Sage Agasthiyar


Author of this Blog


About Agasthiyar (the name of the blogspot):

Agasthiyar was a sage who existed in mythology as well as reality. The timeframe of Agasthiyar runs into the purANic (antiquity) ages and hence cannot be ascertained for sure. Agasthiyar created a treatise in Thamizh (a language with rich literature in the Indian subcontinent) which described the division of the language into its three main segments: iyal (prose), isai (music) and nATakam (drama), collectively known as mutthamizh. It is thus fair to say that Agasthiyar is the father of Thamizh language.

Agasthiyar had 12 disciples of whom tolkAppiyar was a prime disciple. TolkAppiyar wrote tolkAppiyam, the primal Thamizh grammar treatise on which all subsequent Thamizh works were based. TolkAppiyar is believed to have lived around 3rd century BCE. TolkAppiyam is still very much a standard text that is referred to in grammatical discussions of the Thamizh language.

Biographical information about Agasthiyar is scarce except what is gathered from religious literature. Agastihyar went south (according to religious lore) when Lord Siva's wedding with goddess Parvati took place in the Himalayas and the resulting geo-physical imbalance made Lord Siva to instruct Agasthiyar to go south in order to equalise the load. This is how, it is thought, the Aryan culture was carried to the south.

Good and Evil

Man is endowed with analytical faculty to distingusih between good and bad, and right and wrong. Most people do not commit any evil act simply because they think it is wrong or are afraid of the detrimental consequences if they do. Good and evil are usually farther apart and only rarely they are indistinguishable depending on circumstances. What is puzzling is that those who knowingly commit evil acts seem to prosper which delude others who abide by moral values. However, will the evil-doers get punished in the long run? That is a cosmic question.

Is God watching from a distance? No, definitely not! My heavens, what a relief! But wait a moment. What does one mean by "God watching from a distance". He is not outside. He is inside everybody. Most people look around them whenever they happen to do something undesireable or illegal. They feel relieved when no one watches them and hurry along. But is God really watching? Yes, because He is within. That is called "conscience". They are answerable to their own conscience. That will take a toll on them in the long run. The religions of the world prescribe as well as proscribe certain actions (the so-called "do's" and "don'ts"). But in the material world certain folks flout those rules.

When the extent of evil, be it in business, government, or personal relationships reaches a critical mass then the invisible hand intervenes. This is propounded by Bhagvat Geetha (Song of God), which was given as advice and admonition to the warrior Arjuna by Lord Krishna eons ago. The essence of Lord Krishna's admonition is that when people misuse their free will to create suffering for others, they are interfering with His divine plan for all human beings. At such times the Cosmic Leader appears on stage in human form to reeducate them. Here are two couplets on which to ponder.

yadhA yadhA hi dharmasya glAnirbhavathi bhAratha
abyuththanamadharmasya thadhAtmAnam srajAmyaham

Bhagavat Gita: ch IV, verse 7

Meaning: Whenever and wherever discrepancies in virtuous (and righteous) conduct become manifested and predominance of irreligious activities prevails then I shall appear forth.

parithrANAya sAdhUnAm vinAsAya ca dhuskruthAm
dharmasamsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yugE yugE

Bhagavat Gita: ch IV, verse 8

Meaning: To redeem the good and innocent (devotees) and annihilate the miscreants, and to reestablish righteousness I shall visit (incarnate) time after time.