Parimelalhagar ( ta, பரிமேலழகர்) (), sometimes spelled Parimelazhagar, born Vanduvarai Perumal, was a
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, na ...
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...
and scholar known for his
commentary on the ''
Thirukkural
The ''Tirukkuṟaḷ'' ( ta, திருக்குறள், lit=sacred verses), or shortly the ''Kural'' ( ta, குறள்), is a classic Tamil language text consisting of 1,330 short couplets, or kurals, of seven words each. The tex ...
''. He was the last among the canon of
ten medieval commentators
The Ten Medieval Commentators (Tamil language, Tamil: உரையாசிரியர்கள் பதின்மர்) were a canonical group of Tamil language, Tamil scholars whose commentaries on the Ancient Indian philosophy, ancient Ind ...
of the Kural text most highly esteemed by scholars. He was also among the five oldest commentators whose commentaries had been preserved and made available to the
Modern era
The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is appli ...
, the others being
Manakkudavar
Manakkudavar (c. 10th century CE) was a Tamil language, Tamil scholar and commentator known for his Literary criticism, commentary on the Tirukkural. His is the earliest of the available commentaries on the Kural text, and hence considered to bea ...
,
Pari Perumal
Pari Perumal (c. 11th century CE), also known as Kaviperumal, was a Tamil scholar and commentator known for his commentary on the ''Thirukkural''. He was among the canon of Ten Medieval Commentators of the Kural text most highly esteemed by schol ...
,
Kaalingar
Kaalingar ( ta, காலிங்கர்) (c. 12th century CE), also known as Kalingarayar, was a Tamil scholar and commentator known for his commentary on the ''Thirukkural''. He was among the canon of Ten Medieval Commentators of the Kural te ...
, and
Paridhi
Paridhi (c. 11th century CE), also referred to as Paridhiyaar, was a Tamil literary commentator known for his commentary on the ''Thirukkural''. He was among the canon of ten medieval commentators of the Kural text most highly esteemed by schola ...
. Of all the ancient commentaries available of the Kural literature, Parimelalhagar's commentary is considered by scholars as the best both in textual and in literary aspects. The codification of the writings of
Valluvar
Thiruvalluvar (Tamil: திருவள்ளுவர்), commonly known as Valluvar, was a celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher. He is best known as the author of the ''Tirukkuṟaḷ'', a collection of couplets on ethics, political and ...
is attributed to Parimelalhagar. Parimelalhagar also remains the most reviewed, in terms of both praise and criticism, of all the medieval Kural commentators. Praised for its literary richness and clarity, Parimelalhagar's commentary is considered highly complex and exquisite in its own right that it has several scholarly commentaries appearing over the centuries to elucidate it. Along with the Kural text, Parimelalhagar's commentary has been widely published that it is in itself regarded a Tamil classic.
Although the chapter ordering, and the verse ordering within each chapter, of the Tirukkural as set by Parimelalhagar varies greatly from the original work of
Valluvar
Thiruvalluvar (Tamil: திருவள்ளுவர்), commonly known as Valluvar, was a celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher. He is best known as the author of the ''Tirukkuṟaḷ'', a collection of couplets on ethics, political and ...
, the scholars and publishers of the modern era primarily follow Parimelalhagar's ordering. Thus, it is Parimelalhagar's ordering that is used to number the Kural chapters and couplets today.
Early life
![Varadaraja Perumal Temple Kanchipuram (3)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Varadaraja_Perumal_Temple_Kanchipuram_%283%29.jpg)
Parimelalhagar was born Vanduvarai Perumal in
Kancheepuram
Kanchipuram ('; ) also known as ''Conjeevaram,'' is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''City of Thousand Temples'', Kanchipuram is known for its temple ...
in the erstwhile
Tondai state in a
Vaishnavite Brahmin family and is believed to have lived during the late 13th century CE. He belonged to the lineage of priests of
Sri Ulagalandha Perumal temple in his home town. He is also known by various names as Vanduvarai Perumal, Parimelalhagiyaar, Parimelalhagiyan, and Parimelalhagaraiyan.
Sivagyana Munivar
Sivagyana Munivar (c. 18th century) was a saivite sage and scholar from Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. He was well versed in both Tamil and Sanskrit.
Biography
Sivagyana Murnivar was born Mukkalaalingar. He translated several Sanskrit works into T ...
mentions him as Parimelalhagiyaar in his work.
Parimel's time has been deduced by referring to various historical accounts. In his
venpa verse named "Valluvar seer",
Umapathi Shivachariyar
Umapathi Shivachariyar (13th century–14th century CE) was a Tamil poet and scholar. It is from his writings that details about earlier poets, chiefly Parimelalhagar, have become known.
Works
Umapati Sivacharya celebrated the life of the Saivi ...
, a poet from the late 13th century, lists Parimel's commentary as one of the six greatest works ever in the Tamil language. In the introductory section of his commentary to
Book III of the Kural, Parimel mentions
King Bhoja (reigned c. 1010–1055 CE) from the
Paramara dynasty
The Paramara dynasty (IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmara clan of the Rajputs.
The dynasty was established in either ...
and his work ''Shringara-Prakasha'', which has been dated to early 11th century. Also scholars assert that Senavarayar precedes Parimel in time. Thus, Parimel is believed to have been born in early 13th century.
There are accounts of Parimel's living in both the cities of Kancheepuram and
Madurai
Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration i ...
. Verse 41 of the
Thondaimandala Sadhagam
Thondaimandala Sadhagam ( ta, தொண்டைமண்டல சதகம்) is a 17th-century Tamil work of the type known as ''sadhagam''. It was authored by Padikkaasu Pulavar. He was under the aegis of Muslim patron Seethakkadhi. The work ...
says that "Parimelalhagar of Kancheepuram served as beacon to the Kural." Additionally, an inscription on a plaque dating back to 1271 CE, which was erected in the 22nd year of the rule of the
Telugu Chola King Vijayakanda Gopalan, mentions a land transaction done by Parimelalhagiya Dhadhan. According to
M. Raghava Iyengar
Maha Vidhwan Rao Sahib Mu Raghava Iyengar (Tamil: மு ராகவ ஐயங்கார்) (1878–1960) was a well known Tamil scholar and researcher of Tamil literature.
Life
Maha Vidhwan Mu Raghava Iyengar (known as M. Raghava Iyeng ...
, this Parimelalhagiya Dhadhan was none other than Parimel. These serve as evidences to the claim that Parimel lived in Kancheepuram. According to another tradition, Parimel is said to be a native of Kadayam in
Tirunelveli district and that his master was Jenana Vira Iyer, who made his pupil a guru to the Nadar sect and gave him the name Parimelalhagar. Verses 1547 and 1548 of the Perunthirattu indicate that he was a political figure in the town of Okkur near Madurai in the
Pandya Kingdom, for which he was known as "Okkai Kavalan" (lit. "protector of Okkur"). The word usage that he employed in his Kural commentary (as in couplet 650) appears to be the colloquial version of the language spoken in Tirunelveli district even today. Incidentally, there are also several tombs indicating the name "Parimelalhagar" found across the district. These indicate that he must have lived in the Pandya Kingdom, chiefly Madurai.
Right from his young age, Parimel was well versed in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
language's
Tharka
Tarka sastra (, IAST: , ) is a Sanskrit term for the philosophy of dialectics, logic and reasoning, and art of debate that analyzes the nature and source of knowledge and its validity. ''Shastra'' in Sanskrit means that which gives teaching, instr ...
,
Vyakarna,
Sankya, and
Vedanta
''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...
and
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, na ...
language's
Tolkappiyam and other classic literary works. Despite being a Vaishnavite, Parimel had a great knowledge of the
Saivite
Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...
literature. He had a good understanding of
Agama,
Siddhanta
''Siddhānta'' is a Sanskrit term denoting the established and accepted view of any particular school within Indian philosophy; literally "settled opinion or doctrine, dogma, axiom, received or admitted truth; any fixed or established or canonica ...
and
Vedanta
''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...
, which are considered vital to unravel the riches of the Tirukkural, which helped him do justice to his commentary. When Parimel chose to write a literary criticism, he analysed in depth the works of the previous nine commentators who lived before his time and eliminated the flaws found in those earlier commentaries. When he completed his writing and perfected the work, he decided to stage it in the court of the Pandya ruler. Legend has it that the King wanted Parimel to stage his work seated on a
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
horse mounted in his court. When Parimel did so, the bronze horse moved, serving as an evidence to his scholarly stature. Thus he came to be known as Parimelalhagar (meaning "the handsome equestrian"). The name is sometime indicated as "Parimelalhagiyar" and "Parimelalhagaraiyyan". His commentary on the Kural came to be called as "Parimelalhagiyar Virutthi". He is believed to have written the commentary around 1271–1272 CE as indicated in an inscription at the
Varadharaja Perumal Temple at
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram ('; ) also known as ''Conjeevaram,'' is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''City of Thousand Temples'', Kanchipuram is known for its temple ...
. This is indicated in the work ''Sasana Tamil Kavi Saritham'' by Raghava Iyengar. Parimel has also written a commentary on
Paripaadal, one of the work of the
Eight Anthologies
The Eight Anthologies, known as Eṭṭuttokai ( ta, எட்டுத்தொகை) or "Eight Collections" in the literature, is a classical Tamil poetic work that forms part of the Eighteen Greater Texts (''Patiṉeṇmēlkaṇakku'') antholo ...
(''Ettuthogai'').
Religion
There are several evidences indicating that Parimelalhagar belonged to the Vaishnavite sect. His explanations to Kural couplets 610 and 1103, his reference to the
Nalayira Divya Prabandham
The Naalayira Divya Prabandham ( ta, நாலாயிரத் திவ்வியப் பிரபந்தம், lit=Four Thousand Divine Hymns, translit=Nālāyira Divya Prabandham) is a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses composed by ...
in various instances, his employment of verses from the Tiruvai Molhi in couplets 349 and 370, and his citing
Nammalvar
Nammalvar (Tamil: நம்மாழ்வார், lit. 'Our Alvar') was one of the twelve Alvar saints of Tamil Nadu, India, who are known for their affiliation to the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. The verses of the Alvars are compiled ...
's verses in chapter 39 in the
second book of the Kural text all indicate that he was a Vaishnavite. While a staunch devotee of
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
, Parimel practiced religious tolerance and treated other religions of his time with equal respect.
Commentary to the Kural text
Parimelalhagar's commentary is considered by scholars as the best of all ancient commentaries on the Kural text and is esteemed on par with the Kural text itself for its literary quality. Scholars attribute the codification of the writings of Valluvar to Parimelalhagar. Parimel was highly successful in reflecting all the poetic nuances found in Valluvar's thought in prosaic form in his commentary. No other commentator so far has matched his style, clarity and High Tamil writing in the history of Tamil literature. The literary quality of Parimel's commentary is so rich that one has to depend on highly learned intellectuals to completely understand the commentary. It is said that Parimel has commented on the grammatical construction for more than 500 couplets of the Kural text, without which it is believed that the import of these couplets could have been easily misconstrued. His command of the Tamil grammar can be observed from his commentary to kurals 127, 196, 272, 1029, 1030, 1115, and 1186, where he had given grammar notes explaining different parts of speech. Throughout Book III of the Kural literature, Parimel explains the grammar of the ''akam'' (inner feelings or subjective) genre of the Tamil literature. In Chapters 77 (Army) and 78 (Valour) of Book II, Parimel explicates the ''puram'' (outer actions or objective) genre of the Tamil literature, which can be observed especially from his elaborations to kurals 771, 773, and 774. Parimel embellishes his commentary by employing similes (e.g., kurals 100, 144, 343, 360, 399, 404, 416, 422, 425, 448, 571, 693, 741, 797, 900) and adding literary accounts where necessary (e.g., kural 63). He quotes from earlier commentators (e.g., kurals 17, 18, 207, 210, 290, 305, 580, 593, 599, 612, 615, 910, 925, 1028), points out varied inferences, and debunks any incorrect inferences. He also provides Tamil translations of Sanskrit terms used by Valluvar. In several instances, he extols the best explanations for a particular couplet given by earlier commentators. He also includes in his commentaries literary accounts from both Tamil and Sanskrit literatures. In several places, he points out the Tamil traditions that are in line with the moral of the couplets. He also includes several historical accounts across his commentary (e.g., couplets 100, 144, 514, 547, 771, 773, 785, 899, 900, 935). Parimelalhagar compulsively elucidates the ethical connections between seemingly contradictory thoughts laid out in couplets 380 and 620, 481 and 1028, 373 and 396, and 383 and 672. All these made his commentary coming to be known as "Viruddhi Urai" (expandable commentary).
Parimel writes commentaries beginning with an introduction to each book and explains the introductory chapters in each of the Kural books. He analyzes and segregates chapters as subdivisions known as ''iyal''s. He summarizes the contents of each chapter with an abstract at the beginning of each chapter, and also connects the previous chapter with the current one in a logical manner, justifying his own way of chapter arrangement. He also connects every couplet within a chapter by explaining the flow of thoughts between them. He writes a verbatim explanation to each couplet and clarifies the meaning of difficult words. He also indicates that every manuscript of the Kural by earlier commentators had only verbatim explanations and that detailed commentaries were made by those who published those manuscripts. Below his verbatim explanations, he provides lucid explanations in contemporary language, which contain several well-researched notes. He also provides ample example wherever necessary, employing several literary phrases before his time in prose. Being the last of the medieval commentators, Parimel verily had the opportunity to study the commentaries of all those lived before his time. In most places he agrees with Manakkudavar and cites his work amply. In places where he is in disagreement with Manakkudavar and other early commentators, Parimel debunks their ideas sincerely with logical explanations. Although the original text of Parimel's commentary appears in a summary form (known as ''polhippurai'') describing the meaning and moral of a given couplet, later scholars split it in order to simplify it, providing word-by-word meaning.
Parimel is known to be a
polymath
A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...
. His expertise spanned across fields such as ethics, linguistics, philosophy, mathematics, poetry, logic, meta-physics, theology, politics, music, and medicine. His knowledge on theology and religion surfaces across his commentary to
Book I, examples being his elaboration to couplets 21, 62, 351, 355, 358, 338, and 360. He discusses the
Samkhya
''Samkhya'' or ''Sankya'' (; Sanskrit सांख्य), IAST: ') is a Dualism (Indian philosophy), dualistic Āstika and nāstika, school of Indian philosophy. It views reality as composed of two independent principles, ''purusha, puruṣa' ...
philosophy in couplet 27 and
Arhat
In Buddhism, an ''arhat'' (Sanskrit: अर्हत्) or ''arahant'' (Pali: अरहन्त्, 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved ''Nirvana'' and liberated ...
in couplet 286. His political acumen can be seen in virtually every chapter of Book II, more so in his explanations to couplets 385, 442, 735, 756, and 767. His musical knowledge is expressed in his commentary for kural 573. His knowledge on medicine can be seen in his commentary for kurals 941, 944, 948, and 950. Parimel is also known for prudently employing the prevailing culture and linguistic usage of his time.
Changes made by Parimelalhagar in his commentary
Variations in ordering of the Kural verses
![Tirukkural with Parimelalakar's commentary](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Tirukkural_with_Parimelalakar%27s_commentary.png)
The following table depicts the variations among the early commentators' ordering of, for example, the first ten verses of the Tirukkural. Note that the ordering of the verses and chapters as set by Parimel, which had been followed unanimously by both scholars and critics for centuries ever since, has now been accepted as the standard ordering of the Kural couplets.
It is found that there are as many as 120 variations found in the ordering of the Kural couplets by Parimel with respect to the commentary by Manakkudavar.
Subdividing the books
Like all other medieval commentators, Parimel divides the books of the Kural text in his own way. He divides Book I into three parts, namely, invocation or introduction, domestic virtues, and ascetic virtues, while other medieval commentators divided Book I into four portions, namely, introduction, domestic virtues, ascetic virtues, and fate. While other medieval commentators divide Book II into five or even six parts, Parimel divides the book into three parts, namely, kingship (royalty), elements of sovereignty (''angas'' or limbs of the state) and common duties. While Parimel's division of Book III consists of two parts, namely, ''Kalavu'' (secret love) and ''Karpu'' (wedded love), other medieval scholiasts have divided the Book of Inbam into three to five portions.
Textual variations
Spelling,
homophonic
In music, homophony (;, Greek: ὁμόφωνος, ''homóphōnos'', from ὁμός, ''homós'', "same" and φωνή, ''phōnē'', "sound, tone") is a texture in which a primary part is supported by one or more additional strands that flesh ...
, and other minor textual variations between Manakkudavar and Parimelalhagar commentaries are found in several verses such as couplets 139, 256, 317, and 445.
Parimel's version of the Kural text varies from that of Manakkudavar in about 220 instances, including 84 in
Book I, 105 in
Book II
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arra ...
, and 32 in
Book III
Kevin Danell Mann (born January 10, 1970), better known by his stage name Brotha Lynch Hung, is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer from Sacramento, California who has been described as "the creator of horrorcore rap." He is also ...
of the Kural text. With regard to the commentary by Kaalingar, Parimelalhagar's version varies in about 215 places. He has cited other earlier commentators in as many as 133 places within his commentary. He has justified the changes that he has made to the Kural text in about 48 instances. In instances such as his explanations to kurals 41, 100, 114, 235, and 563, the meanings given by Parimel differ from that of other medieval commentators.
Chapter order variations
Like the other commentators before his time, Parimelalhagar has swapped as many as six chapters in Book I of the Kural text, changing the Kural's original chapter ordering found in Manakkudavar's commentary. The chapters "Shunning meat-eating," "Not stealing," "Not lying," "Refraining from anger," "Ahimsa," and "Non-killing", all of which originally appear under subsection "Domestic virtues" in Manakkudavar's version, appear under "Ascetic virtues" in Parimel's version. Similarly, the chapters "Kindness of speech," "Self-control," "Not envying," "Not coveting another’s goods," "Not backbiting," and "Not uttering useless words", all of which appear under "Ascetic virtue" in Manakkudavar's version, appear under "Domestic virtue" in Parimel's version. Nevertheless, modern scholars have adopted Parimel's version for chapter ordering and couplet numbering.
The following table lists the variations between ordering of chapters in Book I by Manakkudavar (the oldest of the Medieval commentators) and that by Parimelalhagar (the latest).
Adoptions from previous commentators
Being the last of the Ten medieval commentators, Parimel had the unique opportunity to study in depth all the previous commentaries and imbibe the ideas in them. This enabled him come up with a better commentary than all the earlier commentaries. In the process, he both adopted many of the thoughts and eliminated some of them which he felt did not make sense. He adopts Manakkudavar's style of reordering the couplets within the chapter in order to keep together the couplets that closely resembled in meaning, besides imparting new perspectives. While Kaalingar gives an abstract of the forthcoming chapter after the final verse in every chapter, Parimel adopts this method and writes the abstract of the respective chapter at the beginning of each chapter. While he appreciates other commentator's appropriateness in their commentaries, he does not hesitate to point out their shortcomings whenever they occur, with proper reasoning. Throughout his commentary, Parimel is also generous in acknowledging the other viewpoints that differ from his own. His explanations to couplets 223, 643, 817, 1069, and 1262 serve as evidences to his sincerity in appreciating others' commentaries.
Literature cited
Parimelalhagar had an excellent command of both Tamil and Sanskrit. Verse 1543 of the
Perunthogai
Perunthogai ( ta, பெருந்தொகை, literally "great anthology") is an anthology containing 2,214 ancient and medieval Tamil stand-alone poems. It was compiled in 1936 by M. Raghava Iyengar.
History
The Sangam Literature contains ...
extols Parimel's erudition in both the languages. His in-depth knowledge of Tamil can be seen in his usage of more than 230 linguistic and literary examples that he has employed in his commentary to the Kural. In as many as 286 instances, he even lucidly elaborates the meaning of highly literary Tamil words of his time. His grammar notes and linguistic explanations found in his commentary on couplets 2, 6, 11, 15, 16, 17, 22, 29, 36, 39, 41, 43, 48, 49, 66, 141, 147, 148, 167, 171, 177, 178, 180, 261, 378, and 381 are but examples of his extraordinary command of the Tamil language. He has also cited various works of the
Tamil literature
Tamil literature has a rich and long literary tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution. Contributors to the Tamil literature are mainly from T ...
in his commentary. These include various
Sangam texts (including
Purananuru
The ''Purananuru'' (, literally "four hundred oemsin the genre puram"), sometimes called ''Puram'' or ''Purappattu'', is a classical Tamil poetic work and traditionally the last of the Eight Anthologies (''Ettuthokai'') in the Sangam literatu ...
,
Kaliththokai
''Kalittokai'' ( ta, கலித்தொகை meaning ''the kali-metre anthology'') is a classical Tamil poetic work and the sixth of Eight Anthologies (''Ettuthokai'') in the Sangam literature. It is an "akam genre – love and erotic – c ...
,
Agananuru,
Natrinai,
Kurunthogai,
Pattinappaalai,
Paripaadal,
Nedunalvaadai
''Nedunalvaadai'' () is a 2019 Tamil language drama film written and directed by debutant director Selvakannan and produced by B-Star Productions. Inspired by the poem written by Nakkeerar in Sangam literature, the film, as the title suggest, i ...
,
Pathitrupathu, and
Porunaraatruppadai), epics (including
Jeevaka Chinthamani,
Silappadikaram
''Cilappatikāram'' ( ta, சிலப்பதிகாரம் ml, ചിലപ്പതികാരം, IPA: ʧiləppət̪ikɑːrəm, ''lit.'' "the Tale of an Anklet"), also referred to as ''Silappathikaram'' or ''Silappatikaram'', is the ...
,
Manimekalai
''Maṇimēkalai'' ( ta, மணிமேகலை, ), also spelled ''Manimekhalai'' or ''Manimekalai'', is a Tamil-Buddhist epic composed by Kulavāṇikaṉ Seethalai Sataṉar probably around the 6th century. It is an "anti-love story", a s ...
,
Valayapathi
''Valaiyapadhi'' ( ta, வளையாபதி, lit=Unbending Man, translit=Vaḷaiyāpati; ), also spelled ''Valayapathi'', is one of the five great Tamil epics, but one that is almost entirely lost. It is a story of a father who has two w ...
, and the
Mahabaratha
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuru ...
), moral works of the
Eighteen Lesser Texts
The Eighteen Lesser Texts, known as the Patiṉeṇkīḻkaṇakku ( ta, பதினெண்கீழ்கணக்கு) in the literature, is a collection of eighteen poetic works mostly created during the 'post Sangam period' (between 100 ...
(including
Naladiyar,
Nanmanikkatigai,
Palamoli Nanuru, and
Thirikatukam), religious scriptures (including
Tiruvaaimolhi and
Tirukkovaiyar), grammar texts (including
Purapporul Venbamaalai,
Tolkappiyam, and
Iraiyanar Akapporul
Iraiyaṉār Akapporuḷ, or Kaḷaviyal eṉṟa Iraiyaṉār Akapporuḷ, literally "Iraiyanar's treatise on the love-theme, called 'The study of stolen love'" ( ta, களவியல் என்ற இறையனார் அகப்பொ ...
),
Mutthollaayiram, and the mathematical text of
Yerambam. Parimel cites Agananuru in his commentary for kural 210; Pathitrupatthu for kural 432; Nattrinai for kural 401; Nanmanikkadigai for kurals 121 and 556; Patthupaattu for kurals 811, 1033, and 1144; Jivakachinthamani for kurals 384, 514, and 771; Periyapuranam for kural 442; the
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
for kural 773; Tiruvaimoli for kurals 349 and 570; Mutthollayiram for kurals 576; and Tirukkovaiyar for kural 277. He also cites several Ancient Indian parables in places such as kurals 547, 899, 900, and 935. He cites the rules of the Tolkappiam in couplets 3, 402, 899, 960, and 1043. He also applies the Tolkappiam rules in kurals 86, 183, and 457, while in kural 863 he applies the rules of the
Nannool. While he extols Sanskrit literature in several places, there are also instances where he criticizes them (e.g., kural 961). In many places, Parimel cites other couplets of the Kural literature itself to explain a given couplet; examples include his explanations for couplets 135, 161, 263, 305, 457, 720, 755, 955, 971, and 972.
Parimel cites several works from the Sanskrit literature in his commentary. Like Valluvar, Parimel displays a good comprehension of the pan-Indian philosophies and employs them well across his writings. His understanding of the linguistic, literary, philosophical and religious ideas of the extra-Tamil domains can be seen in his elaborations to kurals 141, 501, 693, 890, and 1318. The Sanskrit works that separately deal with the ''dharma'', ''artha'', and ''kama'' aspects of the ''
Purushartha'' are appropriately mentioned across his commentary. For example, the ''dharma''-based Sanskrit works are cited in his commentary to couplet 240; ''artha''-based works in couplets 550, 663, 687, and 920; and ''kama''-based works both at the beginning and conclusion of Book III. There are also instances where the works that Parimel cites in his commentary could not be identified or presumed to be lost, such as his explanations to kurals 62, 392, 566, 732, 1058, and 1099.
Publication of the commentary
Of all the commentaries available of the Kural text, the Parimelalhagar commentary was the first to be published by modern printing technology and remains the widely published commentary to date. It was first analyzed, annotated and published by
Ramanuja Kavirayar
Ramanuja Kavirayar (1780, Ramanathapuram – 1853, Madras) was a Tamil savant and poet. Living in Madras, he dominated the world of Tamil letters and had several eminent Tamil scholars as his students.
Ramanuja Kavirayar pioneered the work of b ...
and came to print in 1840. This was followed by another commentary by
Tirutthanigai Saravanaperumal Aiyar, which was based on Parimel's original commentary. Murugesa Mudhaliyar published Parimel's commentary with explanations in 1885. The annotated Parimel's commentary by
Arumuka Navalar
Arumuka Navalar (; 18 December 1822 – 5 December 1879) was a Sri Lankan Shaivite Tamil language scholar, polemicist, and a religious reformer who was central in reviving native Hindu Tamil traditions in Sri Lanka and India.
Navalar's bir ...
, whose work came out in several editions, remains one of the best Parimel's commentary ever published. As of 2013, Perimelalhagar's commentary appeared in more than 200 editions by as many as 30 publishers.
Views about Valluvar
Parimelalhagar held Valluvar in high regards for upholding virtue incessantly throughout the work of the Kural. Parimel addresses Valluvar as ''Deiva Pulamai Thiruvalluvar'' (literally "divine philosopher Thiruvalluvar"). In what is known in the scholarly circle as his most famous quote on Valluvar, Parimel praises Valluvar in his commentary to couplet 322 thus: "It is Valluvar’s innate nature to select the best virtues said in all the known works and present them in a manner that is common and acceptable to everyone."
According to Jagannathan, Parimelalhagar believed that Valluvar authored the Kural text with his vast knowledge obtained after extensively studying several works, including numerous Sanskrit works of ancient times. This can be observed from Parimel's introduction to the main text of Kural's Book I, his commentary to couplets 662 and 1330, and his introduction to Book III of the Kural text.
Other works
Apart from his work on the Kural, Parimelalhagar has also written commentary on the
Sangam works of the ''
Paripaadal'' of the
Eight Anthologies
The Eight Anthologies, known as Eṭṭuttokai ( ta, எட்டுத்தொகை) or "Eight Collections" in the literature, is a classical Tamil poetic work that forms part of the Eighteen Greater Texts (''Patiṉeṇmēlkaṇakku'') antholo ...
series and ''
Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai
__NOTOC__
''Tirumurukātṟuppadai'' ( ta, திருமுருகாற்றுப்படை, meaning ''Guide to Lord Murugan'') is an ancient intensely devotional Tamil poem in the Sangam literature genre entirely dedicated to god ...
'' of the
Ten Idylls
The Ten Idylls, known as Pattuppāṭṭu ( ta, பத்துப்பாட்டு) or Ten Lays, is an anthology of ten longer poems in the Sangam literature – the earliest known Tamil literature. They range between about 100 and 800 lin ...
series. The old commentary on the Paripaadal is attributed to Parimel by
U. V. Swaminatha Iyer
Uttamadhanapuram Venkatasubbaiyer Swaminatha Iyer (19 February 1855 – 28 April 1942) was a Tamil scholar and researcher who was instrumental in bringing many long-forgotten works of classical Tamil literature to light. His singular efforts ...
, who published it. Scholars consider his commentary on the ''Paripaadal'' to be older than his commentary on the Tirukkural. Scholars such as Gopalakrishnamachariyar claim that the Parimelalhagar commentary on the ''Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai'' is written by a different poet of his namesake of a different period in time. Parimel praises poetess Kanthiar, who lived before his time, as ''Nanthidai Maduttha Kanthi''.
Reception
Parimelalhagar is considered the greatest commentator in the history of Tamil literature and has been praised by scholars down the ages. Medieval scholars praise him as the one who had expanded on Valluvar's original thoughts, as revealed from verse 1544 of the
Perunthogai
Perunthogai ( ta, பெருந்தொகை, literally "great anthology") is an anthology containing 2,214 ancient and medieval Tamil stand-alone poems. It was compiled in 1936 by M. Raghava Iyengar.
History
The Sangam Literature contains ...
. Several medieval verses, including verses 1543 and 1545–1548 of the Perunthogai, verse 41 of the Thondaimandala Sadhagam, a verse by
Umapathi Shivachariyar
Umapathi Shivachariyar (13th century–14th century CE) was a Tamil poet and scholar. It is from his writings that details about earlier poets, chiefly Parimelalhagar, have become known.
Works
Umapati Sivacharya celebrated the life of the Saivi ...
, Chapters 2–4 (verses 51, 52) of the Perunkathai, and the work of ''Abidhana Kosham'', praise Parimel and his work. Umapathi Shivachariyar holds Parimel's work on par with Valluvar's.
Many scholars consider Parimelalhagar's commentary to be highly exquisite that only learned intellectuals can completely grasp the subtleties found in his commentary. This led to several scholars writing more simplified commentaries to Parimel's exegesis in order to bring the work to the general audience. Some of these "commentaries to the Commentary" include ''Nunporulmaalai'' by
Thirumeni Rathna Kavirayar; the works of
Saravanaperumal Iyer, Murugesa Mudaliyar, and
Ramanuja Kavirayar
Ramanuja Kavirayar (1780, Ramanathapuram – 1853, Madras) was a Tamil savant and poet. Living in Madras, he dominated the world of Tamil letters and had several eminent Tamil scholars as his students.
Ramanuja Kavirayar pioneered the work of b ...
; and the explanatory notes by
K. Vadivelu Chettiar (1919), Arasan Shanmuganar, Krishnampettai K. Kuppusamy Mudaliar (1924), V. M. Gopala Krishnamacharya, and Chinnasamy Rajendran (2018). Parimel remains the most researched, most praised, and most criticized of all the medieval Kural commentators.
Parimel is equally praised by modern scholars, including
U. V. Swaminatha Iyer
Uttamadhanapuram Venkatasubbaiyer Swaminatha Iyer (19 February 1855 – 28 April 1942) was a Tamil scholar and researcher who was instrumental in bringing many long-forgotten works of classical Tamil literature to light. His singular efforts ...
,
S. Vaiyapuri Pillai
Rao Sahib Saravanapperumal Vaiyapuri Pillai (12 October 1891 – 17 February 1956) was a renowned lawyer and Tamil language, Tamil scholar. An advocate by profession, he edited and published several Tamil classics from original manuscripts. He is ...
,
T. P. Meenakshisundaram
Thenpattinam Ponnuswamy Meenakshisundaram (1901–1980), popularly known as Te Po Meenkshisunadaranar, was an Indian scholar, writer of Tamil and English literature and the founder vice chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University.
Life
Born on 8 J ...
, and
K. Appadurai Pillai.
George L. Hart
George Luzerne Hart, III (born c. 1942) is Professor Emeritus of Tamil language at the University of California, Berkeley. His work focuses on the classical Tamil language, Tamil literature and on identifying the relationships between the Tamil ...
regards Parimel's treatise on
yoga
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...
asanas
An asana is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and later extended in hatha yoga ...
as one of the purest literary works in Tamil.
Simon Casie Chetty
Simon Casie Chetty ( ta, சைமன் காசிச் செட்டி, translit=Caimaṉ Kācic Ceṭṭi; 21 March 1807 – 5 November 1860) was a Ceylonese civil servant, author and member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon.
Ear ...
, in his ''Tamil Plutarch'', mentions Parimel as a Tamil poet who is renowned mainly because of his commentary on the Tirukkural. He also states that although there are at least nine other known medieval commentaries, all of which are considered highly scholarly and of high literary value, Parimel's is regarded as the best of the ten. According to
P. S. Sundaram
P. S. Sundaram (1910–1998), born Pazmarneri Subrahmanya Sundaram, was an Indian professor of English, best known for translating the Tirukkural and various Tamil classics into English. He had degrees in English from the University of Madras an ...
, Parimel's commentary on the Kural is praised for his in-depth knowledge of both Sanskrit and Tamil, his acumen in detecting the errors of earlier commentators, and the fullness and brevity of his own commentary. Sundaram also hints that Parimel begins each chapter of the Kural in his commentary by citing a reason for its placement in the sequence by him. Scholars such as M. P. Srinivasan interpret Parimel's commentary to some of the Kural couplets (e.g., kurals 752 and 1045) as being picturesque in nature.
Parimel is criticised by some Dravidianists of the contemporary era for interpreting certain verses of the Kural text in a more
Brahmanical
The historical Vedic religion (also known as Vedicism, Vedism or ancient Hinduism and subsequently Brahmanism (also spelled as Brahminism)), constituted the religious ideas and practices among some Indo-Aryan peoples of northwest Indian Subco ...
way. According to Norman Cutler, Parimel interpreted the text in
Brahmanical
The historical Vedic religion (also known as Vedicism, Vedism or ancient Hinduism and subsequently Brahmanism (also spelled as Brahminism)), constituted the religious ideas and practices among some Indo-Aryan peoples of northwest Indian Subco ...
premises and terms in accordance with the cultural values of the commentator. He further says that Parimel's elegantly written interpretations have made his commentary a Tamil classic in itself and reflects both the cultural values and textual values of the 13th-to-14th-century Tamil Nadu and that Valluvar's text can be interpreted and maneuvered in other ways. Critics consider Parimel's way of defining ''aram'' (virtue) at the earlier parts of his work as flawed and denounce his explanations to couplets 37 and 501, accusing him of imbibing more ideas from the Sanskrit literature. Parimel is also criticized by scholars for the patriarchal opinions found in his commentary. Jagannathan, for instances, considers Parimel a product of his time, citing his male-centered explanations to kurals 61, 69, and 336.
The 20th-century commentaries of the Dravidian movement, which criticize Parimel's exegesis, are in turn criticized by scholars for being biased in their approach. For instance, Sami Thiagarajan, in his ''Thirukkural Urai Vipareetham'', points to these Dravidian commentaries as taking a distortive approach and seeking to stigmatise Parimel's commentary as espousing
varnashrama dharma
''Varṇa'' ( sa, वर्ण, varṇa), in the context of Hinduism, refers to a social class within a hierarchical caste system. The ideology is epitomized in texts like ''Manusmriti'', which describes and ranks four varnas, and prescribes ...
and giving importance to Sanskrit works. He further states that in the process of injecting rationalistic egalitarianism into interpretations of the Kural thoughts, these Dravidian renditions wrenched the Kural text out of its rich cultural, philosophical and spiritual underpinnings. According to him, this trend began in the 1920s, although
Pulavar Kulandhai's 1949 work is considered the first 'rationalist' Tirukkural commentary.
![IlangaiJayarajKuralClass_SideView](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/IlangaiJayarajKuralClass_SideView.jpg)
All these criticisms notwithstanding, Parimel's work remains an esteemed one to this day. Scholars opine that the content and structural integrity of the Kural literature remained unsullied over the centuries chiefly because of Parimelalhagar's commentary to the text. T. P. Meenakshisundaram stated that without the boat of Parimel's commentary, the import of the Kural text would not have made it to the modern era "past the dark seas of the intervening centuries". According to M. V. Aravindan, the novel perspectives found in Parimel's work are praiseworthy. In ''History of Tamil Literature'', C. Jesudasan says that Parimel's style is "in singularly clear and chaste Tamil" and adds that "Tiruvalluvar is fortunate in finding a commentator with such a keen perception". According to Mohan and Sokkalingam, the subtlety of the commentary is such that not a single word can be added or removed from it without tampering with its literary richness and clarity. M. Arunachalam considers the variations in Parimel's explanations as insignificant to the overall esteem of his commentary. E. Sundaramurthy, former vice chancellor of the
Tamil University
The Tamil University is a public state university located in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. It was established to provide higher research in the Tamil language.
Location
The university is situated in a campus of about , granted by the ...
, says that there is no avoiding Parimel because even those who disagree with Parimel require studying his commentary. According to K. Appadurai Pillai, no critiques of Parimel's work ever acted as a chisel that shaped the form of the rock (the "rock" here denoting Parimel's commentary for the Kural literature) but only remained as the waves that strike against the unshakeable bedrock. In the words of C. Rajendran, author of one of the simplified commentaries on Parimel's exegesis, while the Tirukkural is an "awe-inspiring mountain", Parimelalhagar is "a kindly guide who offers his hand to seekers to help them scale its peaks".
In popular culture
Parimelalhagar remains the most studied commentator in the history of Tamil literature, and his commentary remains the widely read among the commentaries on the Kural text. The commentary also remains the primary topic of interest in the discourses held on the topic of the Tirukkural. This also resulted in a resurgence in the publication of old commentaries written on Parimel's exegeses by various publishers.
See also
*
Ten Medieval Commentators
The Ten Medieval Commentators (Tamil: உரையாசிரியர்கள் பதின்மர்) were a canonical group of Tamil scholars whose commentaries on the ancient Indian didactic work of the Kural are esteemed by later schol ...
*
Commentaries in Tamil literary tradition
Commentaries to literary works remain one of the most important and telling aspects of the Tamil literary tradition. Commentaries to ancient Tamil works have been written since the medieval period and continue to be written in the modern era. Many ...
Citations
References
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Further reading
* M. Arunachalam (2005). ''Tamil Ilakkiya Varalaru, Padhinaindhaam Nootraandu''
istory of Tamil Literature, 15th century
* D. M. Vellaivaaranam (1983). ''Tirukkural Uraikotthu.'' Thiruppananthal Shri Kasimadam Publications.
{{authority control
Tirukkural
Tamil poets
Tirukkural commentators
Ten medieval commentators
Medieval Tamil poets
Tamil-language writers
Tamil scholars
Scholars of Hinduism
Scholars from Tamil Nadu
13th-century Indian scholars