செந்தமிழியற்கைச் சிவணிய நிலத்தொடு
முந்துநூல்கண்டு முறைப்பட வெண்ணிப்
புலந்தொகுத்தோன்......
மல்கு நீர்வரைப்பி னைந்திர
நிறைந்த தொல்காப்பியன்.
For the purpose of dealing with the Tamil letters, words and rhetoric as used in the ordinary speech and in poetry, the author clearly says that he observed the usages of the Sen-Tamil men (செந்தமிழியற்கைச் சிவணியநிலம்) and carefully studied the early literature (முந்துநூல்கண்டு ) before collecting, collating and arranging facts for methodical treatment in his grammar (முறைப்படவெண்ணிப் புலந்தொகுத்தோன்) after the model of the Sanskrit Aindram. He has not said anywhere in his grammar one word about Agastya, his reputed teacher. It has been at least the Tamil custom for an author to begin his work with a salutation for his teacher or Acharya. In this case the teacher was a divine Rishi and the supposititious writer of the first Tamil grammar. Both of them flourished at the same period. It is not understood why Tolkapyar should have taken so much trouble to observe the usages, to study the Tamil authors, and to deduce therefrom the grammatical rules, or why he should have recited his work for the approval and edification of the academy before a fellow student—Athangottasan—while Agastya was its president. Was it to pick up flaws in his master's great work, and was he such an ungrateful pupil ? Tamil pandits would easily believe that the two divine rishis were always at loggerheads. But, all these throw serious doubts as to whether Agastya had really written a Tamil grammar and whe-
