dumb mlechas and their signs in Tamil lit.

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dumb mlechas and their signs in Tamil lit. dumb mlechas and their signs in Tamil lit.

Topic started by m. miles (@ med918.bham.ac.uk) on Wed Jun 21 11:36:17 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

I have seen references in English-language historical lit to "dumb Mlechas clad in complete armour, who could express themselves only by gestures" who guarded a Tamil king's tent on the battle field. Apparently this is mentioned in Mullaip-pattu, 59-66, one of the ten idylls in the Pattuppaattu. [refs = Kanakasabhai, Tamils 1800 yrs ago, 37-38; Subrahmanian, Pre-Pallavan Tamil Index, 680, 699]. I would like to find an English- language translation of this section of the original text of Mullaip-pattu; also any other reference to dumb [deaf?] people and their communication system in Tamil antiquity.
Were these really dumb [= deaf] people, or was it a case of Mlecchas = unable to speak Tamil = dumb [= stupid] = using gestures and mime to communicate (though neither deaf nor dumb in their own language).
There are some indications of signed communication in ancient Sanskrit texts, but I have not come across a description of an activity of "dumb" people, possibly using sign or gestural language, other than in this Tamil text.
Subrahmanian suggests that these may have been foreigners whose tongues were cut out so that they could not communicate royal households secrets. (Would a king wish to be 'guarded' by heavily armed people who had had their tongues cut out on his orders?!)
[Kindly pardon this current Mleccha questionner for his ignorance of Tamil language, and any mistakes of transliteration].
m99miles@hotmail.com

Responses:

From: ¦À.ºó¾¢Ã§º¸Ãý/Chandra (@ rr-165-122-161.atl.mediaone.net) on: Wed Jun 21 20:15:24 EDT 2000

Here is the Tamil text first:

Óø¨Äô À¡ðÎ 59-66
"
Áò¾¢¨¸ Å¨¨ÇÂ ÁÈ¢óÐÅ£íÌ ¦ºÈ¢×¨¼
¦Áöô¨À Òì¸ ¦ÅÕÅÕó §¾¡üÈòÐ
ÅÄ¢Ò½÷ Â¡ì¨¸ Åý¸ñ ÂÅÉ÷
ÒÄ¢ò¦¾¡¼÷ Å¢ð¼ Ò¨ÉÁ¡ñ ¿øÄ¢ø
¾¢ÕÁ½¢ Å¢Çì¸í ¸¡ðÊò ¾¢ñ»¡ñ
±Æ¢É¢ Å¡í¸¢Â ®Ã¨Èô ÀûÇ¢Ôû
¯¼õÀ¢ý ¯¨ÃìÌõ ¯¨ÃÂ¡ ¿¡Å¢ý
À¼õÒÌ Á¢§Äîº÷ ¯¨ÆÂÃ¡¸..."

The English translation by J.V.Chellaiah, Vice Principal of Jaffna College,
from his "Pattuppattu: Ten Tamil Idylls",
The South India Saiva Sidhdhantha Works, 1946 & 1962:

"[The chief retires] within an inner room
by Yavanas built. These men are armed with whips
Concealed within their tight and bulging dress.
They are of frightful mien; their limbs are strong;
Their eyes are fierce. This decorated room
HAs chains around it with tiger-mark;
It's lighted up with lamps that blaze like gems,
And screened by curtains strongly stretched on strings.
Without are coated Mlechchas standing guard.
They cannot speak, they only gestures show.
..."

It is clear from the txln that no direct connection can be inferred between the Yavanas and the Mlechchas. The former are said to have only constructed the royal tent and the latter to have only stood guard outside the tent.
The same with the Tamil text too...

The introductory note by Chellaiah preceding the txlan also distinguishes the two.
Page 83 of ibid:
"Yavanas were employed for building and artistic work. Originally the term Yavana was applied to the Greeks(Ionians), and was later extended to the Romans. The Yavanas mentioned in this poem are Greeks, as they excelled in the Fine Arts, or they may be Romans who at that time traded with India. There are numeorus references to the employment of Yavanas by Indian kings in ancient Tamil poetry.

There is also mention of mlechchas (foreigners) who were mutes employed as body-guards. They are said to communicate their thoughts with gestures only. Presumably mutes were chosen to prevent secrets leaking out. They evidently came from foreign countries. Some of them may have come from North India. Ancient Tamil called the Aryans also mlechchas , because originally they migrated to India from some region north of it.
..."

Hope this helps.
Thsi is the result of a preliminary search.
From: m.miles (@ med919.bham.ac.uk) on: Fri Jun 30 10:58:17 EDT 2000

Many thanks for the useful information. Seeing Chelliah's verse translation, I realise that Kanakasabhai had in fact translated the same passage in prose, though there are various differences. (I had thought it was a paraphrase). It's very useful to get two fixes on it.

I would be glad to have the page references for Chelliah's actual translation. I would also like to have a fuller name of "Chandra" who kindly made the response, in order to acknowledge this when I quote it in a paper.

Thanks, m.miles

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