About the book

The Vedic order in Tamilakam: Sangam Literature, Dharma, and Kingship presents a bold and meticulously researched re-reading of early Tamil civilization (inspired by scholars like KA Nilakanta Shastri and Dr. Nagaswamy). Drawing upon Sangam poems that refer to kings performing great Vedic sacrifices—such as the Rajasuya and other yajnas—and titles like Rajasuyam Vetta Perunarkilli, Professor Ramaswami Subramony demonstrates that ancient Tamilakam was deeply engaged in the wider Vedic world. Literary echoes of the Mahabharata, references to dharmic kingship, and the celebration of sacrificial generosity reveal a shared ethical and political imagination across the subcontinent.

The book further explores how texts like the Silappadikaram portray a distinctly Vedic lifestyle—ritual observances, Vedic settlements, sacred fires, and the performance of yajnas—embedded within Tamil social life. The presence of Chaturvedimangalams (settlements of scholars versed in the four Vedas), inscriptional evidence of Vedic patronage, and references to Brahmins well-versed in the Vedas confirm that Tamilakam was not peripheral but integral to India’s sacred and intellectual traditions. Through close readings of poetry, grammar, ritual vocabulary, and historical sources, this study shows how Vedic concepts of yajna, dharma, kingship, and cosmic order were creatively reimagined within the Tamil tinai landscape and akam-puram poetics. Scholarly yet accessible, the work challenges divisive narratives and restores to ancient Tamil civilization its rightful place within the evolving continuum of Indian cultural unity.

Contents:

1. Introduction: Sangam Poetry and the Vedic Presence
2. Brahmins and Vedic Scholars in Sangam Society
3. Agraharams and the Transmission of Dharma
4. Dharmashastra and Temple Administration in Tamilakam
5. The Vedas in Sangam Poetry
6. Yajnas in Sangam Literature
7. Priests, Brahmins, and Agraharams: Institutions of Vedic Transmission
8. Kingship and the Dharmic Order in Sangam Tamilakam
9. Dharmashastra in Village Panchayats and Local Inscriptions
10. Judicial Ethics and Legal Codes in Tamil Inscriptions
11. Education and the Vedic Curriculum in Agraharams
12. Temple Endowments and the Enforcement of Dharma
13. Varnasrama Dharma and Tamil Society
14. Dharma and Kingship in the Chola and Pandya Inscriptions
15. Chola Courts: Judicial Administration and Dharmashastra
16. Dharma, Crime and Punishment in Tamil Epigraphy
17. The Duties of the Brahmin in Tamil Society
18. Tamilakam as the Land of the Vedas
19. Sangam Literature and Vedas
20. Sangam Poems
21. Sangam Literature and Vedic Tradition
22. Silappadikaram
23. Manimekalai
24. Vedic Traditions in Silappadikaram and Manimekalai
25. Tirukkural
26. Natyashastra and Sangam Literature
27. Sangam Literature and Vedas
28. Natyashastra and Manimekalai
29. Patronage to Brahmins
30. Vedas and Tolkappiyam
31. The Vedic Influence in Tolkappiyam’s View of Language and Sacredness
32. Pandyas
33. Vedas and Maduraikanci: The Role of Vedic Traditions in Tamil Literature
34. Influence of Manusmriti and Dharmashastras on Pandya Administration
35. Sangam Literature and Vedas, Manu Smriti
36. Agraharams in Sangam Literature and Vedic Life

Works Cited

Glossary

Index