keshymn-12

Kes Temple Hymns 5-8

Kes Temple Hymns The Fifth Hymn

74 e pirig u-tu sa-bi ur-sag su-du ( Temple borne by a lion, whose interior the hero has emblished)

*Ta. il piri ootu caaybi oorsaan cuudu ( Temple guarded by the Tiger and inside which the Hero attains)
( pirig Ta. pili, puli : tiger ( piri>pili, puli: the stripped creature), su-du Ta. cuudu: to wear as the crown etc; u-tu Ta. ootu, oombu : to guard)

75. e kes pirig u-tu sa-bi ur-sag su-du ( Kes temple, borne by a lion, whose interior the hero has emblished)
*Ta. il Keeci pili ootu caaybi oorsaan cuudu( Keeci temple guarded by the Tiger and inside which the Hero attains)

76. sa-bi ur-sag-ur-sag-e-ne si-mu-un-nin si-sa ( Into its interior the heroes go straight-way)
*Ta. caaybi oorsaan-oorsaan-y-inee cii munnin ceycel ( Into its interior the heroes go straight -way)

77. nin-hur-sag-ga usum-gal-am sa im-mi-in-tus ( Ninhursag, like a great dragon, sits (in its) interior)
*Ta. Nin kuRcaangka ucumgaL aam, caay immin-tunjcu (The Lady of the Mounatain Peak, like a great Snake, lies inside)
(usum-gal Ta. ucumgaL : the great creature that hisses; tus Ta. tucu, tunjcu: to lie down, sleep etc)

78. (d) nin-tu-ra ama-gal-la tu-tu mu-un-ga-ga ( Nintu, the great mother, has brought about its birth)
* Ta. Nintuu(n)Ra ammaakaLLa tuti munkaal-kaal ( Nintuu, the great Mother , has established her praises (or functions))
( tu-tu Ta. tuti : to praise. Also toottiram (>Sk. stotra)

79. sul-pa-e-a ensi-ke nam-en mu-un-ab-e (?) ( Sulpae, the ruler ........lordship)
*Ta. cuulpaal eeya eeNcikkee eeNnam mun abaiyee ( To Sulpaea, the ruler, rulership she has announced)
( sul -pa-e-a Ta. cuul-paal-ee-a : the trident with radiating light; en Ta. eeN (veeN> veeL) : ruler ; ensi Ta. eeNcii (ci=ji)
ab-e Ta. abaiyee: announced)

80. as-sir ur-sag mezem mu-un-ku-e ( Assir, the hero consumes ...)
* Ta. acuur oorsaan misam munkuuyee ( Acuur, the hero consumes flesh)
( as-sir Ta. acuur: the very brave; mezem Ta. misam: flesh as in maa-misam: the flesh of the animals)

81. (d) uru-mas nimgir-gal-eden-na mu-un-da-an-ti(?) (Urumas, the great herald of the plains .....)
*Ta. uurumaa nimkirikaL eetinna muntaan-til ( Urumaa, of the great highpeaks of the outskirts brings about living well)
( uru-mas Ta. uurumaan, uurumaadu : the bull or stag that moves fast? nimkir-gal Ta. nim-kiri-kaL; nim: to stand erect and high and hence steep, gir Ta. kiri: hills ; gal Ta. kaL :perhaps here the plural marker; eden Ta. eetil: the outskirts, plains? ; ti Ta. til: to live as in va-ti (> Sk.sti as in a-sti, na-asti etc)

82. e lulim gu-e am-ma-gur-re (At the temple stags are gathered in herds?)
* Ta. il aaLulim (?) kuuvve aamma kuuRee ( At the temple the cows(?) cry out )
( lulim : Malay : lembu : cattle, probably lulim: cows? gu-e Ta. kuuv, akavu ; to call; gur-re Ta. kuuRu: to tell, relate etc)

83-85 : refrain.
86 e 5-kam-ma am
*ta. il 5-kamma aam

An Analysis of the Fifth Hymn

Most of the NonVedic Hindu religions are of the Agamic or Tantric variety centering on Temple worship. While in historical times we tend to classify them into Saivism Vaishnavism Saktaism and so forth and quite often see anatogonisms towards each other, such a strict differentiation of the religious practices seem to be quite absent in Sumerian Agamism. All these cultic practices are found together and probably practiced by all without any antagonistic feelings.

The fifth hymn discloses a situation of Snake worship that also shows the beginnings of Tantric rituals and also the tradition associated with worship of Atisesan , well entrenched practice in Vaishanavism . However all these are noted within what can be called Early Saivism.

The Tiger and Saivism

Throughout the history of Saivism, both in the North and South we hear of Siva wearing the skin of tiger and sitting on the Tiger skin during the meditative practices i.e. when Civa becomes the Mahayogi. In this hymn we find allusions to Tiger , the pirig but more as a guardian spirit of the temple.

75. e kes pirig u-tu sa-bi ur-sag su-du ( Kes temple, borne by a lion, whose interior the hero has embellished)
*Ta. il Keeci pili ootu caaybi oorsaan cuudu( Keeci temple guarded by the Tiger and inside which the Hero attains)
76. sa-bi ur-sag-ur-sag-e-ne si-mu-un-nin si-sa ( Into its interior the heroes go straight-way)
*Ta. caaybi oorsaan-oorsaan-y-inee cii munnin ceycel ( Into its interior the heroes go straight -way)

The word 'pirig' though translated as 'lion' but appropriately should be taken "tiger' as the word 'pirig" is etymologically related to Ta. piri, vari etc i.e being striped. We have also the Su. 'tab-pirig-tur" meaning the leopard and retained in Tamil as "ciRu-taip-puli", the small tiger that attacks.
The word "u-tu" in addition to being taken as "ootu" here to guard, can also be taken as "utu, uti" meaning to arise. It may be possible that the inner sanctuaries were protected by living tigers inside the inner chambers and hence only the brave ones would venture into it. This ancient practice might have become mythologised and retained in the iconography as the garment Civa wears, and the skin on which he sits. Later it might have given arise to some speculative stories, some mythical fabrications for accounting for this symbolism.
May be in those days it was believed that only the brave who would kill a tiger and skin it, would receive the blessings of Civa. This may also may symbolically mean : only those who are metaphysically courageous and KILL the beastly within them can receive the blessings of Civa.

The Beginnings of KundaliNi Yoga

However what is of absorbing interest is the presence of Snake worship as part of the practice of Keeci Temple and a practice which is alive to this day as integral part of popular Hinduism.

77. nin-hur-sag-ga usum-gal-am sa im-mi-in-tus ( Ninhursag, like a great dragon, sits (in its) interior)
*Ta. Nin kuRcaangka ucumgaL aam, caay immin-tunjcu (The Lady of the Mountain Peak, like a great Snake, lies inside)
(usum-gal Ta. ucumgaL : the great creature that hisses; tus Ta. tucu, tunjcu: to lie down, sleep etc.)
78. (d) nin-tu-ra ama-gal-la tu-tu mu-un-ga-ga ( Nintu, the great mother, has brought about its birth)
* Ta. Nintuu(n)Ra ammaakaLLa tuti munkaal-kaal ( Nintuu, the great Mother , has established her praises (or functions))
( tu-tu Ta. tuti : to praise. Also toottiram (>Sk. stotra)

The 'usumgal" is certainly" a large snake" where the onomatopoetic 'usum' is retained in Tamil as 'udumbu" the iguana of kind, a large of reptile . The "gal" meaning 'big' shows that the snake being mentioned is probably the Atiseesan, the Primordial Child ( of NinTu?, the bed of Thirumaal, that on which he sleeps during moments of transductive perceptions, the aRituyil as mentioned in Paripaadal of the Cankam epoch. The word 'tus" also significant for it signifies that of lying down and sleeping and hence in all likelihood this 'usum-gal" is Atisesan, the PampaNai , the snake bed of Thirumaal., the Coiled Power on which he sleeps in order to enjoy transductive perceptions that demand enormous amount of psychic energy.

What makes us connect this with Tantric practices and KundaliNi Yoga is that there is mention that it is Uma, the daughter of Hills , the Nin hur-sag who takes this form and lies inside the interior of the temple as a large snake that are accessed only by the heroic individuals.
What links this with Saktaism is that this presentation of Nin-hur-sag and her form as the Atisesam is something that comes as the blessings of Nintu, the Supreme Mother perhaps also Nin-a, the Great mother.

KundaliNi Sakthi.

The snake is the form of KundaliNi, and any individual blessed with this KundaliNi, the Coiled Power becomes an individual of extraordinary strength, a superman of a kind. This notion is also available in the following lines.

79. sul-pa-e-a ensi-ke nam-en mu-un-ab-e (?) ( Sulpae, the ruler ........lordship)
*Ta. cuulpaal eeya eeNcikkee eeNnam mun abaiyee ( To Sulpaea, the ruler, rulership she has announced)
( sul -pa-e-a Ta. cuul-paal-ee-a : the trident with radiating light; en Ta. eeN (veeN> veeL) : ruler ; ensi Ta. eeNcii (ci=ji) ab-e Ta. abaiyee: announced)

It is the MOTHER who provides the enormous strength that would make a person the Sul-pa-e-a, the holder of trident of brilliant light , or one like the rising sun. The symbol of the rising sun , was an important symbol for the Sumerian kings as it was also for early Saivism. Thus we have names like Utu-e-gal, the great rising sun, the name of the great warrior who defeated the Sabarians, the hill tribes from the North and established the Third Ur Dynasty. The MOTHER announces who would be the Ensi, the King by determining who would receive the KuNdaliNi, the tremendous libidinal energy that would make a person capable of extraordinary accomplishments.

The Ritual Meat Eating

It also appears that ritual meat eating was part of the rituals associated with the warriors of extraordinary physical vigilance.

80. as-sir ursag mezem mu-un-ku-e ( Assir, the hero consumes ...)
* Ta. acuur oorsaan misam munkuuyee ( Acuur, the hero consumes flesh)
( as-sir Ta. acuur: the very brave; mezem Ta. misam: flesh as in maa-misam: the flesh of the animals)

Here the term "as-sir ur-sag" must be taken as 'acuur oorsaan' i.e the extraordinarily strong heroes or warriors and the ritual meat eating was in practice within the temple for such persons.This may account for the fact that among some Siddhas who practice KuNdaliNi Yoga, meat eating and wine drinking are incorporated as integral to their rituals. The linkage of KuNdaliNi with the Grace of the Woman, may also underlie some Tantric practices such as the Pariyanga Yoga where sexual copulation is assumed as an easy way of getting the KuNdaliNi Sakthi, the libidinal energy that provides the Psychic Energy that helps one become indomitable and extraordinary .

Kes Temple Hymns :The Sixth Hymn

87. e utu-gin ki-gal-la gub-ba ( Temple like the sun standing
over the foundation)

*Ta. il utungin kiizkaalla kappaa ( Temple like the sun rising
and spreading in the East ?)

                   (kiiz-kaal= kiiz-a-ku: kizakku: East?, Note gal-la > kalam"
                   land, country etc.?; utu Ta. uti: to arise, utayam :dawn; gub-ba
                   Ta. kubbu, kuvi :to put together, to put standing erect etc. Also
                   Ta. kappu : to branch off, to spread)

88. am -babbar-gin eden su-ga ( Like white bulls standing about
on the plains)

*Ta. amaa paarppar-ngin eetil cuuzka ( Like the white wild cows
crowding the plains)

                   am Ta. amaa: wild cow ; babbar Ta. paarppar: white? ; eden Ta.
                   eetil: outskirts, su-ga Ta. cuuzka: to crowd, assemble
                   etc.)

89 e nun-e ki-gar-ra tigi-da ar-ra (Temple founded by the prince
who with the tympanum in praise?....)

*Ta. il nunnee kiiz-kaara tikiuda aara ( Temple lowered down by
heavenly, sung to the accompaniment of tiki)

                   ( nun-ne Ta. nunnee: the lofty, heavenly etc.; nuni: the top
                   extremity; tigi Ta. tiki: a sound in the enunciation of
                   rhythms;
                    ar-ra Ta. aara> vaaram: to sing, vari: songs etc.; Also Ta.
                   aaravaaram ; loud and boisterous noise)

90. e sa-bi-ta lipis-bi kalam-ma ( Temple at whose interior is
the vital censer of the country)

*Ta. il caaybitta ilibibi kalamma ( Temple at whose interior is
the written fate of the country)

( sa Ta. caay, caayvu: the depressed part; lipis Ta. ilibi:
written fate? kalam Ta. kalam: land, country etc.)

91. a-ga-bi-ta zi ki-en-gi-ra ( At whose back is the life of
Sumer)

*Ta. angkabitta jii kiiz eengki(n)Ra ( At whose limbs is the
life of Sumer ( the foremost country))

92. ka-bi-ta pirig su-ba na-a (At whose gate is a lion lying on
its paws)

* Ta. kaabitta pili cuba aNaiya ( At whose gate the tiger sleeps
happily)

                   (ka Ta. kaa: mouth as in Kaa-viri: the branching mouth , the name
                   of the river cauvery; also see Su. ka-ta-e-a : to speak,
                   Ta. katai: to converse, tell stories etc.; ka-vi: poetry;
                   kaa-viyam: epic tales etc.; su-ba Ta. cubam : safety, happily;
                   na-a Ta.
                   aNaiya : to sleep)

93. ka-bi-ta un-gal inim-gar-ra (At whose gate is the ruler who
decides cases)

*Ta. kaabitta oongkaL enam kaaru-a ( At whose gate the great one
announces words (decisions))

(inim Ta. en : to tell, en-am : that which is uttered etc. and
hence the words; gar-ra Ta. karai: to announce loudly)

94. e ig-bi-ta kur-gal gaba nu-gi-gi (Temple at whose door is
the "great mountain" without adversary)

*Ta. il ingibitta kunRukaL pakai naa-miiLmiiL ( Temple at whose
door is great hill, the enemies cannot cross)

                   ig, igi : eyes Ta. imai: eyes; gaba > baga Ta. pakai: the
                   enemies;   gi-gi= mi-mi Ta. miiLmiiL: to cross over, to overcome
                   Ta. miiRu: to exceed)

95. (gis) sag-kul -ta am-gal-la du-a ( At whose bolt is a great
unblemished bull )

                   *Ta. (kisu) saankollutta amaakaaLai eduva ( At whose weapon for
                   executing people, the emblem?) of the great bull is
                   carved(?))

96. ga-nun ga-ra-bi an-ub ki-ub ( Whose (well-) founded cella?
is a corner of heaven, a corner of earth)

*Ta. kaaN-uL karaibi vaan-uppu kiiz-uppu ( The banks of the land
inside has the sky and earth as the limits?)

97. gi-gun-na-bi la-ha-ma ki-us-sa ( Whose giganu the Lahama
support)

*Ta. mi kuNabi lakamaa kiiz oocca ( Whose dark aspect the Lahama
drives away from the place?)

98. bad-nun-na-bi es-uri ka-kes-da (whose princely wall ......
the shrines of ur---)

*Ta. paadi nunnabi iisu uuru kalkaddu ( The high wall of the
shrine of Ur are built with stones.)

(bad Ta. paadi: fort; es Ta. iisu, iisan: the Great God,
ka-kes-da . Ta. kal-kddu ; kal: stones, kaddu : to build)

99-101: refrain

102 e 6 kam-ma am (The sixth temple )

*Ta. il 6 kamma aam) (The sixth temple hymn)

Analysis of the Sixth Hymn

For any historian interested in the growth of the legal system of mankind this hymn of En Hudu Anna, the resplendent star of the heavens, the daughter of Sargon the great, must be of supreme interest. For here we have the birth of the courts where judgments are made and punishments are given all in the name of God and within the precincts of the temple. We also see a mixture of magic and the proper beginnings of legal justice with elements that are still current all over the world , of course with some innovations, a process that already began in SumeroTamil times itself as shown by the Codes of Hammurabi who, interestingly enough wrote in SumeroTamil and though a Semite functioned like a Tamil in upholding and promoting Sumerian along with Akkadian.

Temple as Court

The temple was the high court and probably the King was also the chief judge very much like it was during the Cangkam epoch and perhaps also much later.

This information is available in the following lines:

93. ka-bi-ta un-gal inim-gar-ra (At whose gate is the ruler who decides cases)
*Ta. kaabitta oongkaL enam kaaru-a ( At whose gate the great one announces words (decisions))
inim Ta. en : to tell, en-am : that which is uttered etc. hence the words; gar-ra Ta. karai: to announce loudly)

The word " ka" means the mouth and has become the Ta. vaay but however is still retained as frozen forms in such terms as Kaa-viri, the name of the famous river and putting aside the numerous puranic fictions ( which only shows that the word "kaa" has already become obsolete) means " the estuary with a wide mouth", Ta. katai (< Su. ka-te-e-a: coming from the mouth i.e. telling etc.). The temple had a gate and at the gate was located the Court with the chief judge named " un-gal" a beautiful Tamil word , oongkaL, the great one. This word is similar to "ursan" meaning the warrior which exists in Malay till today as "orang" meaning simply 'people", "a person" etc. The "gate" is also called in Tamil vaay as in vaay-il etc.

The phrase "inim-gar-ra" is best taken as Ta. enam karaiya : announcing loudly. The 'inim" as the noun is obsolete (as far as I know) but not the verbal root "en" which is retained as " en" "enka" "ena" "enRu" etc. Thus en-am> inim means that which is uttered and hence the words.

The " ongkaL" or perhaps "ungkaL" which is still available as a term of honorific address of the second person , may NOT be the king but rather someone appointed specially for this purpose, a matter that needs to be investigated further as there are hundreds of documents related to the court proceedings of the times with all kinds of cases with investigations conducted and in which the evidences given by the witnesses are taken into account. In the NeRi of Suruppak ( 2600 B.C) we have advise not to tell lies as a witness along with admonitions as to what will follow if one does that.

Beheading With the Sword and the Islamic Hudud Laws

The documents related to the court cases detail out many different types of punishments but in this text there is an obvious reference to beheading of the criminals with a sword.

95. (gis) sag-kul -ta am-gal-la du-a ( At whose bolt is a great unblemished bull )

*Ta. (kisu) saankollutta amaakaaLai eduva ( At whose weapon for executing people, the emblem?) of the great bull is
carved(?))

The translation of "sag-kul" as 'bolt" is obviously mistaken and the real meaning is a weapon for killing ( kul, Ta. kol) people (sag, Ta. caan) and hence probably a large sword with a single stroke of which the head is cut off as they do with the goats even now in some temples. But what is fascinating is that this sword is made sacred by engraving on it the emblem of aaN or Civa, the Bull, the "am-babbar" which is quite significant. For it shows that the execution is NOT something done by someone -- the executioner or even the 'ungal" the chief judge but rather by An, by God. The execution, when effected was done in the name of God , as an expression of God's will and NOT that of man.

This shows that the Temple was trusted as the place where justice can be obtained and because God lived in the Temple and court judgments at the Gate of the temple is the judgment of God Himself.

This habit of beheading with the sword may be linked with that still available in Arabia and other islamic countries where there is beheading of the criminals in the public square, a barbaric practice no doubt but somehow still surviving by being absorbed into a religion and hence made holy and hence something that does not allow easy displacement.

However we notice the linkage between temple and the court house that we see here is still available all over the world in making the witness swear in the name of Bible , Alcoran , Bagavat Gita etc.

Why the Bull is White?

There is fascinating psychology of colors that plays an important role in the meaning conveyed in the iconography of Dravidian gods or archetypes. Laksmi sits on the Red Lotus while KaLaivaaNi, the Sumerian Saraswati or Nisaba on a white lotus. While the ascetic Civa is red , the lord of worldly pleasures Thirurumaal is either black or blue. Civa is also GOLDEN to indicate he is the source of Civanantham , the Bliss of True Metaphysical Understanding that does not diminish in its efficacy at all and in this unlike the worldly pleasures and hence the gold of undiminishing luster.

Against this we have to see the meaning of the following lines.

87. e utu-gin ki-gal-la gub-ba ( Temple like the sun standing over the foundation)

*Ta. il utungin kiizkaalla kappaa ( Temple like the sun rising and spreading in the East ?)

88. am -babbar-gin eden su-ga ( Like white bulls standing about on the plains)

*Ta. amaa paarppar-ngin eetil cuuzka ( Like the white wild cows crowding the plains)

                   am Ta. amaa: wild cow ; babbar Ta. paarppar: white? ; eden Ta.
                   eetil: outskirts, su-ga Ta. cuuzka: to crowd, assemble
                   etc.)

The Temple spreads light like the rising sun in the East. And also it stands there as a pure white bulsl that roa the plains. Here the choice of the metaphor of the rising sun and the white bull are significant in terms of MESSAGE of PURITY that is communicated by them. The White Bull is not only symbol of masculine fertility but also that of PURITY and because of which it sends rays confidence among the people. There was TRUST in the veracity of Civa who lowered the temple and stands witness to all , executing judgments though the mouth of the "ungal", the chief judge. It was obviously believed that because of the PURITY of An, JUSTICE will be available for whatever emerges from someone PURE at heart cannot be wrong, cannot be unjust etc. and who can purer than An, the Maha Deva?

Primitive Psychiatry and RamayaNa

This hymn also enables us to understand why very early the Dravidian Culture became psychological in essence and something that is retained to this day in the very ancient Siddha traditions about which there are texts in Sumerian as well (that I will take up for detailed studies later). We also see a linkage between these practices and the Shamanism of the Far Eastern cultures.

97. gi-gun-na-bi la-ha-ma ki-us-sa ( Whose giganu the Lahama
support)
*Ta. mi kuNabi lakamaa kiiz oocca ( Whose dark aspect the Lahama drives away from the place?)

The important word "gi-gun-na" which can also be read as "mi-gun-na" is best translated as Ta. mai-kuNam, the dark kuNas or the evil and devilish behavioral propensities. We see here the beginnings of guna theory of Samkhya where the same concept is rendered as Tamasa KuNa which also means the dark gunas as opposed to the Satvika and Rajasa. The term us-sa is Ta. ooccu, to drive away and which is retained as 'uccadanam ', exorcism in Siddha psychiatry, one of eight putties that are related to eight sitties, psychic powers. "ki-us-sa" then can be taken as " driving underground" or "driving into outer space" and hence exorcise etc.

This makes the Lahama an exorcist, a hangover from the primitive medicine man, and within historical times among the Tamils some Siddhas were like this and there are many texts like Nanthiicar Njaanam and so forth to substantiate this.

Now the name Lahama is strikingly close to Rama. We also have Dinger Lama, the deity that inhabits the weapons and ensures victory for the blessed. In view of this we propose two things as matters for further investigations for unraveling the mysteries surrounding the deep past of Indian Civilization.

1. The Lamaism that is alive till today in the form of Tibetan Buddhism where the priests are called Lama and the head called Dalai Lama ( Ta. talai: head), may be a survival of this very ancient exorcist priesthood and which was available as part of the temple culture and as kind of primitive psychiatry or psychotherapy. ( This is available even now. In some temples in Penang I have observed this personally)

2. The epic RamayaNa may actually be a Lahamayana or Lamayana where a Lama is symbolized as the Hero , Rama, who exorcises the devilish gunas of an individual symbolized as RavaNa, who out of the Kiz KuNa or Tamasa KuNa overlooks moral principles and abducts another person's wife and so forth

The nuclear idea is already available in this articulation of what exorcism is and in later times it might have become elaborated and blown up into epic proportions.

It is NOT surprising then that RamayaNa has taken deep roots in SEAsian regions and the Far East where Shamanism was the main culture millenniums ago and where to this day it survives as underground activities despite Islam, Buddhism etc.

Kes Temple Hymns :The Seventh Hymn

103 e-ku KU-bi e-nun ( The Holy temple, whose ...... is the princely temple)

*Ta. ilkoo KU-bi il nunnee ( The house of God, whose ..... is the shrine of excellence)

( e-ku > il koo . Ta. koo-il> kooyil, koovil ; nun-e Ta. nunnee : lofty and hence excellent)

104. e-kes-ku KU-bi e-nun) (The holy Kes temple, whose .... is the princely temple)

* Ta. il keeci KU-bi il nun (The holy Keeci temple (inside which?) a shrine of excellence)

105. e en-bi (d) a-nun-na-mes ( The temple , whose lords are the Anunna-gods)

*Ta. il ENbi vaanunnaa meeyiccu ( The temple whose ruler are the heavenly beings)

( en Ta. eeN> veeN> veeL: lord, ruler etc. . veeL> veeLir: the kings of the ancient Tamil kingdoms. a-nun-na> Ta. vaan-nunna: the beings concealed in the skies and hence the heavenly beings, the gods who are there with the invisible mantra-bodies; me-s, me-es Ta. -icu, iccu etc. Now a singular marker of the non person gender as vanticcu , pooniccu etc. Also for the feminine gender)

106. nu-es-bi giri-la e-an-na-me-es ( Whose nu-es priest are the sacrificers ? of Eanna)

* Ta. nuul-icaibi kirialai el annai meeyaccu ( Those who recite verses go around the temple for the Mother )

( nu-es Ta. nuul-icai: reciting verses Ta. nuul: a text, nuval: to utter ; giri Ta. kiri: that which are extended and hence the legs here. la Ta. alai: to roam about. an-na Ta. annai: Mother Goddess)

107. e-e lugal-bur-ra am-mi-gub ( The lugalburra- priest stepped up to the temple)

*Ta. illee uLugaL puram aammee kubbu ( Inside the temple the chief of the enclosure always sits )

( bur-ra Ta. puram: fortress, citadel, an closure etc. gub Ta. kuppu, kappu , kuntu etc. : to squat)

108. en-du sa ese-la am-mi-in-la ( The good en-priest ... held the lead-rope? suspended)

*Ta. Veentu saan icai-azai azaimin aam ( The great one , the person sings the songs of calls, is there calling)

( es, ese Ta. icai: music, song etc. la Ta. azai: to invite, call etc. ; en-du Ta. veeNtu: the Great one, the king etc.)

109. a-tu sibir su bi-in -du ( The atu-priest held the staff)

*Ta. atu? civiRi cuurbiyin edu ( The eunuchs? hold the fans with their hands)

( a-tu Ta. atu: that ( the non person object) sibir Ta. civiRi : the fans made of fine hair. Also see Ta. cavuri: hair attachments)

110. tu-e a-ur-ra-a am-mi-tum ( The ... brought the gathered waters)

* Ta. tuuvee aal uuruva tuummin aam ( The sprinkler sprinkles running waters )

111. lal-e ki-ku-ga am-mi-in -tus ( The ..... took his seat in the holy place)

* Ta. laaliyee kiiz kooga tunjcuminin aam ( The one who sing the laali stays in the holy precincts itself)

112. enkum-e-ne ara ki am-ma-gal-le-es ( The enkum bowed down in prayer)

* Ta. eenkummu-y-inee aRai kiiz kaaliiccu aamma ( The dancers gathered in the lower grounds)

113. pa-ses--e-ne kus mu-un-sig-ge-ne ( The pases beat on the (drum-) skin )

*Ta. paa cissu-inee koosam mun siikkinee ( The youths beat on the (drum-) skin)

( pa Ta. paa: persons, -pa: the third person plural marker; ses Ta. cicu: child, ciiden : the student < Sk sisya; kus Ta. koocam: loud noise made as a group sig-ge Ta. ciikku: to beat)

114. e-sub uru-sub-a mu-ni-ib-be-e-ne (They recited the e-sub and uru-sub (verses)

* Ta il cuba uuru cuba munin immiyinee ( The recited the song for the security and welfare of the temple and the city)

(sub Ta. cubam: safety security and welfare; ib-be Ta. immee: to mutter , to hum)

115. si-am-ma-ke gum-ga mi-ni-ib-za ( The bull's horn kept sounding)

*Ta. cii amaake gummaka iyamci minee( The bull's horn kept sounding)

(si Ta. cii : the peak, something sharp? cimam: the hill top, peak ; am-ma Ta. amaa: wild cow; gum-ga Ta. kummu: to crowd around as a herd)

116. (gis) al-gar-sur-ra suh-sah mi-ni-ib-za ( The drum sticks kept beating)

*Ta. yaaz kaalcuRRuva cuucaa mini iyamciya ( The harp with legs to stand made the sounds cuu-caah )

( al Ta. yaaz: harp gar-sur-ru Ta. kaal cuRRu : round legs? )

117. tigi nun-du-ge mu-un-du-a ( The " good prince" played the tympanum for them)

* Ta. tiki nun tungkee mun eduva ( They also played the tiki of fine and pleasant tones)

118. e al-du giri-zal-bi al-du ( The temple is built; its abundance is good!)

*Ta. il vaLattu kiirai caalbi vaLattu ( The temple is prosperous, the harvest is plentiful)

119. e-kes al-du giri-zal-bi al-du ( The Kes temple is built; its abundance is good)

*Ta. il Keci vaLattu kiirai caalbi vaLattu ( The Keeci temple is prosperous, the harvest is plentiful)

120 nin-bi DIN-bi mu-un-tus ( Its lady has taken a seat in its ...)

*Ta. Ninbi DIN-bi mun tunjcu ( Its lady is resting inside....)

121. (d) nin-hur-sag-ga nin-bi DIN-bi-a mu-un-tus ( Ninhursag, its lady , has taken seat in its ...)

*Ta. Ninoorsaangka ninbi DIN-biya mun tunjcu ( The lady of the mountain peak, its lady resides inside ....)

122-124 Refrain

125. 7 kam-ma aam (the seventh temple)

* Ta. 7 kaamma aam (This is the seventh hymn)

An Analysis of the Seventh Hymn.

From the point of view of the History of Agamism , this hymn is of outstanding merits. It clearly paints a picture of the rituals that took place in the temples in the Third Millennium before Christ and an understanding of it shows how little these practices have changed over time . Any one who visits a South Indian temple today and observes what people do there will be entirely at home with this temple practices that EnHudu Anna describes so graphically and objectively. The similarities are very striking and they go to show that the Agamism of the Dravidian folks was already fully matured and has continued to survive till today without substantial changes throwing to vain pretenses the Vedists claim that Vedas are the fountain head of Hinduism including Agamism so much so that they dare to describe Hinduism nothing else except a Vaitiika Dharma. These ideas appear now as another expression of Aryan supremacy , a kind of racism in religious garb, something the false Brahmans keep on harping more as expression of Egotistic pride than genuine religiosity or even objectivity in historical studies all perhaps unable to take a secondary place in the evolution of Indian Civilization. This hymn more than any other exposes the Vedic Colonialism that has been imposed upon the Dravidian folks for millenniums and through this exposure help them to free themselves from the yokes of Vedic slavery.

Another important feature of Agamism, the intimate link it has with agriculture also emerges rather clearly here. It must be noted that this also links them with SEAsian regions and the Far East especially Japan where religious practices were strongly influenced by the development of agriculture made possible by the mastery of the rivers through the engineering arts of dam building etc.

The Rituals: mantra recital and circumbulation.

We have the very interesting expressions "nu-es" and "giri-la" which I have taken to be archaic forms of 'nuul-icai" probably the recitations of mantras or verses and "giri-alai" and hence "giri-valam" circumbulating, practices that are found to this day in almost every temple.

106. nu-es-bi giri-la e-an-na-me-es ( Whose nu-es priest are the sacrificers ? of Eanna)

* Ta. nuul-icaibi kirialai el annai meeyaccu ( Those who recite verses go around the temple for the Mother )

( nu-es Ta. nuul-icai: reciting verses Ta. nuul: a text, nuval: to utter ; giri Ta. kiri: that which are extended and hence the legs here. la Ta. alai: to roam about. an-na Ta. annai: Mother Goddess)

The mention of "e-ana-na" is also significant. There must have been a special shrine within the temple complex for Mother Goddess , the" il annai" and it may be possible that reciting mantras and circumbulating were practices associated with Mother Goddess in the beginning and later extended to all shrines.

The Call Songs

One of the practices retained to this day in Islam but replaced in Temples with the peels of large Bronze bells , as also in Christianity is mentioned in the line below.

108. en-du sa ese-la am-mi-in-la ( The good en-priest ... held the lead-rope? suspended)

*Ta. Veentu saan icai-azai azaimin aam ( The great one , the person sings the songs of calls, is there calling)

( es, ese Ta. icai: music, song etc. la Ta. azai: to invite, call etc. ; en-du Ta. veeNtu: the Great one, the king etc.)

The" ese-la" is taken here as the archaic form of "icai-azai", the song of calls , something that is retained as avery important part of religious ritual in Islam and for which purpose the the tall minarets are erected. The term en-du has given the term Ta. veentu which is also as term for the king and for Indra. Thus the person responsible for the call song, 'en-du sa(n)" was probably also the king or someone deputizing the King himself.

In the Tamil tradition this may be linked with the tradition of 'akaval' a word which must have come from "kuuval" i.e. calling. There is mention of "akavan makaLir" in Cankam literature.

Group Dances and Music

There are many texts in Sumerian describing in great details the fine and sophisticated development of music both vocal and intsrumental all linked with Mantrayana. In this hymn we find a description of such matters as part of the temple rituals.