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| Saturday, 13 December 2003 |
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The champion reformer of the Hindus by Dr. Kumarasamy Somasundaram Sri La Sri Arumuga Navalar, the Champion reformer of the Hindus, was born in Nallur, in the Jaffna peninsula, on the 18th December, 1822. This was a time when the Hindu Tamil world was earnestly praying for a saviour who could safeguard the Hindu religion, Tamil language and culture from the clutches of the foreign imperialists. He lived and worked relentlessly to fulfill his expected tasks with commitment and dedication. Three centuries of foreign domination, had almost strangled the national languages, national religions and national culture of the Lankans. It is appropriate to mention that Arumuga Navalar's services and contributions to uplift and promote Hinduism, Tamil language and culture were as great and valuable as Anagarika Dharmapala's to Buddhism and Sinhala culture in the South of Sri Lanka. Arumuga Navalar, roused the Hindu Tamils from their prolonged slumber, stimulated them to be aware of their rich religion and culture and motivated them to be on the alert. For this, he led an exemplary celebate life and strictly observed the tenets of the Hindu religion. He was a role model for those who would look up to him. He started the Hindu Tamil Renaissance Movement and carried on successfully. Education and Scholarship Arumugam had his early education in the traditional, non-formal, Guru-shisya mode of learning. He was a prodigy. He not only mastered Tamil grammar and literature but Sanskrit also. He made a deep study of the Saiva philosophical works and literary works - 14 Saiva Siddhanta works and 12 Thirumuraikal. He studied Vedas and Siva-Agamas in their original Sanskrit under competent teachers. At the age of twelve, he almost completed his Tamil education. Thereafter, Arumugam joined Jaffna Methodist English School for his English education. This, later came to be known as Jaffna Central College. The Principal of the school, at that time, was Rev. Peter Percival, an Englishman, who had taken a liking for Arumugam, from the beginning, because of his ways and scholarship in Tamil language. Arumugam was appointed as a teacher of Tamil language in the upper school. Rev. Percival learnt Tamil from Arumugam earnestly. He never interfered with Arumugam's religious practices and observances within and outside the school. He gave due respect for Arumugam. On the request made by Rev. Percival, Arumugam made an earnest attempt to translate the Holy Bible which was in English into Tamil. He completed this assignment to the utmost satisfaction of all concerned. In fact, his translation was assessed the best among all translations submitted for review in Madras by a great Tamil scholar who acted as the adjudicator. The Madras Tamil scholar admired the excellence of the Tamil diction, prevalent in Jaffna. Hindu (Saiva) Missionary work Arumugam emerged the champion of the Hindu (Saiva) Renaissance Movement of the nineteenth century, both in Jaffna and in South India. Arumugam gained a profound knowledge of the Bible. He spent nearly fourteen years in the Christian environment, as a student, a teacher and a translator of the Bible. During this period, Arumugam became well acquainted and familiar with the methodologies, strategies and techniques, adopted by the Christian Missionaries to serve and promote Christian religion and Western Culture, in this country. Arumugam adopted the same strategies and techniques and also modified some of them to serve and promote his religion - Hinduism. Arumugam, through massive propaganda, making use of the print medium and public meetings, developed positive concepts and attitudes, among people, about their motherland, mother tongue, mother religion, mother culture and the need for the revival of all of them. He set up printing presses in Jaffna and Madras to publish his own religious and Tamil work as well as propaganda material to counteract ill-informed criticisms of Hinduism and Tamil culture. He did all these with a missionary zeal. He even condemned the Hindus for their lethargic attitude and the Hindu priesthood for its ignorance of Saiva Agamic principles of conducting meaningful temple services. There were challenges from outside and inside. Arumuga Navalar tackled both with courage and determination. Always he stood for justice and truth. Arumuga Navalar was a versatile writer, eloquent speaker and an efficient debater. All these he cultivated to promote Hinduism, Tamil language and Tamil culture. Concept of Education The English education that was prevalent at that time was job-oriented and aimed at westernising the learners. This system of education was bent on destroying the indigenous culture and religiosity and enthroning the Western culture and Christian religion in this country. The English educated people despised their own religious practices and values and even felt shy to speak and write in their own mother tongue. They aped western lifestyles, habits and manners. This pained Navalar. Arumuga Navalar established schools in important places and caused the dissemination of Saiva doctrines as instruments for the development of Tamil education and Saiva faith. In 1848, the first such school was established at Vannarponnai, Jaffna, named Saivapragasa Vidyasalai. In 1854, a similar school was established at Chidambaram, South India. Navalar wrote suitable text books such as Saiva Vinavidai series and Bala Padam series and published with a view to instil into the minds of the young children the way to spiritual, moral, cultural, physical and social life. In fact, he designed a five year Education development plan which still remain as an unfinished task. Navalar also organised non-formal, adult education centres in temples where he introduced "Purana-Padanam" - recital of Hindu Puranas and explaining elaborately the underlying meanings and religious talks. He himself got involved in these activities. In this way, Navalar tried to propagate the "Kandapurana Kalasaram" (Kandapurama culture) among the masses. This helped the common people to lead a righteous life. The concept of education as inunciated by Navalar was both material and spiritual oriented. He was not totally against English education. On the other hand, he wanted it to be more meaningful and also to retain the spiritual, moral, ethical and cultural aspects of the Tamil education system. Tamil Renaissance Movement Navalar was the author of not only school textbooks but was the author of a number of treatises on Tamil grammar, literature and Hindu literary and philosophical works. He has been hailed as the "Father of Tamil Prose". He wrote simple prose, understandable to common people. He printed and published some of the rare books of ancient Sangam period which were hitherto found in palmyra ola leaves. Had Navalar not ventured to do this stupendous task, the Tamil world would have lost such treasures. In this way, Navalar initiated the Tamil Renaissance. The Tamils in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu soon began to realise the fact that they were in matters relating to Philosophy and Religion; Language and Literature; Art and Architecture; humanism and spirituality richer and more advanced and highly developed than the Western world that was imposing its culture forcibly on them. For the first time, the Tamils awoke to the richness and prosperity of their heritage. In Sri Lanka, a long succession of national leaders emerged from Sir Ponnampalam Ramanathan who have drawn inspiration from Sri La Sri Arumuga Navalar. For the excellent work, carried out by Arumugam, the renowned Saiva Aatheenam in Dharmapuram, South India conferred the title "Navalar" on him. Navalar made a tremendous impression in Tamil Nadu. Navalar's viewpoint Navalar was of the view that before achieving political freedom. A country should strive hard to achieve religious, cultural, spiritual and language liberation, so that the political freedom could be made meaningful. This freedom is very essential for the improvement of the quality of human life and conduct which will lead to establishing peace and harmony in individual, family, society and country. Navalar called a spade, a spade. He was always with justice. He never hesitated to criticise or condemn his own people - Hindu religious leaders, temple, authorities, Hindu priests, Hindu religious bodies, Social and political leaders - if they went wrong or indulged in misconduct and misappropriation. At the same time he never failed to praise the positive aspects of even his opponents. He was both human and humane. He worked for the humanity as a whole and not to boost any individual or relation. He respected other religion. His involvement in Bible translation bears testimony to this. He could not be branded as a person who propagated caste - consciousness, based on one's own birth. According to him, even a person who was born in a so-called "high caste" family, if he/she commits acts of sins and behaves immorally in society, such person cannot be considered as a high caste person in society. Even a person who was born in a so-called "low caste" family, behaves morally, possesses good human qualities and refrain from all acts of sins, such a person is to be looked up as a high caste person. Birth is not the criterion; possession human and humane qualities and moral conduct should be the criterion for social differences. Navalar's position should be properly understood in this regard and not haphazardly be misinterpreted. Navalar's vision was to create a new social order, which would be rich both materially and spiritually; and would uphold Justice and Truth. |
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