In Thirumanthiram poem no:59 (TM59), there is a reference to 18 languages. Can anybody tell what these 18 languages are?
M.P.Sathyavel Murugan says ::
editor-in-cheif,
Dheivamurasu
The list of 18 languages is found mentioned in Encyclopaedia namely Abhithana Sindhamani. I fear that the list is not pertinent but spurious. Some of the languages mentioned are Tamil,Sanskrit,Pali,Prahkrata,Marati,Bengali,and so on and so forth.
The period of Thirumoolar has bearing on this subject, which has been completely and conveniently forgotten by those of the authors of Abhithana Sindhamani. The period of Thirumoolar can be reasonably fixed at 5500 BC, the reasons having been set out properly in my book ‘Thirumanthira Cindhanaigal’
Whereas, Tamil and Sanskrit were only in vogue in the period said afore, the others in the list found to be off-shoots of Dravidian and Aryan Languages came into being at various intervals afterwards. Hence, the listing of 18 Languages mentioned by Thirumoolar perceived to be prevalent contemporary to his period would be much difficult. Various exponents, faithful to Thirumoolar, have therefore rightly averted giving the list in their explanatory paraphrase. Therefore, it is just on our part also to follow suit.
Hereat, I would like to expound the poem as below, which may be found useful by you on translating the prosody:
“Those who know the roots of Languages, say 18, know that all of them have come into being by grace of God. As they know God hath condescended on mankind the Languages as a boon to kindle Knowledge, they come to realize the God Himself in proper prospective. The Pundits know well that the Languages which are tools of Knowledge have been made use of not only by the mankind but also the Almighty hath done with it for preaching of morals, otherwise called in Tamil as “Aram”, adhering which in its proper course will lead up to the Lotus feet of God”.