முதுமொழிக்காஞ்சி, 1919

முதுமொழிக்காஞ்சி, 1919 (1919) ஆசிரியர் மதுரை கூடலூர் கிழார்
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திருமணம் கே. செல்வகேசவராய முதலியார் எழுதிய உரையுடன்

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பதினெண் கீழ்க்கணக்கு

மதுரை கூடலூர் கிழார்

இயற்றிய

முதுமொழிக்காஞ்சி

EDITED BY
.T. CHELVAKESAVAROYA MUDALIAR, M.A.
Pachaiyappa's College, Madras.

MADRAS:
PRINTED AT THE S.P.C.K. PRESS, VEPERY

1919

Registered.]

[விலை, 5 அணா

Prefatory Note

“THERE is a great mass of noble writing ready to hand in Tamil and Telugu folk-literature, especially in the former. To raise these books in public estimation, to exhibit the true products of the Dravidian mind, would be a task worthy of the ripest scholar and the most enlightened government. I would especially draw attention to the Eighteen Books that are said to have received the sanction of the Madura College, and are among the oldest specimens of Dravidian literature. Any student of Dravidian writings would be able to add a score of equally valuable books. If these were carefully edited, they would form a body of Dravidian classics of the highest value.” Thus wrote Mr. Charles E. Gover, member of the Royal Asiatic Society, in his introduction to the Folk-Songs of Southern India, printed in 1871. His desire was to a great extent accomplished, by veterans like Arumuka Navalar, Damodaram Pillai, and Swaminadaiyar (Mahamahopadhyaya). The Mahamahopadhyaya rescued in time most of the “scord of equally valuable books” condemned to oblivion in private and public libraries in Southern India. These publications have helped Archaeologists and Epigraphists in making many discoveries, and Historians in determining their perspective. Two more of those “valuable books,” குறுந்தொகை and நற்றிணை have recently heen published by other scholars. Very few yet remain to be published.

Of the Eighteen books, only about half a dozen have been edited by scholars of repute. Some, very badly printed long ago, are not available now. Two or three have not yet been printed. One of them was a puzzle to the Tamil world for a whole century. Sriman Swarnam Pillai of the Hindu College, Tinnevelly, deserves all credit. for reclaiming it from Lethe. It is a copy made by ( (காரி ரத்தின கவிராயர்) Kari Ratna Kaviroyar, commentator, of Maran Alankaram, a Tamil scholar of vast erudition who lived in the sixteenth century. This book is (இன்னிலை) Innilai by (பொய்கையார்) Poikaiyar, author of Kalavali Narpadu. This book has been printed recently by Sriman V. O. Chidambaram Pillai (with his own commentary). Some scholors are of opinion that the one work of the Eighteen which puzzles the Tamil world is கைந்நிலை and not இன்னிலை. There are others who say that ஐந்திணை comprises five works of which one is yet unearthed.

The present edition of Muthu Mozhi kanji includes the old commentary (a word for word paraphrase) and some notes added by me.

Perambur, Madras.
1st July, 1919.