varna and jati

[Periannan Chandrasekaran]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lars Martin Fosse [mailto:lmfosse at ONLINE.NO]
> Sent: Monday, May 24, 1999 5:21 PM
> To: INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK
> Subject: Re: varna and jati
> certain phenotypes. However, this is not very likely. As
> Bernard Sergent shows
> in his recent book, Genese de l'Inde, there must have been a
> not inconsiderable
> influence from the pre-Aryan (Harappan) culture on the Aryan
> sacrifice. This
> would indicate that the Aryans on arrival in North India made
> alliances at all
> social levels, and that they coopted people at the higher
> levels of society.
> This strategy of cooption was apparently pursued all over
> India, with the
> result that there are lots of quite dark brahmins. It is also
> found in other
> Indo-European areas. Therefore, if varna is associated with
> skin colour at all,
> it is so only secondarily.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Lars Martin Fosse
>


In this regard, it is worth mentioning ziva and murukan2.
Classical tamil is replete with references to ziva as
the red-bodied (like coral, sky at dusk) or golden-colored.
"cev vAn2 an2n2a mEn2i" (akam:0:8) -->"[with] body like the red sky"

An etymology for the very word ziva derives  it from  Ta. civa = red;
of course,it is also true that Ta. civa  = to be enraged, to be
angered;
(as is Ta. uru = red and rage, fear, thunder associated with rudra)
He is also is called a pArppAn2 (roughly translated as "brahmin") even
in CT:
"muk kaN pArppAn2" (paripADal: 5:27) -->"the three eyed brahmin"
"yAz kezu maNi miDaRRu antaNan2" (akam:0:15)
 --->"the brahmin with dark-gem-colored and lute-like throat"

Similarly murukan2 is also described as being reddish.

Given that these two gods are considered so Tamil from time immemorial
[pardon my expression in a forum where dates are subject to permanent
debates :-)],
how come they have fair skins?
 His consort pArvati is described
as dark-skinned and as sister of tirumAl (viSNu) quite in CT too
(cilapptikAram: vETTuva vari); and tirumAl's consort
tirumakaL or tiru (lakSmi) as the epitome of chastity.
[But only dark skin tone has been portrayed as pretty in CT.]
These make one wonder if the inhomogeneity in the skin color of
Dravidians
goes back to much earlier times.

Comments are welcome.
Chandra
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