Professor Dr. S. A. Sankarannarayanan

 Myth-coated science formulations as Professor Dr. S. A. Sankarannarayanan espouses

Maravanpulavu K. Sachithananthan

Coordinator, Translations of Panniru Thirumurai, A project of Dharmapuaram Adheenam

 

To look - eyesight. To see - discerning eye. To watch - eye to memory. To observe - eye to understand. To compile - recording observation. To analyze - juggle records towards perceived order. To comprehend - explain to oneself the possible perceptions. To theorize - explain to others the best perception. To conclude - pass it as judgment. To define - judgment in crisp. To formulate – solving problems.

 

Science stems from these steps. Science explains the events in the physical world based on natural causes. The explanation is motivated by curiosity about the world and a desire to derive formulations to solve problems.

 

Sometimes one gathers information about the natural world for the mere sake of gathering information. Science is gathering information to study towards obvious practical applications or immediate relevance to life and living.

These formulations are abstract. They underline rationalism. They lack emotion. They are without feelings.

Mixing these derivatives with the supernatural gives the strength to carry forward through feelings and emotions. To adduce origins to these nuances is mythology. 

Myths facilitate permeation through all levels of mind and intelligence. Myths are bases for knowledge permeation and propagation.

Manikkavasagar watched observed compiled analyzed comprehended theorized concluded to define and formulate to encapsulate them in myths. So much so that we are the direct beneficiaries. Every word, every phrase, every sentence, every poem he left for us and to posterity carries in minuscule, formulations for guided human evolution.

To confine these formulations to the Tamil audience limits his vision and mission. These belong to humanity. To take his message to every human in time and space requires translations to other languages.

A devoted Saivaite Sri Lankan, Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam in association with the Englishman G. U. Pope began translating Manikkavasagar to English for the first time.

These translations started appearing serially in Siddhantha Depika edited by J. M. Nallusamy Pillai. Subsequently, the series was published as a co-authored book - A Few Hymns of Manikka Vachakar and Thayumanavar in 1895 CE.

Many translations of Manikkavasagar appeared subsequently in many languages. English (1895, 1900, and many thereafter), German (1925), Malayalam (1930), Hindi (1956),  Telugu (2012), Kannada (2013), Malayalam (2015), Sanskrit (2026), Myanmarese (2016) Sinhala (2018) Malay (2019), and Assamese (2019) as far as I know of.

Professor Dr. S. A. Sankaranarayanan - whose translations of 8^th 9^th and 11^th (complete works of each) and selections from 12^th of the Panniru Thirumurai have won the hearts and minds of many many in the English-speaking world - is releasing his latest version of Manikkavasagar’s Thiruvembavai.

This publication is a boon, especially to the newborn among the Tamil diaspora and, to all seekers of knowledge globally.

Sivaperuman’s blessings, his genealogical inputs, his own lifelong gatherings, and your compliments will encourage him to unabatedly continue his yeoman service.