35 Of the three Nürpás of Tolkāppiyam cited above, the central one is the most important one. Since, it is the earliest and most effective in the whole of Tamil literature, wherein a clear and crisp injunction is given, not to use Sanskrit sounds as such in Tamil. And it can be boldly asserted without any fear of contradiction, that this rule of Tolkāppiyar might have inspired generations of Tamil scholars, very silently but surely upto the 15th century, in keeping Tamil, free from the influence of foreign sounds.” Perhaps, it is this rule that has encouraged even Kambar, the ‘Emperor of Poetry” (Kavicakravarthi), a great devotee of Vālmīki and Rāmāyana, not only to Tamilise Sanskrit sounds, but even go to the extremity of using proper nouns translated into Tamii e.g. (1) Rathātchakan as Kuruthiyinkaņņan,** (2) Yajgnaha as Vēļviyin Pagaivan”, (3) Mahāpārcuavan as Māperumpakkaņa" (4) Vachirathamshtran as Vachirateyrravan," (5) Virüpätcan as Vilañkunåttavan].*9 . v We will conclude this brief note by citing the relevant passages found in Sangam anthologies and the twin epics of Silappatikāram and Manimékalai which make significant references to Sanskrit as Watamoli. (1) In Mullaippättu (the song of the pastoral region and sentiment) while describing the military camp of the king in the battle-front, the poet, Nappūtanār describes the act of the young elephant-keepers (who goad the elephants with the pronged weapon to eat their rich food which they are reluctant to take) uttering words of Vatamoli (Northern word).” The significant feature of the passage is that the poet calls the young elephantkeepers as ‘uneducated’, since they have no education, but know only the few words of Watamoli. . It is more interesting in this context to note that this dialect of the elephant-keepers is not referred as Watamāli but as Wiravumoji (a mixture language) in Malaipatukatám” which also finds its place in the same anthology, Pattuppattu. This reveals the fact that that dialect was not Sanskrit and also the linguistic awareness of the ancient Tamil poet. (2) In Kalittokai,” the Chera king Peruñkatufikö refers to Dirutharăstra as the man whose name is that of the northern
