Q. avattam

[DEVARAKONDA VENKATA NARAYANA SARMA]

At 06:29 PM 12/18/97 +0100, you wrote:
>On Thu, 18 Dec 1997, N. Ganesan wrote:
>
>>     Q. avattam
>>     **********
>>
>> I looked in the University of Koeln - IITS web site for the
>> Tamil word, "avattam". Its meaning is "evil, calamity".
>>
>> I need a textual occurence of "avattam" where this word has
>> the abovesaid meaning.
>>
>> Can someone look it up in Madras university Tamil Lexicon
>> and give a sentence from a relevent reference?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> N. Ganesan
>>
>
> For the meaning requested the Madras Tamil Lexicon has the following
> entrance:
>
> avattam2, n. prob ava-sthaa.  Evil, calamity; keeTu. avatta.nkaL
> viLaiyum (tiv. tiruvaay. 10, 3, 9).
>
> I guess the reference is maNavALamAmun_ikaL, tiruvAymol_i nURRantAti,
> cen_n_ai:  kaNEca accukkUTam, 1920.
>
> Hope that is helpful
>
> All the best
>
> Andreas Schuettler, IITS, University Koeln, Germany
>
>

The relation of avattam to skt. avastha, I think, is correct.

In telugu 'vAdu cAlA/nAnA avasthalu paDDADu' means "He has undergone many/
various type of difficulties/dire straits". One of the meanings of
upasarga 'ava' is low or down. 'avastha' means being low or down. A man in
difficulties is low or down.

regards,

sarma.