A: In Sanskrit, the Vedas are called by four words; 'Veda', 'Chandhas', 'Aamnaaya', and 'Sruthi'. By way of conveying the meaning of these terms, the tamils of the sangam age had employed appropriate words.
"Vedayathi ithi vedaha": (The Vedas, meaningfully express themselves explicitly to the noble and is expressed thus). The tamils of the sangam age employed the term, 'pulam' to convey that the Vedas are self-expressive. The word, 'pulam' in tamil is therefore an appropriate translation. Chathayathi ithi chandhaha": (The Vedas are reluctant to express themselves to the wicked and are therefore called the 'chandhas'). Accordingly, the tamils of the sangam period, employed the term, 'marai', to convey that the Vedas try to lie hidden for the wicked. The word 'marai' in tamil means 'to hide' and is the antonym of the word, 'pulam'. "Aamnaayathe ithi aamnaayaha": That which is taught by a teacher by word of mouth. Since the Vedas issue from the mouth of the teacher, the Tamil of yore of the sangam age translated this word as 'vaai mozhi', meaning that it is through word of mouth. Inasmuch as the word has to be heard by the pupil, with his ears, the Vedas are 'Sruthi'. "sruyathe ithi sruthihi". The pupil learns by hearing. The Tamils therefore used the term, 'kelvi', which in Tamil means 'to hear'. To summarize, the four terms of Sanskrit, namely, "Vedas, Chandhas, Aaamnaaya and Sruthi" were meaningfully tamilized as "pulam, marai, vaai mozhi and kelvi".
The Q&A of the day is an excerpt from "Two-fold Vedic Vision", a Sri Vaishnavite handbook based on Sri Sudarsanar’s 1008 Catechisms in Tamil written by Sri. Kidambi Sridharan. The collection contains invaluable information on the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Ithihasas, the lives of Alwars, Acharyas from Sriman Nathamunigal to Sri Manavala Mamuni, the 108 Divya Desams and answers to various other related questions. This book is available for purchase on Amazon.
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