Satthanar or Chithalai Satthanar ( ta, சாத்தனார் or சீத்தலைச் சாத்தனார், ''cītalai cāttanār'') was the

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 who composed the epic

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 ...

. A total of 11 verses of the

Sangam literature The Sangam literature (Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், ''caṅka ilakkiyam'';) historically known as 'the poetry of the noble ones' (Tamil: சான்றோர் செய்யுள், ''Cāṉṟōr ceyyuḷ'') connotes ...

have been attributed to Satthanar, including verse 10 of the

Tiruvalluva Maalai Tiruvalluva Maalai (Tamil: திருவள்ளுவ மாலை), literally 'Garland of Valluvar', is an anthology of ancient Tamil paeans containing fifty-five verses each attributed to different poets praising the ancient work of the ...

Etymology

Pronounced ''Sa-tha-naar,'' the name is derived from ( ta, சாத்து, ''sāttu'') meaning Buddhist monk. Applying this principle to the name Maturai Kulavāṇikan Cāttan, the author of Manimekalai, we see that the two appellations Maturai and Kulavanikan were prefixed to his name in order to distinguish him from another poet of Maturai with the same name and from a third who lived elsewhere. Several examples could be cited of this system of nomenclature which prevailed during the early days.

Biography

Satthanar hailed from a place known as Seerthandalai, later came to be known as Seethalai. He was a grain merchant at

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 ...

and hence came to be called "Koolavanigan". He was a contemporary of Cheran Senguttuvan and was believed to have practiced

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

. He has sung in praise of the Pandyan king Chittira Maadatthu Thunjiya Nanmaran in the Sangam work of Purananuru. Vaiyapuri Pillai sees him along with

Ilango Adigal Ilango Adigal ()() was a Jain monk and a poet, sometimes identified as a Chera prince. He is traditionally credited as the author of '' Cilappatikaram'', one of the Five Great Epics of Ancient Tamil literature. He is one of the greatest poets ...

as developing two divergent strands of the ''Chilampu'' legend that forms the basis for both Cilapatikaram and

. He is seen as an expert in both orthodox and heterodox systems of

Indian philosophy Indian philosophy refers to philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. A traditional Hindu classification divides āstika and nāstika schools of philosophy, depending on one of three alternate criteria: whether it believes the Veda ...

and as an advocate of

Buddhist philosophy Buddhist philosophy refers to the philosophical investigations and systems of inquiry that developed among various schools of Buddhism in India following the parinirvana of The Buddha and later spread throughout Asia. The Buddhist path combin ...

. It is seen that Maṇimekhalai was written after the

Tirukkural 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 ...

was composed, because there are two verses from the Tirukkural quoted in

Contribution to the Sangam literature

Satthanar composed the

and has authored 11 Sangam verses, including 3 in Natrinai, 5 in Agananuru, and 1 each in Kurunthogai, Purananuru, and

Citations

References

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sattanar, Sithalai Tamil philosophy Tamil poets Sangam poets Tiruvalluva Maalai contributors Indian male poets Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Buddhism amongst Tamils Tamil epic poets Epic poets

Etymology

Biography

Contribution to the Sangam literature

See also

Citations

References