Nālaṭiyār

Naaladiyar(Tamil: நாலடியர்) is a Tamil poetic work of didactic nature belonging to the Pathinenkilkanakku anthology of Tamil literature. This belongs to the post Sangam period corresponding to between 100 – 500 CE. Naaladiyar contains 400 poems, each containing four lines. Every poem deals with morals and ethics, extolling righteous behaviour.

There is an old Tamil proverb praising naaladiyar, which says, Naaladiyar and Thirukkural are very good in expressing human thoughts just as the twigs of the banyan and the acacia trees are good in maintaining the teeth. (ஆலும் வேலும் பல்லுக்குறுதி, நாலும் இரண்டும் சொல்லுக்குறுதி).

Didactic nature

Naaladiyar was composed by Jain monks, who flourished in the Southern India (current Tamilnadu state) during the reign of the Kalabhras and delivers the didactic messages that are characteristics of the period. It is divided into three sections, the first section focusing on the importance of virtuous life, second section on the governance and management of wealth, and the third smaller section on the pleasures.

Naaladiyar is unique in the employment of similes, which help to teach the moral codes using simple examples from daily life. For example, one of the poems states that just like a calf placed in front of a vast herd of cows seeks out its mother unerringly and attaches itself, the deeds of the past home in on the doer and exact their price unfailingly.

பல்லாவுள் உய்த்து விடினும் குழக்கன்று
வல்லதாம் தாய்நாடிக் கொள்ளலைத்- தொல்லைப்
பழவினையும் அன்ன தகைத்தேதற் செய்த
கிழவனை நாடிக்கொளற்கு.

See also

• Tamil Jain

References

• Mudaliyar, Singaravelu A., Apithana Cintamani, An encyclopaedia of Tamil Literature, (1931) - Reprinted by Asian Educational Services, New Delhi (1983)
• http://www.tamilnation.org/literature/
• http://www.tamilvu.org/library/l2800/html/l2800ind.htm
• http://snsriramadesikan.com/naaladiyar.html#Naaladiyar