T. V. Sambasivam Pillai

T. V. Sambasivam Pillai
டி. வி. சாம்பசிவம் பிள்ளை
Commemorative 2019 five-rupee stamp issued in memory of Pillai
Commemorative 2019 five-rupee stamp issued in memory of Pillai
Born(1880-09-19)19 September 1880
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Died12 November 1953(1953-11-12) (aged 73)
OccupationScholar of Siddha medicine
Notable workTamil-English Dictionary of Medicine, Chemistry, Botany and Allied Sciences
Spouses
  • Duraikannu Ammal (m. 1903–1914)
  • Ammani Ammal (m. 1916–1917)
Children5

Tanjore Vilviah Sambasivam Pillai (Tamil: டி. வி. சாம்பசிவம் பிள்ளை, 19 September 1880 – 12 November 1953) is a Tamil scholar. He is known for the Tamil-English Dictionary of Medicine, Chemistry, Botany, and Allied Sciences, a reference work in Siddha medicine.[1]

Biography

Early life

Pillai was born on 19 September 1880 in Bangalore. He was the eldest son of Vilviah Manniar and Manonmani Ammal. His family hailed from the village of Kamuganchenthangudi, near Tanjore, and later migrated to Bangalore.[2][3] A plague outbreak in Bangalore eventually led his family returning to their village.

Work and family

Pillai completed his education in Bangalore and was then appointed as a clerk in the Chennai City Police Commissioner's office.[2][3] In 1903, he married Duraikannu Ammal, with whom he had five sons; they all died during their childhood due to unknown causes.

Duraikannu Ammal passed away in 1914 due to cholera.[2] In 1916, Pillai remarried, this time to Ammani Ammal, who died in 1917 during childbirth.[2]

After these personal losses, Pillai shifted his focus to studying Siddha medicine despite not having former medical training.

During his studies, he recognised the absence of an authoritative English reference in Siddha medicine, which motivated him to compile the Tamil-English Dictionary of Medicine, Chemistry, Botany, and Allied Sciences. The dictionary was published in volumes, some of which were released posthumously.[2][4]

Pillai died on 12 November 1953.[2]

Recognition

In recognition of his work, in 1949, the Government of Tamil Nadu sanctioned 5000 rupees as financial assistance for his research and provided accommodation at Triplicane, Chennai. The University of Madras and Mysore University also each awarded him 5000 rupees.[5][6] On 30 August 2019, the Government of India issued a commemorative five-rupee stamp in the "Masters of AYUSH" series, recognizing the services of twelve modern masters of Indian systems of medicine, which included him.[7][8][9]

Works

Pillai spent nearly 16 years collecting material for the Tamil-English Dictionary of Medicine, Chemistry, Botany, and Applied Sciences. He invested significant personal resources to complete the dictionary. In 1938, he compiled and published two volumes of his work at his own expense, but could only partially publish the third volume. The remaining part was published with help from the Government of Tamil Nadu.[10] The fourth and fifth volumes were published in 1977 and 1978, respectively, by G. D. Naidu and his son G. D. N. Gopal.

Pillai's dictionary provides information about plants, minerals, metals, and animals used in Siddha medicine. Consisting of five volumes, it spans 6,537 pages and contains nearly 80,000 words. The work provides translations for Tamil words in English and describes and explains each word with appropriate annotations.

The dictionary was renamed The Greatness of Siddha Medicine and was published at the second World Tamil Research Conference, held in Chennai in 1968.

Tamil-English Dictionary of Medicine, Chemistry, Botany and Allied Sciences[11]
Volumes Part Publisher, year Pages Description
I I Research Institute of Siddhars Science, 1938 880 It covers Tamil letters: A, Aa, and I (3 letters).

240 pages are occupied by a forward, containing research material under 27 headings. These include the topics "macrocosm vs. microcosm", "astrology in medicine", "eastern physiology", "the five elements", "humoral pathology", "science of breath", "Prana", "science of pulse", "diseases and their cure", "ancient chemistry", "alchemy", "rejuvenation", "immortality", "the ethics of a good physician", and others.

I II Research Institute of Siddhars Science, 1938 862 It covers Tamil letters: i, ee, u, oo, e, ae, i, o, oa, ou (10 letters).
II I Research Institute of Siddhars Science, 1938 800 It covers Tamil letters: Ka, Kaa (2 letters).

This volume consists of dictionary content from ‘Ka' to ‘Kow' in the Tamil alphabet, with 774 pages.

II II Research Institute of Siddhars Science, 1938 536 It covers Tamil letters: 'Ki' to 'Kou' (10 letters).

This volume consists of dictionary content from the letters ‘Ka' to ‘Kow' in the Tamil alphabet, with 774 pages.

III - The Directorate of Indian Medicine, 1977 472 It covers Tamil letters: Sa, saa, si (3 letters).

This volume consists of dictionary content from the letters ‘Cha' to ‘Chi' in the Tamil alphabet, with 774 pages.

IV I The Directorate of Indian Medicine, 1977 1020 It covers the 'Si-sow, nja' series, 'da' series to 'tha, thaa' (36 letters).

This volume consists of dictionary content from 'Si' to 'Now' in the Tamil alphabet. It was published posthumously.

IV II The Directorate of Indian Medicine, 1978 980 It covers the 'Thi-thow' to 'Nha' series (22 letters).

This volume consists of dictionary content from 'Si' to 'Now' in the Tamil alphabet. It was published posthumously.

V - The Directorate of Indian Medicine, 1978 1292 It covers the 'Pa' series to 'Nau' series (120 letters).

This volume consists of dictionary content from 'Pa' to 'Jo' in the Tamil alphabet.

The dictionary is cited in academic research related to Siddha medicine and Tamil literature.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Tamil - English dictionary of medicine, chemistry, botany and allied sciences". www.tamildigitallibrary.in. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "SEARCHi - Siddha Medical Dictionary - TV Sambasivam pillai". searchiccrs.com. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b Correspondent, D. C. (29 August 2019). "Stamp of best author of Siddha medicine to be released by PM". www.deccanchronicle.com. Retrieved 29 December 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ "Books authored by T.V. Sambasivam Pillai". www.exoticindiaart.com. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  5. ^ Assurances, Madras (India : State) Legislature Legislative Council Committee on (1967). Report. Government of Madras.
  6. ^ "T.V. Sambasivam Pillai". Mintage World. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  7. ^ "PM to release special stamps on 12 unsung 'Rockstars of AYUSH' | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. PTI. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Stamp of best author of Siddha medicine to be released by PM". Deccan Chronicle. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  9. ^ Wujastyk, Dagmar; Smith, Frederick M. (9 September 2013). Modern and Global Ayurveda: Pluralism and Paradigms. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-7816-5.
  10. ^ Rajabhoosanam Mannayar. Siddha Maruthuva Methai T.V.Sambasivam Pillai. Chennai; Guruvarul Press; 2002. p 5-30.
  11. ^ Lavanya, A.; Kumar, S.; Geetha, A.; Muralidass, S. D.; Kannan, M.; Sathiyarajeswaran, P. (October 2019). "Book Review". Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine. 10 (4): 319–322. doi:10.1016/j.jaim.2019.09.006. PMC 6938865.
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