cEtu 'calf' and cEtA(=kaRRA) 'calf-cow'

[N. Ganesan]

In sangam and post-sangam literature, it appears that
cEtu is used to mean 'calf' and cEtA (= cEtu + A)  means
'cow with a calf'. The other parallel term for 'cow with a calf'
is kaRRA (=kan2Ru + A). Even today in districts like Dharmapuri
and Coimbatore, village farmers use the word, cEtA to mean
'cow with a calf'.

Of course, cEtu has another well-known meaning which is 'red'.
For example: a) cEtAmpal 'red water-lily',
b) cEtAram 'scarlet ixora'. The scarlet ixora flower is
also called 'ceccai, cintUram' connected to 'red' as well.

Consider the word, cEy = 1) 'red' 2) 'child, youth'.
Comparing with a similar pair (pEy/pEtu),
pEy = pEtu = 'confusion, frenzy, madness',
cEy and cEtu are equivalents. cEtu, like cEy, will
then have basically two meanings: 1) 'red'
and 2) 'child, youth'. From sangam times onwards,
'cEtu' is used in the sense of 'calf'.


In the Tamil version of the BRhatkathA by KoGkuvELir
called PeruGkatai, cEtA is clearly mentioned
as milch cows feeding their calf. In the following,
a herd comprising only of cows that feed their
calves is collected by excluding the
cows that have weaned their calves and the pregnant
cows. Calves that stopped taking milk from
their mothers, and have been weaned off are called
nAku in Tamil literature.

   nAku cUl nIGkiya cEtAt tokuttut
   kuLampum kOTum viLaGku pon2 uRIit
   taLaiyum tAmpum aLaikaTai mattum
   kazuvum kalan2um vazuvila piRavum
   paimpon2in2 iyan2Ravai pARpaTa vakuttuk
   kun2RAk kOTi koTuttu uvappOrum

                  PeruGkatai 1:39:64-69

Tiru. U. V. Saminathaiyar, the grand editor of PeruGkatai
and CT texts, comments:
"nAku - pAl uNNutalai viTTa kiTAri; pAn2maRai nAku -
periyapurANam. nAku nIGkiya cEtA, cUl nIGkiya cEtA
en2ka; en2Ratu kaRavaip pacukkaLai." Obviously,
here cEtA means cows feeding calves, and not
'red cows'.

What is interesting in the above PeruGkatai lines
is the gifting of these milch cattle whose horns and
hooves are decorated with gold ornaments.
Possibly, pon2 'gold' ornaments could also mean any shining
(such as brass) sheetmetal ornaments. See below
Sri. M. Raghava Aiyangar's comments on a poem quoted by
Naccin2Arkkin2iyar's TolkAppiyam commentary.

In PeruGkatai, as in sangam poetry, many times
cEtA/cEtAn2 'calf-cow' and their dairy products such as
milk, butter, ghee, curds and buttermilk are mentioned.
Evidently in these instances, cEtA means 'calf-cow'
and not 'red cow'. For example, a mother feeding
the sweet milk of a cEtA from PeruGkatai:

  nalattaku cEtA naRuneyt tImpAl
  alaittu vAyp peyyum an2puTait tAyin2

                     PeruGkatai 2:17:6-7


In the sangam literature, there are instances where
the dairy products along with the cEtA 'calf-cow' are
mentioned. For example:

a) cEtu An2 veNNey ve puRattu uruka - aka. 394:6

b)  In the NaRRiNai poem, when the cEtA touches
the kAntaL flowers,  the poured-out pollen makes
the calf and the cow to become afraid.

    cilampin2 mEynta ciRu kOTTu cEtu A
    alagku kulai kAntaL tINTi tAtu uka
    *kan2Ru tAy* maruLum kun2Ra nATan2  - naR. 359

c) In the Brahmin section of the village, the cooking
of their vegetarian food is described in detail (lines 301-310).
Here, the buttermilk and butter of a cEtA 'calf-cow' are
important ingredients.

  maRai kAppALar uRai pati cEppin2
  ...
  *cEtu A* naRu mOr veNNeyin2 mAtuLattu
  uruppuRu pacu kAy pOzoTu kaRi kalantu - perum. 301, 306-7

d) In one of the early Tamil attestations of go-dhUli, the
cattle herds of the Kongars going to water fords
producing much of godhuuli, and that cow-dust goes
to fill up the skies.

     van2pulam tumiya pOki kogkar
     paTu maNi Ayam nIrkku nimirntu cellum
     cEtu A eTutta ce nila kurUu tukaL
     akal iru vicumpin2 Un2Ri tOn2Rum

                          -akanAn2URu 79:5-8

e)  kuzavic cEtu A mAnti - naR. 213:4
Here, kuzavic cEtu means 'baby/infant calf'.

Cf. pal AvuL uyttuviTin2um *kuzak kan2Ru*
    vallatu Am tAy nATik kOTalai - nAlaTi 111


f) In a  poem quoted by Naccin2Arkkin2iyar in his
commentary on the ancient grammar TolkAppiyam, the godhUli is
praised heavily: the gifting of cattle herds with
cows and calves to brahmins creates a goloka (which is really
a part of the Heaven acc. to purANas) on this
very bhUloka! The gifted herds raise so much godhUli
that the dust makes the goloka in the skies get covered
with soil dust from the bhUloka with the end result that
the goloka of the Heaven appears to be bhUloka!

     vELvinilai
     -----------
  TolkAppiyam commentary (tol. poruL. 90. nac.)

  pon2 niRainta poRkOTTup, poRkuLampiR *kaRRA* tantu
  in2makizAn2 antaNarai in2puRuppar - cen2n2itan2
  mAnilamE An2ulakam pOn2Ratu; vAn2 tukaL pOrttu
  An2ulakam maNNulakAm an2Ru!

Sri. Mu. Raghava Aiyangar, in his Peruntokai anthology,
comments on this poem.
"itan2aik kapilai kaNNiya vELvinilai en2par tolkAppiyan2Ar.
cEtAvin2aik koTukkak karutiya koTai en2patu
naccin2Arkkin2iyam. poRkOTu - azakiya kompu. pon2 niRainta
kOTum, poR kuLampum, kan2Rum uTaiyavAka An2iraiyai aLittu
en2ka. in2makizAn2 - mukattAn2 in2imaiyum, akattAn2
makizvumAy. cenn2i vELviyil aLitta aak koTaiyAl pUlOkam
kOlOkam pOlavum, avvAn2iraiyin2in2Ru ezunta tULi
pOrttalAl, kOlOkam pUlOkam pOlavum mARalAyin2a en2ka."

Note that kaRRA 'calf-cow' herds are mentioned in the
poem (probably composed after tol. which is supposed
to be the first tamil book), Naccin2Arkkin2iyar
uses cEtA.

g) Finally, a poem refering to cEtA's ghee and curd by
medieval AuvaiyAr.

   ciRukkIrai vevvaTakuJ cEtAvi n2eyyum
   maRuppaTAt taNTayiru mAnti - veRuttEn2ai
   vaJcikkuG koRkaikku man2n2avan2ER pittAn2E
   kaJcikkum puRkaikkuG kai.


Regards,
N. Ganesan




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