[INDOLOGY] query: 18 ;"sre.nii jaatis

[rajam]

My apologies for any inaccuracies in the font rendition, since I'm having a serious computer problem.

George wrote: ///In my opinion, the poems speak for themselves. ///

Exactly! That's how I also feel and understand these poems. 

///When the Sangam poems say someone was of despised birth and we see the same group among the Dalits today, that must mean they were Dalits then, I would think. ///

It's too much of a stretch over time. When the Sangam poems say someone was of "despised birth" I think you're referring to the word "izipiRappALan2." I'd like to propose that this word is a translation of "anuloma," a person born of mixed groups (king + brahmin, king + merchant, king + pheasnt; brahmin + merchant, ... . I have quite a bit of information on this from the commentaries on the Tolkappiyam. In fact, one of the commentaries mentions 6 types of such anuloma-s. When I have the time I'll develop my theory and share it with others. 

///But however that may be, the Sangam poems specifically mention caste many times.///

And yet, I have not gotten an answer to my specific question: "What is the word for 'caste' used in the Sangam poems?  

More when I have a robust computing environment.

Regards,
Rajam