THE HISTORY OF MANIKKA-VACAGAK. 105 



And somehow the error and folly and idolatry seemed to 

 be but the poetic accompaniments of what is mainly most 

 worthy. 



The Jain compositions were clever, pointed, elegant, full of 

 satire, of Avorldly wisdom, epigrammatic, but not religious. 

 In the Ncdadiiiars four hundred quatrains, there is no mention 

 of God. In the sublime KurraVs thirteen hundred and thirty 

 couplets there are but ten which speak of a Divine Being. 

 The effect therefore of these songs — full of faith and devotion — 

 was great and instantaneous. South India needed a personal 

 God, an assurance of immortality, and a call to prayer. These 

 it found in Manikka-Va9agar's compositions.* 



The Chairman (D. Howard, Esq., D.L.). — I am sure we shall 

 all join in thanking Dr. Pope for the very valuable and interesting 

 paper he has given us. 



It is a little perilous for any one who has not given the time and 

 accurate study that Dr. Pope has to this subject to venture to say 

 much about it, but the interest extends far beyond the power 

 of criticising. I cannot help thinking that such investigations as 

 these are of great value. One point struck me as being of import- 

 ance ; we discuss rather frequently, with more or less knowledge 

 of what the Buddhist system is, the meaning of Nirvana. I must 

 say that the authority of one like Manikka living in Buddhist 

 times, who is arguing against it, is worth infinitely more than 

 our private opinion, especially as it happens that we sometimes 

 import into the considei-ation our nineteenth century ideas — so 

 that the fact of his challenge to Buddhism is of great value, at 

 any rate to sincere and earnest onlookers. This paper indicates 

 the wonderfully beautiful ideas you find in the Qaiva system. 

 The beautiful conceptions one meets with in that which goes by 

 the name of ^aivism, I think, lead us to see that which is not 

 quite realised, viz., that mere knowledge is not quite all. There 

 is something more than perception of truth required before we 

 can have the actual practice in the life of those in whom it is met 

 with. Many have a habit of saying, " Here are most beautiful 

 sentiments. Are not they a splendid people ? " whereas, those 



* Note VII, " Bhakti." 



I 2 



