Patiṉeṇkīḻkkaṇakku
Patiṉeṇkīḻkkaṇakku, translating to "eighteen shorter texts," is a significant collection within the Cankam literature of ancient Tamil. This compilation is categorized into three main types: a war poem, six akam (internal) genre poems, and eleven collections of maxims focused on conduct. The notable war poem, Kaḷavalināṟpattu, attributed to Poykaiyar, commemorates the Battle of Kalumalam involving the Cōḷa dynasty, marking an early contribution to war poetry. The six akam poems, composed primarily in venpa meter, explore themes of love and nature, with works attributed to various poets, each offering insights into the emotional landscape of Tamil culture.
Additionally, the eleven texts containing ethical maxims cover societal norms and personal conduct, with Tirukuṟaḷ recognized as the most distinguished example. This manual, consisting of 1,330 distichs, addresses ethics, governance, and love, reflecting the rich moral philosophy of the time. Alongside it, Nālaṭiyār, authored by Jain scholars, serves as another prominent collection of moral guidelines in Tamil literature. Together, these texts provide a fascinating window into the cultural and ethical frameworks of ancient Tamil society.
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Patiṉeṇkīḻkkaṇakku
Related civilizations: Pre-Aryan Dravidian civilization, India.
Date: 300-700 c.e.
Locale: India
Patiṉeṇkīḻkkaṇakku
Patiṉeṇkīḻkkaṇakku (pah-tee-NEHN-kihl-KAH-nah-kew), or the “eighteen shorter texts,” can be classified into three main types of works: a war poem, six poems of the akam (internal) genre, and eleven collections of maxims on conduct. The Patiṉeṇkīḻkkaṇakku is part of the canon of Cankam literature. The war poem, which develops the puram (external) genre, is called Kaḷavalināṟpattu, or “forty stanzas on the battleground,” and is ascribed to Poykaiyar. Dedicated to the Battle of Kalumalam, fought by King Cenkanan of the Cōḷa (or Chola) dynasty, this poem foreshadows later war poetry.
The work also contains six poems of the akam (internal) genre: Karnarpattu, or “forty stanzas on the rainy season,” ascribed to Maturai Kaṇṇaṉ Kuttanar; Aintiṇaiyeḻupatu, or “seventy stanzas about the five settings,” by Muvatiyar; Aintiṇaiyaimpatu, or “fifty stanzas about the five settings,” by Maran Poraiyanar; Tiṇaimoḷiyampathu, by Kaṇṇaṉ Centanar; Kainnilai, which probably means “five attitudes of conduct,” discovered as late as 1931, ascribed to Pullankatanar; and Tinaimalainurraimpathu, or “one hundred fifty stanzas on the garland of settings,” by Kanimetaviyar. Composed in venpa meter, a four-line stanza that has gained almost absolute supremacy in the twentieth century, these poems are not valued highly for their poetic merit but are known for their didactic and instructive content.
The remaining eleven texts are collections of maxims on ethical and social conventions formulating rules of private and public conduct. Of these, Tirukuṟaḷ (third or fourth century c.e.; English translation, 1987), a comprehensive manual of ethics, polity, and love, consisting of 1,330 distichs divided into 133 sections of 10 couplets each, is undoubtedly the most exceptional in its literary merits. Next to Tirukuṟaḷ, the most popular book of moral maxims in Tamil is Nālaṭiyār (n.d.; Naladiyar Four Hundred Quatrains in Tamil, 1893), composed by Jain authors.
Bibliography
Pope, G. U. A Tamil Poetical Anthology: Naladiyar, Four Hundred Quatrains in Tamil. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1893.
Sundaram, P. S. The Kural by Tiruvalluvar. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin, 1991.
Thani Nayagam, Xavier S. Landscape and Poetry: A Study of Nature in Classical Tamil Poetry. 2d ed. New York: Asia Publishing House, 1966.