Is tamil derived from Sanskrit

[arul_satish]

Tolkappiyam according to T.R. Shesha Iyengar in his work Dravidian India, 1925

Tolkappiyam
The Tolkappiyam takes up a substantial part of Iyengar's work. For instance, he notes, "As for the third period, commonly known as the Augustan Period in Tamil literature, otherwise called the epoch of the Third Sangam, its historicity has gained the almost unanimous assent of scholars." (Iyengar 1925, p.153) Furthermore,
"Nachchinarkiniyar, the celebrated commentator of the Tolkappiyam, holds that it {p.155} was composed, before even Vedavyasa, who lived probably between 1500 and 1000 BC, arranged the Vedas into Rig, Yajur, Saman, and Atharvana [ftn. vide Pandit Savariroyan's article, p.42 S. Dipika Vol.III ]. This view is also shared by Pandit A. Mootootambi Pillai, [ftn. vide History of Tenmoli ] who however considers the 5th Millenium BC as the probably age of this ancient grammar. Pandit R.S.Vedachalam in his work entitled Ancient Tamilian and Aryan regards 1250 BC as the probably date of the Tolkappiyam, and he believes that it might be given even a higher antiquity, and placed about 2400 BC." (Iyengar 1925, p.154-155)
Now,
"The Tolkappiyam, according to tradition, is a work of the Second Madura Academy. Scholars are now almost agreed, that the Third Madura Academy flourished during the early centuries of th Christian era. Therefore, the Tolkappiyam, a Second Sangam work, should have been composed before the commencement of the Christian era. The late lamented Kanakasabhai {p.157} Pillai lends his weighty support to the view that it is a work of th first or second century BC." (Iyengar 1925, p.156)
Moreover, "The fact that fewer Sanskrit words are to be found in the Tolkappiyam than even in the so-called Third Sangam works is another circumstance which testifies to its great antiquity." (Iyengar 1925, p.167) Now, "The pastoral tribes worshipped Vishnu; the hill tribes worshipped the god Muruga; the fishing tribes worshipped the god Varuna; the agricultural tribes worshipped the god Indra, while the nomads worshiped the goddess Kali." (Iyengar 1925, p.177)
The existence of caste is further attested: "Besides, the Tolkappiyam refers to four professional castes such as Arasar (Kshatriyas or Rulers), Anthanar or Parpar (Brahmans), Vanikar (Merchants), and Vellalar (Agriculturists)." (Iyengar 1925, p.178) Now,

"The distinction of the four castes Brahma, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra observed by the Aryas did not exist among the Tamils. The expression `twice-born', applied by the Aryans to those who were sanctified by the investiture of the sacred thread, was always used in ancient Tamil literature to denote only the Brahmans, and it is evident therefore that the Kshatriya and the Vaisya, who wore the sacred thread, were not known in Tamilakam." (Iyengar 1925, p.193)