Ciṟupāṇāṟṟuppaṭai

''Ciṟupāṇāṟṟuppaṭai'' ( ta, சிறுபாணாற்றுப்படை, ''lit.'' "guide for bards with the small lute") is an ancient Tamil poem, likely the last composed in the ''Pattuppattu'' anthology of the Sangam literature. It contains 296 lines in the ''akaval'' meter. It is one of five ''arruppatai'' genre poems and was a guide to other bards seeking a patron for their art. The main hero honored in the poem is Nalliyakkotan, but the poem reverentially mentions an additional seven minor chieftains and three kings. The poem is dated to sometime between the late 3rd century CE and 5th century CE by Kamil Zvelebil – a Tamil literature scholar.

The ''Ciṟupāṇāṟṟuppaṭai'' poem, also referred to as ''Sirupanattrupadai'', is named after ''sirupanar'' – a class of minstrels who sang their bards while playing a small ''yal'' (''yazh'', lute). The poem's subject is a band of bards and their womenfolk who meet the author, and he guides them in the form of this poem. The guidance mentions a series of cities and villages the troupe must pass through on their journey to the Nalliyakkotan's palace. In this list are included Maturai – the capital of Pandyas, Uranthai – the capital of Cholas, and Vanci – the capital of Cheras. Other coastal and inland towns are also mentioned, including Eyilpattinam and Velur.

Content

The relatively short poem is a condensed guide and source of information about society and culture of several ancient kingdoms and different rulers. The poem's vivid description of a bard's poverty before he found a patron is "rather powerful", states Zvelebil:

Similarly striking is the poet's detailed painting of a woman's body with words in lines 14–40, with ''antati'' phrases some of which are also found in earlier Sangam poems.

This poem uses "the sun being orbited by planets" as an analogy in the lines below displaying the heliocentric understanding of the planetary system by Tamil people circa. 3rd century CE.

The poem mentions a treatise on food named after Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers in the epic ''Mahabharata''. The description that follows includes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. Brahmin villages are mentioned, as is the worship of Murugan. The ''Sirupanattrupadai'' deploys a garland of similes, a Tamil poetic technique called ''malaiyuvamai''. The poem is an important guide to ancient music traditions among Tamil people, states Venkata Subramanyam.

See also

* Eighteen Greater Texts
* Sangam literature

Notes

References

Bibliography

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* Mudaliyar, Singaravelu A., Apithana Cintamani, An encyclopaedia of Tamil Literature, (1931) - Reprinted by Asian Educational Services, New Delhi (1983)
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* Selby, Martha Ann (2011) Tamil Love Poetry: The Five Hundred Short Poems of the Aiṅkuṟunūṟu, an Early Third-Century Anthology. Columbia University Press,
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{{Tamil language
Sangam literature