EAP810/23/60

Titles in original script:

நூல் 1: மதி வெண்பா- 32நூல் 2: மதி வெண்பா- 100நூல் 3: மதி வெண்பா- 32நூல் 4: திருப்புகழ்;

The manuscript is constituted of four short texts, incomplete, written in verses. The texts concerns diverse subjects: philosophy, medicine, alchemy, magic and spirituality. The manuscript is in average condition; the leaves are little affected by larvae, and the three last are bitten by rodents.

Text 1- The text contains 4 leaves numbered from 1 to 4. The text by Akattiyar is entitled Mati Veṅpā. The author explains the development of human being from the fertilisation process and embryo stage to death. Pointing out that the state of physical body is uncertain, he advises to do only good actions.

Text 2- The text contains 9 leaves numbered from 5 to 13. The text, also entitled Mati Veṅpā- 100 is from Taṭciṇāmūrtti Svāmikaḷ. The text describes formulations of white calcined medicines for treating various diseases, especially, Kantaka paṟpam, Tāḷaka paṟpam, Tāmira paṟpam and Aya paṟpam.

It explains the combination of three salts (muppū) to remove the bad influence of evil eye (tōṣam) and a medicine (maruntu, not named) to ward off disease due to evil power (pēy piṇi) and to treat poisonous substances (viṣam). It presents an amulet (kuḷicam) used to protect the child from attacks by wolf (nariviraṭṭi) and the art of warding off the evil power (pēy maruṭṭu vittai).

It exposes the usage of a pungent medicine (nāta nīr) to treat diseases (piṇi tīrkka), of a root (vēr) whose the plant has not been identifies (cattiyāṭi) and describes tin (veḷḷīyam).

Text 3- The anonymous text entitled Mati Veṅpā- 32 contains palm leaves numbered from 1 to 3 on which verses from 1 to 24 are written. The second and third leaves are broken. The text concerns the meditative method to attain blissfulness (yōka nilai).

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Text 4- The text, entitled Tiruppukaḻ, written by Patañcali Svāmikaḷ, contains a leaf. The first text Tiruppukaḻ was written by Aruṇakiri Nātar; it is a glorification of Murukaṉ. Several authors wrote devotional texts to Murukaṉ using the same title.

Size of the manuscript: 24,0cm x 4,0cm. The text 1 has 4 palm leaves numbered from 1 to 4; the text 2 is formed by 9 leaves numbered from 5 to 13 and an additional leaf without a number; the text 3 has 3 leaves numbered 1 to 3; and the text 4 has a leaf without a number. Two blank leaves are placed at the beginning and the end of the manuscript. The manuscript is in average condition; the leaves are more and less affected by larvae, and the three last are litlle bitten by rodents.