Lesson 1

Learning Tamil and Tamil Culture

Lesson 1

We greet each other with “Vannakam” meaning “I pray to the sacred in you, and see you as a manifestation of the same.”

The first letter of our alphabet is அ. This is generally shown in English as 'a'. The sound is the same as you would say the 'u' in 'up'.  E.g  அக்கா = Akka or ‘big sister’

Our Prayers:

Tamils in South Africa recite several different prayers, and most of us don't know all of them, and most of the time, even if we do ‘know’ them, we pronounce the words incorrectly.

The most common prayer in Gauteng is Ulagelaam. This is from the Periya Puraanam.  We usually only recite the first verse, as below.

This information taken from source: Panniru Thirumurai Thirattu, and is not purported to be the only translation, just the one I have available.

Ulagelaam  unarnthu-odharku  ariyavan

Nila  vulaviya  neermali  veniyan

Alagil  sodhiyan  ambalathu  aaduvaan

Malar  silambadi  vaazhthi  vananguvaam.

Translation:

We shall bow down before the Dancer of the Ambalam at His Feet, wearing anklet, which is the source for the world to sprout. He is imperceptible and unspeakable by the souls,  and He possesses braided hair filled with the Water of the Ganges and adorned with the Crescent moon and a form of immense splendour.

Comments:

This prayer is essentially a recitation of devotion and worship of Lord Shiva.  Remember that the translation was probably done by an Indian person who speaks English as a second language, so read it, and contextualise it in your own mind when you pray. There is a second verse to this prayer. This will be sent out next week.

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