Kamban's Aryan

[N. Ganesan]

Kamban is the earliest, fully extant Ramayana in Tamil.

But some Ramayana incidents occuring in classical sangam
texts are not found in Sanskrit versions.

There is an earlier Jain Ramayana in akaval meter
earlier than Kamban. We have only few poems.

Of course, Alvars refer to Rama's story many times.

While Bhagavatham is a direct offshoot of
Alvar poetry on the life of Krishna, not much
at all about Bhagavad Gita. I know only one
instance in Alvar pAsurams that talks of
Krishna advising Arjuna. Alvar is clear that this
advice happended after the battle, not in the
thicj of or before the battle.

This is strange - given the importance of Gita
in political discourses in India?

How is Gita dated? What is the first occurence
of its verses before Sankara? Indira Peterson
in the Norton Anthology calls it was written
by "anonymous brahmin writers". Is it a brilliant
rebuttal to Buddhism? Is the date for bhagavad giita
closer to UpaniSads or MahayAna sUtras?

Regards,
N. Ganesan

Note:
In the semiticization of Hinduism (missions got started
from Vivekananda's sishyas. In the desperate
search for an equivalent to Bible and Quran,
Hindus found their answer in Gita. In the constructs of
Indian nationalism, Gita plays a larger role
in the last century or so. But TirukkuRaL of Tiruvalluvar
is much more egalitarian and secular compared to
Bhagavad Gita)

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