The name `sudalai mAdan'

[Sundara Pandian]

Rajarama Krishnan asked in the net what does the name
`sudalai mAdan' [ Sankarapandi's pen-name ] mean ? Though
I don't know the `naattuppuRa thamizh' well, I like to
give a meaning here. I think

sudalai = mayaanam ( graveyard )
mAdan = siRandhavan ( eminent one )

I should say here, how one gets the meaning `siRandhavan'
from `mAdan'. One might think `mAdu' = cow. Hence, `mAdan'
represents the `yadhava' (cowherd) community. The names
`gopaalan', `gopal' are related to `cow'. (`gO' means `cow')
The word `mAdu' has meanings other than `cow'. It means
`wealth' also and the associated meanings are `eminence' or
`importance'. Valluvar says in one KuRaL

"kEdil vizhuchchelvam kalvi oruvaRku
maadalla maRRa yavai"

[ Knowledge is the true wealth without faults, other wealths
(material, etc) are not so eminent ones. ( Note that Valluvar
do not say that other wealths have no value at all. He says
they are `maadalla' = `maadu + alla' = `siRappu' + `alla'
= not eminent ) ]

In the Hindu culture, the dead bodies are burnt in fire,
whereas in Christian culture, the dead bodies are buried
in graveyard. The "sudalai" or "mayaanam" is the place where
the dead bodies are buried or burnt. I think the names like
`sudalai mAdan' were given to the community keeping the
`mayaanam' and doing the burials. ( We have references to
`mayaanam' in the Tamil work `naLa veNbaa' in my memory.
I have not read the Tamil version, but I read the Sanskrit
original `naLOpaakyaanam' )

- SP

[Sudalai Madan]

In article <930222210...@cec1.wustl.edu> s...@cec1.wustl.edu (Sundara Pand

To add what SP wrote,

Sudalai comes from `sudu' meaning `burn'.

sudukadu is the `funeral ground' (similarly idukadu is burial ground).

sudalai originally meant funeral ground and sudalai madan is the god who
protects the funeral ground from evil spirits. According to some Tamil
literature Sivan is supposed to protect the funeral ground from evil spirits
and called as Sudalai Maadan or Sudali Andi in Tamil Nadu. For example

`kaadudai sudalippodi pUsi uLLam kavar kaLvan' (Periyapuranam line).

meaning the God who wears the ashes of the `Sudalai' on his body.

There are many temples for `Sudalai Maadan' in many villages of Tamil Nadu. But
the meaning has not remained the same. These temples originally built near
`sudukadu' which normally lies some distance away from the villages. Later
Sudali Madan Samy (`choLLamadanchami' colloquially) have had temples en route
to villages and in some villages they were supposed to protect the villages
from evil spirits.

Sudalai Madan

[C.R.Selvakumar - Electrical Engineering]

In article <930222210...@cec1.wustl.edu> s...@cec1.wustl.edu (Sundara Pandian) writes:

> Rajarama Krishnan asked in the net what does the name
>`sudalai mAdan' [ Sankarapandi's pen-name ] mean ? Though
>I don't know the `naattuppuRa thamizh' well, I like to
>give a meaning here. I think
>
> sudalai = mayaanam ( graveyard )
> mAdan = siRandhavan ( eminent one )
>
> I should say here, how one gets the meaning `siRandhavan'
>from `mAdan'. One might think `mAdu' = cow. Hence, `mAdan'

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>represents the `yadhava' (cowherd) community. The names

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Is this true ? I know that 'maadu' can mean wealth
origianlly coming from the count of the cattle as in
many other cultures as well. [ maadu = cow/bull].
But later on the word 'maadu' assumed the meaning of
wealth > good > great, high. Note the words
maatchi = magimai, perumai; 'maada veedthi' 'maada maaLigai'
( maadi means not only 'upstairs' 'upper floors' but also
means 'palace')
The word 'maadu' = selvam came to be applied to 'gold'
thus 'maadu = pon' and also 'maadai' means 'gold' and
also 'a particular weight of gold 'arai varaagan edai pon'.
[ just like we have 'mEdai' > mEsai ( table),
'maadai' becomes 'maasai' meaning 'pon (gold)' too]

'maattu' means 'to be able to'. Thus 'maattaamai' means
'iyalaamai' , 'maattaathaar' = 'vanmai illaar'
'maattikkoNdaan' means 'he was captured or over-powered'
The word 'maatteRithal' means ' to say against ( rather
boldly' and this word is used in a slightly different sense
in kannada. The kannada usage of 'maaduththeerE' is worth
comparing. The 'maad-' becomes 'maaN-' in tamil and the
semantic sense expands..

>`gopaalan', `gopal' are related to `cow'. (`gO' means `cow')

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Interestingly in Tamil 'kO' means 'leader'. thus
'kOpaalan' means a lad-leader of the herds.

>The word `mAdu' has meanings other than `cow'. It means
>`wealth' also and the associated meanings are `eminence' or
>`importance'. Valluvar says in one KuRaL
>
> "kEdil vizhuchchelvam kalvi oruvaRku
> maadalla maRRa yavai"
>
> [ Knowledge is the true wealth without faults, other wealths
>(material, etc) are not so eminent ones. ( Note that Valluvar
>do not say that other wealths have no value at all. He says
>they are `maadalla' = `maadu + alla' = `siRappu' + `alla'
>= not eminent ) ]

A very relevant kuRaL to explain the word 'maadu = wealth,
siRappu' !

>
> In the Hindu culture, the dead bodies are burnt in fire,
>whereas in Christian culture, the dead bodies are buried
>in graveyard. The "sudalai" or "mayaanam" is the place where
>the dead bodies are buried or burnt. I think the names like
>`sudalai mAdan' were given to the community keeping the

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

One might also recall names like 'maada(ch)chaami'

>`mayaanam' and doing the burials. ( We have references to

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

maay = die; mayaaNam = burial ground.

>`mayaanam' in the Tamil work `naLa veNbaa' in my memory.
>I have not read the Tamil version, but I read the Sanskrit
>original `naLOpaakyaanam' )
>
> - SP
>

anbudan
- Selva

[C.R.Selvakumar - Electrical Engineering]

In article <1993Feb23.0...@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> ssan...@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Sudalai Madan) writes:
>
>> - SP
>>
>
>
>To add what SP wrote,
>
>
>Sudalai comes from `sudu' meaning `burn'.
>
>sudukadu is the `funeral ground' (similarly idukadu is burial ground).
>
>sudalai originally meant funeral ground and sudalai madan is the god who
>protects the funeral ground from evil spirits. According to some Tamil
>literature Sivan is supposed to protect the funeral ground from evil spirits
>and called as Sudalai Maadan or Sudali Andi in Tamil Nadu. For example
>
>`kaadudai sudalippodi pUsi uLLam kavar kaLvan' (Periyapuranam line).

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I think this is _not_ from 'periya puraaNam. This is a line
from the very famous song of 'Sambandhar' starting as
"thOdudaiya seviyan vidaiyERiyOr thooveN mathi soodi
kaadudaiya sudalai podi poosi en uLLam kavar kaLvan
Edudaiya malaraan unai naaT paNindhEththa aruL seiytha
peedudaiya piramaa puram ERiya pemmaan ivan enRE'

>
>meaning the God who wears the ashes of the `Sudalai' on his body.
>
>There are many temples for `Sudalai Maadan' in many villages of Tamil Nadu. But
>the meaning has not remained the same. These temples originally built near
>`sudukadu' which normally lies some distance away from the villages. Later
>Sudali Madan Samy (`choLLamadanchami' colloquially) have had temples en route

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I think 'choLLa_maadachchaami' refers to 'sOlai maada saami'
where 'maada' refers to 'great' like in 'maada maaLigai'
'maada(k) kOyil' etc. 'sOlai maada' refers to a big palace
with fine garden IMHO.

>to villages and in some villages they were supposed to protect the villages
>from evil spirits.
>
>
>Sudalai Madan

madalai viduppaan
- Selva

[Sundara Pandian]

In a previous article, selv...@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca (C.R.Selvakumar - Electrical Engineering) says:

>In article <930222210...@cec1.wustl.edu> s...@cec1.wustl.edu (Sundara Pandian) writes:

[...]

>> I should say here, how one gets the meaning `siRandhavan'
>>from `mAdan'. One might think `mAdu' = cow. Hence, `mAdan'
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>represents the `yadhava' (cowherd) community. The names
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Is this true ? I know that 'maadu' can mean wealth
> origianlly coming from the count of the cattle as in
> many other cultures as well. [ maadu = cow/bull].
> But later on the word 'maadu' assumed the meaning of
> wealth > good > great, high. Note the words

[...]

There were some typos in the line you have marked. In the later
part of the same paragraph, I had given the meanings you had given
with a ThirukkuRaL. Please read above as

" I should say here, how one gets the meaning `siRandhavan'

from `mAdan'. One might think that `mAdu' = cow and hence `mAdan'
represents the `yadhava' (cowherd) community. The names..."

I did not notice that the meaning got changed when I began
`Hence...' in a seperate sentence. Sorry.

- SP.