Tamilmanam International Research Journal of Tamil Studies

Kambaramayanam is one of the magnificent epics found in the Tamil- speaking world. It bears the name Kambaramayanam because it was composed by the poet Kamban; however, the title Kanban himself gave to the epic was Rama Avataram. Numerous commentaries have been—and continue to be—written for this epic, which comprises ten thousand verses of exquisite quality. Va. Mu. Gopalakrishnamachariar is the scholar who provided a systematic commentary for the entire Kambaramayanam. Yet, prior to him, there existed an earlier commentator whose name remains unknown; it was Dr. U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer, who introduced this anonymous commentator to the Tamil literary world. Just as there are anonymous, ancient commentaries for various Tamil works—ranging from grammatical treatises to literary texts—so too does Kambaramayanam possess such a commentary. Based on the edition by U. Ve. Staminate Iyer's commentaries are available for a total of 578 out of the 10,000 verses in the epic. A key feature of this study is its focus on highlighting the distinctive qualities of the commentary provided by this anonymous, early commentator.