சங்க இலக்கியத்தில் யா மரங்கள் (Shorea robusta, சாலம்)

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N. Ganesan

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Oct 9, 2010, 8:59:18 AM10/9/10
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செந்தமிழ் (பாரிஸ் ஸர்வகலாசாலை) குழுவில் யான் இட்ட 
சங்க இலக்கியங்களில் பெரிதும் பேசப்பெறும் யா மரம் குறித்திட்ட இடுகை.

தமிழின் பழைய இலக்கியங்களும், ந-ச்சினார்க்கினியரும்
ஆலமரத்தை யால் என்று குறித்துள்ளனர். அஃதுணராது,
அண்மைக்காலத்தில் ய் உடம்படுமெய் என யாலை ஆல் 
என்றாக்கிவிட்டனர். யாமம் > சாமம் (Cf. சாமக் கோடங்கி),
யோனகர் - சோனகர் ஆனாற்போல, யாலம் என்ற திராவிடச்
சொல் வடக்கே சாலம் என்றாகிவிட்டது போலும்.
தமிழின் யா - சால மரம் பற்றி அறிய:

சால மரத்து யக்கிணி:

வார ஈறு வளமாக!
நா. கணேசன்

 
--------------
 
Further information on identifying yaa = aaccaa (saal) tree.
 
'pottu il kaaza atta yaa' - KuRuntokai 255.
pottu - pontu/uTpurai.
 
"yaa" is reddish in color. UVS writes in KuR. 255:
"atta yaa - civanta yaa maramumaam;
"cennilai yaa" (akanaan2uuRu 33:3) ."
Kampar says - sAl tree is reddish like corundum stone
"சேண் உய்க்கும் நீலம்; சாலம்
    குருவிந்தம்; தெங்கு வௌ்ளி;"
(Cf. kuruvintam > corundum, kuru- red as in kuruti 'blood')
PiGkalantai NikaNTu gives caalam = aaccaa tree.
 
In the pAlai desert landscape, the watery paTTai (barks)
of the yaa tree were stripped and eaten by elephants.
It is likely that "yaa" gets its name from the succulent
paTTai-s that form the outer skin of the yAam tree.
 
"kavalai yAtta" - kavartta vazikaLil yA maraGkaL niRainta (kuR. 224)
A parallel construction: "aTarkAn2 pEtta" - dense forests filled
with fearful pEy-s (demons)".
 
KuRuntokai 37
"piTipaci kaLaiiya peruGkai vEzam
men2cin2ai yAam poLikkum"
 
UVS writes (pg. 111, KuRuntokai, 1937) on yA and yAam:
"yAam: itu pAlai nilattiluLLatoru maram; yAven2avum
vazaGkum; avvazakku viLA viLAm, maraa marAm  en2ac
cila marap peyarkaL vazaGkivarum muRaiyaip pOn2Raten2Ru
tORRukin2Ratu. im marattin2 paTTai nIrppacai mikkaten2Ru
terikin2Ratu."
 
yAam tree - Aka. 17:16, Aka. 335:7, Aka. 59:8, KuRun. 232,
NaR. 186, etc.,
 
It's Naccin2aarkkin2iyar who gives us the "yaa" tree
identification.
 
(a) Nacc. explains KuRuntokai 37 in Tol. poruLiyal, 37.
"itan2uL mun2pE neJcakattu an2puTaiyAr atan2mElE
kaLiRu tan2piTiyin2 perumpaci kaLaitaRku
men2RolaiyuTaiya * aaccaavaip piLantu an naaraip
poLittu UTTum an2pin2aiyuTaiya, avar cen2Ra aaRu,
atan2aik kANparkANen2Ru an2puRu takuna kURip
pirivARRAtavaLai vaRpuRuttavARu kANka. nammEl
iyaRkaiyAka an2pilan2en2Ru aaRRaaLavaLen2Ru
karutAtu ivaLai aaRRuvittaR poruTTu ivvaaRu kURalin2
vazuvAyamaintatu."
"* ivvuraiyin2Al, yA2men2patai aaven2Ru naccin2aarkkin2iyar
koNTaren2Ru tORRukiRatu." - UVS, KuRuntokai 37.
 
(b) malaipaTukaTaam 429: 'umpal akaitta oL muRi yaavum'
Nacc. : "yAn2aimuRitta oLLiya taLirkaLaiyuTaiya yaam[+] pUvum"
"[+] pi-m: aaccaaviRpuuvum" (UVS, pattuppaaTTu, 1918)
 
Like yAn2ai > An2ai, yAl > Al (ficus indica - banyan tree),
yATu > ATu 'goat', etc., aaccaa tree words:
yA > A & yAam > Aam ' aaccaa tree'
 
(c) Aam (< yAam) tree in Kalittokai:
 
Qkali143x27 azitaka mAa taLir koNTa pOztin2An2 i UrAr
Qkali143x28 tAam taLir cUTi tam nalam pATupa
Qkali143x29 Aam taLirkkum iTai cen2RAr mILtarin2
Qkali143x30 yAam taLirkkuvEm man2
 
Naccinarkkiniyar comments on "Aam":
"aaccaa maram taLirkkum kaaTTiTaic
cen2Ravar miiNTuvarin2 yaam man2amakizuvEm."
 
Like yAam > Aam, yA > A tree.
முறை ஆர் முடி சேர் தென்னர் சேரர் சோழர்கள் தாம் வணங்கும் திறைஆர் ஒளிசேர் செம்மை ஓங்கும் தென்திருப்பூவணம்
அறைஆர் புனலும் ஆமலரும் ஆடுஅரவும் சடைமேல் குறைஆர் மதியும் சூடி மாது ஓர் கூறு உடையான் இடம் ஆம்
 
aa malar - flowers of the aaccaa tree, pl. see V. M. Subramania Aiyar's
translation as well as Dharmapuram Adheenam commentary.
The aaccaa tree trunk is used in making Naagasvaram, the famous Tamil
wind instrument. especially from the aged aaccaa tree taken from
the beams of an old house being dismantled.
 
"aavum aaram OGkin2a eGkaNum" - CilappatikAram 12, 2-2.
Being the Goddess of Paalai landscape - Umaa/KoRRavai
enjoys wearing the "yaa" tree flowers
"aa taGku paiGkuzalaaL pAkam koNTaar" - Appar
 
Finally, a note on the yaa tree in JLC's pre-final
version of the paper:
A tree-guided tour of the Eḻuttatikāram
 
Krishnamurti (2007) gives an ID (which I believe
is not the primary identity of the yaa tree, if we use
Naccin2aarkkin2iyar explained in 3 places of Sangam poetry)
yā - Hardwickia binata (Krishnamurti (2007),
Chart I Botanical identification, Jean-Luc Chevillar, 2010)
In fact, in MTL, Hardwickia binata (Twin-leaved false copaiba) occurs only once
as the meaning of a word attested much, much later in Tamil.
 
I will take yaa tree described in many places in CT
as the aaccaa tree given by Naccin2aarkkin2iyar's ID.
yA/yAam (= A/Aam) tree is aaccaa tree (Shorea Robusta).
MTL clearly says:
ஆச்சா āccā
, n. cf. ஆ;. Sál, 1. tr., Shorea robusta; சாலமரம்.
ஆமணக்கு நட்டு ஆச்சாவாக்கலாகாது (சீவக. 2613, உரை)
 
I've not read Krishnamurti's book yet (tho'
i've it in my collection somewhere), but doubt
if he discusses material from Naccin2Arkkin2iyar
or MTL on the yaa ID.
 
Due to the color, the watery barks stripped by elephants,
and relative abundance, yaa = Shorea robusta,
the regular Saal tree.
 
"24 Iḷampūraṇar adds to the teachings of the TE that we can also have yāaviṉkōṭu, piṭāaviṉkōṭu, taḷāaviṉkōṭu, and even, in some cases, yāattukkōṭu ." (JLC)
 
It is easier to derive yAattu-k-kOTu from the attested name, yAam
yAam + tu + kOTu = yAattukkOTu
 
Hope this helps,
N. Ganesan
 
 
On Wed, Oct 6, 2010 at 4:06 PM, N. Ganesan <naa.g...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Alex Dubianski, Ritual and mythological sources of the early Tamil poetry, 2000
> pg. 215-216, Glossary of Plant names mentioned in the poetry texts.
> The very last name is "yaa" tree.
> "yaa - (?) a tree grown in the wasteland 36"
>
> "There are a few references to the cool shade  which the yaa provides:
> "the houselike shade given by the broad branches of the yaa tree
> with splendid sprouts" (AN 343, 10-11) or "the shade of the black-trunked
> yaa" (Ain. 388.2; also KT 232:5)"
>
> I'm sure the late biologist P. L. Samy I.A.S (of Pondicheri) might have written
> an essay on yaa (and on Omai) tree. what I've read is yaa = aaccaa
> tree (a variety
> of 'saal tree), in the pAlai landscape. Together, they provide the much
> appreciated shade for the travellers in pAlai wastelands. And their barks
> are removed by male elephants feeding the females, in Sangam lit.
> (KuRun. 37) [1].
>
> Pa. AruLi has written a book, yaa. In it, he has said that
> yAvakam (Jaavaa) (- zAli) island in Indonesia gets its name
> from the yA tree. Pl. see:
>
> aaccaa tree:

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