Part 3
Naladiyar’s principle on wisdom and discipline :-
Life and wealth is not permanent. So one should do good
activities/charities in any place at any time. Spend life useful
to others like sugar-cane juice. Should earn money in
righteous way and distribute that among others.
Knowledgeable people’s friendship is like eating bottom of the
sugar cane and friendship of persons not having good
character and love is like eating top portion of the sugar cane.
Salt made in sodic soil is equally valuable to paddy grains. One
should not differentiate humans as higher and lower from
their birth. Wherever they born educated people are the best
humans. People receive respect through their wisdom and
virtue only. (Naladiyar133)
The enmity of people who lack knowledge is better than their
friendship. Disease which can not be cured by any medicine is
cruel. It is better to criticise the person than praise him with
qualities which he didn’t have. These are some of the moral
points in Naladiyar through which it educate people.
Later moral books
After thirukkural also many books on ethics were written.
Avvaiyar’s Athichudi, kondraivendhan, Moodurai, Nalvazhi
are moral books. After her time so many books on ethics were
written. Vetriverkai, Nidhineri vilakkam, Aranericharam,
Needhi venba are some of them. Following Avvaiyar’s
athichudi, Bharathiyar and Bharathidasanar wrote pudiya
athichudi and they are included in school curriculum.
Ethics from Nannul
Nannul is grammer book like Tholkappiyam and was written
by sage pavanandhi. There are 2 chapters, Ezhuthu and sol in
this book. In poduppayiram it explains about good teacher,
bad teacher, good students, bad students, how to teach and
how to learn.
Quality of a good teacher
Teacher should be graceful, have gained knowledge through
books, and should have commanding knowledge and teaching
ability to teach and the subjects to students.
Shortcomings of bad teacher
Those who can not explain in easy manners to students, have
despicable qualities/characters, jealous of students
knowledge, miser, misleader, creating fear in student’s mind
are not fit for teaching profession.
Qualities of a good teacher
Those who have the nature of avoiding bad and pursuing
good, grabbing the teachings of the teacher and memorising it
many times are the best students.
Repeating what they learned from the teacher are better
students.
Those who forge the teachings of teacher, have wavering mind
and not concentrating on teacher’s words, torturing teacher
to understand lessons, forgetting wise points in the lessons
and following bad things in the lessons are least of students.
Characters of those who can not become students
Those who are having following characters can never become
students - consume liquor, lazy human being, proud humans,
having interest in sex, thieves, patients, those who sleeps
longer, angry person, wisdom less person, those who afraid of
old books, not having fear of danger, doing bad things, telling
lies.
Relationship between student and teacher’s
The relationship between the students and relationship
should be like feeling warmth near the fire, not too close and
not too far. To learn and to be learned this type of relationship
is needed is the opinion of Nannul.(poduppayiram 25)
Dignity of books
The dignity/pride/ purpose of the books is to remove
ignorance and doubts in the mind and to improve knowledge
of the humans.
Way of learning
According to nannul, instead of one time, one should study
many times to get full knowledge. If we grab teachings of
teacher we get (quarter) one fourth knowledge only, if we
discuss that with other student we will get another one fourth
knowledge and if we explain it to other students and infront of
scholars we will get the whole knowledge.
To differentiate fiction and reality what one learned from the
books, think again and again about the lessons learned,
compare the information heard, share these with teacher,
move with the intelligent students, clear doubts through
discussions are the way to be educated according to nannul.
Silappathikaram and Manimekalai
Considered as a number one epic of Tamil language,
silappathikaram excellently registered Tamil culture and life
style. The main character of silappathikaram kovalan and
kannaki were living in Poompuhar city. Kovalan learned so
many arts and had good principles.
Long back Kovalan’s ancestors were helpless and suffered in
the centre of a sea as their ship was wrecked. During that time
a goddess named Manimekala in Manipallava island helped
them.To show the gratitude, during the naming ceremany of
his and Madhavi’s daughter, he named the child as
Manimekalai. By this incident we came to know about
Kovalan’s good character.
Kovalan rescued an elder man from an elephant
Kovalan rescued an elder man from the elephant as kind
knight, he united separated husband and wife and gave them
huge wealth as a rich, he consoled the people who lost their
son as a family member. Eventhough he had good qualities in
him, he left his wife Kannaki and lived with a prostitute
named Madhavi. When he lost his ancestral wealth, he
returned to Kannagi and along with her and her anklet he left
Poompuhar in search of new life.
When they were with Maduri in Madurai he realised his
mistake, was feeling
sorry and was lamenting to Kannagi that
"I gave you tough time by making you walking on stones in the
forest. I gave sorrow to parents also. Wandered with useless
people and lechers and was defamed by others. Is there any
salvation to me who ignored advices from good people? I
didn’t do my duties to my parents and I also gave sorrow to
you” And he was feeling sorry and also said that he was moved
with useless people and prostitutes and lost his precious
wealth because of them. Kannaki also criticized him that he
did disgraced act.
Kovalance’s disgraceful behaviour got a blame on him as a
thief and also took his life. Kovalan’s confession cleared that
taking birth in a good family or having wealth will not save
one whose conducts are bad. His misconductruined his family.
His parents took renunciation. Madhavi immolated herself.
Kavindi adigal sacrified his life. Took Pondyan’s life and
burned Madurai with fire. Ilango Adigal ascertained through
Kovalaqn character that individual misconduct will ruin the
society.
King’s justice
Silambu tells many moral opinions but in Vazhakkurai kathai
it registers the Tamil king’s honour and justice. Kovalan was
killed as he had been mistook as a thief of queen’s anklet.
When Kannagi knew about this, she came to the court and
proved the innocence of Kovalan with proof. When Pandiyan
realised his mistake, ‘he said that I am not a king and I am a
thief’ and killed himself. When chera king heard this news he
praised Pandya king. With this we can learn about the justice
of ancient kings.
If there is scarcity of rains, if the people do wrong things the
blame will be on kings only. King’s duty is to protect the
citizen from hunger and disease, and kings feared to get the
title of tyrant. (Silappathikaram)
Manimekalai speaks about Justice done by kings. When
Udayakumaran followed Manimekalai, he was killed by
Kanchanan who was husband of Kayasandikai. When
Udayakumaran’s father heared this he said that slack of
security by king is like lack of penance by sages and lack of
chastity by women. To give justice to a cow my ancesteor
Manu neethi chozhan sacrificed his son. Burn Udayakumaran
before the news of his misconduct reach the ears of other
kings.
Charity is to give basic needs of human beings like food,
shelter and clothes. (Manimekalai227-230)
The main concept of Manimekalai is ‘the reason behind the
crimes happening in the world is due to hungry only and by
eradicating hungry can stop crimes.’ Kovalan who was
equivalent to king ruined himself and his relatives due ti his
misconduct. Manimekalai who was described as a daughter of
a prostitute, attained greatness, nurtured the country and got
a name as a heroine of the epic.
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