akam as well as Puram theme are written in this metre and its regulated and subtle music adds to the poetic beauty. This metre is a simple but wonderful instrument, which causes no impediment to the freedom of expression of the poet. It has been found to be an appropriate and natural medium for the expression of the valuable experience of the poets.Kali Meters
The other two anthologies that are not written in akaval metre are KaliththokaiKaliththokai
Kalithogai ,a classical Tamil poetic work,is the sixth book of Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology. Kalithogai contains one hundred and fifty poems and were written by various authors. Nachinarkiniyar, a Tamil scholar living during the sixth or the seventh century C.E...
and Paripaatal
Paripaatal
Paripaatal ,a classical Tamil poetic work, is the fifth book in the Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology. Paripaatal contains seventy poems on various deities of the Hindu pantheon. This is a rare example of religious poetry we find in Sangam literature and is possibly the oldest religious...
. The poems of Kalittokai are in Kali metre which is known for its dramatic and lyrical qualities and which, according to Tolkappiyam
Tolkappiyam
The Tolkāppiyam is a work on the grammar of the Tamil language and the earliest extant work of Tamil literature. It is written in the form of noorpaa or short formulaic compositions and comprises three books - the Ezhuttadikaram, the Solladikaram and the Poruladikaram. Each of these books is...
is well suited to express the emotions of the lovers. There is repetition of certain lines and phrases and this, added to the haunting music of the metre, is very appealing.
Paripaatal Meter
ParipaatalParipaatal
Paripaatal ,a classical Tamil poetic work, is the fifth book in the Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology. Paripaatal contains seventy poems on various deities of the Hindu pantheon. This is a rare example of religious poetry we find in Sangam literature and is possibly the oldest religious...
is a metre full of rhythm and music and the anthology known by this name consists of songs composed in this metre. There are religious poems as well as those on love-themes. The love-theme is worked against the background of bathing festivities. These songs were sung in different tunes as is evident from the notes on the music at the end of these. The names of the musicians who set tunes to these songs are also mentioned therein.
Religion in Ettuthokai
In general the poets of the ancient Sangam period were not overtly religious. They were content writing in praise of their patron the king or about the idealised man and his paramour. But ParipaatalParipaatal
Paripaatal ,a classical Tamil poetic work, is the fifth book in the Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology. Paripaatal contains seventy poems on various deities of the Hindu pantheon. This is a rare example of religious poetry we find in Sangam literature and is possibly the oldest religious...
is a notable exception. This is a collection of poems, which are set to music and written about Thirumaal
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
, Murugan
Murugan
Murugan also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity especially among Tamil Hindus, worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influences, especially South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Reunion Island. His six most important shrines in India are the...
and the river Vaigai. This must be the earliest Tamil religious work known to us.