Kaalingar (c. 12th century CE), also known as Kalingarayar, was a Tamil scholar and commentator known for his commentary on the Thirukkural . [1] He was among the canon of Ten Medieval Commentators of the Kural text highly esteemed by scholars. [2] He was also among the five ancient commentators whose commentaries had been preserved and made available to the Modern era, the others being Manakkudavar, Pari Perumal, Paridhi, and Parimelalhagar.
Kaalingar was born in Kaalingarayar tribe around the end of 12th century CE and was a farmer, soldier, and a physician. [3] His commentary to the Kural chapter on fortification (Chapter 75) and other war-related chapters are rife with information about battlefield, which hints his military background. It is also believed that he might have migrated from the Kalinga country and hence known by the name. [4] He is believed to have lived around the 12th century CE. [3] Kaalingar had great respect for Valluvar and referred to him as "Lord Valluvar" in his work. [3] He is believed to have published his commentary around 1225 CE. [4]
Similar to the commentaries by Paridhiyar, Pariperumal, and Mallar, Kaalingar's commentary is believed to have been originated in the Kongu Region. [5]
Kaalingar is believed to have been a follower of Jainism. [3] This is evident by his explanations given to Kural couplets 377 and 580. [3]
Kaalingar's commentary on the Kural text is believed to have been considered the greatest commentary before the appearance of Parimelalhagar’s work. [3] He quotes several older works in his commentary, which serves as a proof to his erudition. [3] Kaalingar's commentary is known for its grammatically pure writing and usage of High Tamil vocabulary that appealed to the reader. [3] The commentary is devoid of complex phraseology or intricate meanings. [4] He provides the lexical meaning of terms wherever necessary. [4] Unlike Manakkudavar and Pari Perumal, Kaalingar has followed the Tiruvalluva Maalai for subdividing the Kural books of Aram, Porul, and Inbam. [3] At the end of each chapter, he introduces and connects the theme of the chapter that follows. [3] However, he refrains from describing the meaning of the title of chapters. [3]
In his commentary, Kaalingar, like the other Medieval commentators, makes several changes to the chapter arrangements and the order of Kural couplets within each chapter. [6] He gives the justification for his arrangement of the Kural chapters at the end of each chapter. [6] For example, in Book III of the Kural (the Book of Love), Kaalingar's arrangement varies in three places. [6] He makes several comparisons between various Kural couplets in numerous places throughout his work. [3] He gives an altogether new meaning and explanation for couplets 510, 517, 593, 614, and 1050. [4] His commentary is similar to Paridhi's in couplets 161, 163, 167, and 1313. [4] In Book III, his commentary resembles Pariperumal's in a couple of places. [4] He also quotes from other classics such as the Naladiyar, Purananuru, Jivaka Chinthamani, and Tolkappiyam. [3]
In several places, Kaalingar's commentary appears like a teacher's elaborative reply to his or her student's questions. [3] [7] R. Mohan and Nellai N. Sokkalingam attribute this to the era in which Kaalingar's commentary appeared in the Tamil literary tradition. [7] According to them, when commentaries first began to appear in the Tamil literary world, they appeared predominantly in the contemporary spoken dialect, often resembling the conversations between a preceptor and a disciple since most of the commentators who wrote the earliest commentaries, including Kaalingar, were scholars who taught students on those subjects. [7]
One of the characteristic features of Kaalingar's commentary is an abstract of the forthcoming chapter found in every chapter usually at the end of the chapter, after the final verse. Parimelalhagar adopts this method in his commentary and writes the abstract of the respective chapter at the beginning of each chapter. [8] Kaalingar also explains difficult terms used by Valluvar by giving their meanings wherever necessary. [3] In all, he lists the meaning of 241 terms used by Valluvar, including 54 in Book I, 175 in Book II, and 12 in Book III. This way, he explains 166 couplets, including 36 in Book I, 118 in Book II, and 12 in Book III. [9]
The titles of Chapters 110, 111, 118, and 127, all in Book III, appear with slight variations in Kaalingar's commentary from that of Parimelalhagar's. [4] Couplets 1198 and 1210, both in Book III, are kept in different chapters within the book in Kaalingar's commentary. [4]
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 Parimelalhagar, which had been followed unanimously for centuries ever since, has now been accepted as the standard structure of the Kural text.
| Kural verse beginning | Couplet ordering | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manakkudavar's | Pari Perumal's | Paridhi's | Kaalingar's | Parimelalhagar's | |
| Kural 1: அகர முதல எழுத்தெல்லாம் | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kural 2: கற்றதனால் ஆய பயன் | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Kural 3: மலர்மிசை ஏகினான் மாணடி | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Kural 4: வேண்டுதல் வேண்டாமை இலான் | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Kural 5: இருள்சேர் இருவினையும் சேரா | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Kural 6: பொறிவாயில் ஐந்தவித்தான் | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Kural 7: தனக்கு உவமை இல்லாதான் | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 7 |
| Kural 8: அற ஆழி அந்தணன் | 5 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Kural 9: கோளில் பொறியில் குணமிலவே | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 9 |
| Kural 10: பிறவிப் பெருங்கடல் நீந்துவர் | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
It is found that there are as many as 171 variations found in the ordering of the Kural couplets by Kaalingar with respect to the commentary by Manakkudavar.[ citation needed ]
The palm-leaf manuscript containing Kaalingar's commentary was first published independently by both Thiruvenkatavan University and T. P. Palaniyappa Pillai in 1945. [4] Pillai obtained a copy of the manuscript then found at Annamalai University library. [4]
Thiruvalluvar, commonly known as Valluvar, was an Indian poet and philosopher. He is best known as the author of the Tirukkuṟaḷ, a collection of couplets on ethics, political and economic matters, and love. The text is considered an exceptional and widely cherished work of Tamil literature.
Bhashya is a "commentary" or "exposition" of any primary or secondary text in ancient or medieval Indian literature. Common in Sanskrit literature, Bhashyas are also found in other Indian languages such as Tamil. Bhashyas are found in various fields, ranging from the Upanishads to the Sutras of Hindu schools of philosophy, from ancient medicine to music.
Parimelalhagar, sometimes spelled Parimelazhagar, born Vanduvarai Perumal, was a Tamil poet and scholar known for his commentary on the Thirukkural. He was the last among the canon of ten medieval commentators 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 others being Manakkudavar, Pari Perumal, Kaalingar, and Paridhi. Of all the ancient commentaries available of the Kural literature, Parimelalhagar's commentary is considered by scholars as the best both in textual and literary aspects. The codification of the writings of Valluvar 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.
The Tirukkuṟaḷ, or shortly theKural, is a classic Tamil language text on commoner's morality consisting of 1,330 short couplets, or kurals, of seven words each. The text is divided into three books with aphoristic teachings on virtue (aram), wealth (porul) and love (inbam), respectively. It is widely acknowledged for its universality and secular nature. Its authorship is traditionally attributed to Valluvar, also known in full as Thiruvalluvar. The text has been dated variously from 300 BCE to 5th century CE. The traditional accounts describe it as the last work of the third Sangam, but linguistic analysis suggests a later date of 450 to 500 CE and that it was composed after the Sangam period.
Tirukkural remains one of the most widely translated non-religious works in the world. As of 2014, there were at least 57 versions available in the English language alone. English, thus, continues to remain the language with most number of translations available of the Kural text.
Manakkudavar was a Tamil scholar and commentator known for his commentary on the Tirukkural. His is the earliest of the available commentaries on the Kural text, and hence considered to bear closest semblance with the original work by Valluvar. He was among the canon of Ten Medieval Commentators of the Kural text most highly esteemed by scholars. He was also among the five ancient commentators whose commentaries had been preserved and made available to the modern era, the others being Pari Perumal, Kaalingar, Paridhi, and Parimelalhagar.
Pari Perumal, 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 scholars. He was also among the five ancient commentators whose commentaries had been preserved and made available to the Modern era, the others being Manakkudavar, Kaalingar, Paridhi, and Parimelalhagar.
K. Vadivelu Chettiar (1863–1936) was a Tamil scholar of the early twentieth century. He is best known for his exegesis on the Parimelalhagar's commentary to the Tirukkural.
Paridhi, 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 scholars. He was also among the five ancient commentators whose commentaries had been preserved and made available to the Modern era, the others being Manakkudavar, Pari Perumal, Kaalingar, and Parimelalhagar.
Dharumar was a Tamil poet, 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 modern scholars. His work, however, has been lost along with other four ancient commentators, namely, Dhamatthar, Nacchar, Thirumalaiyar, and Mallar. He was also one of the three ancient commentators of the Naladiyar.
Nacchar, also known as Nakkar, was a Tamil poet, 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 modern scholars. However, his work has been lost along with other four ancient commentators, namely, Dhamatthar, Dharumar, Thirumalaiyar, and Mallar.
Thirumalaiyar was a Tamil poet, 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 modern scholars. His work, however, has been lost along with other four ancient commentators, namely, Dhamatthar, Nacchar, Dharumar, and Mallar.
Mallar was a Tamil poet, 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 modern scholars. His work, however, has been lost along with other four ancient commentators, namely, Dhamatthar, Nacchar, Thirumalaiyar, and Dharumar.
The Ten Medieval Commentators were a canonical group of Tamil scholars whose commentaries on the ancient Indian didactic work of the Kural are esteemed by later scholars as worthy of critical analysis. These scholars lived in the Medieval era between the 10th and 13th centuries CE. Among these medieval commentaries, the commentaries of Manakkudavar, Kaalingar, and Parimelalhagar are considered pioneer by modern scholars.
The Book ofAṟam, in full Aṟattuppāl, also known as the Book of Virtue, the First Book or Book One in translated versions, is the first of the three books or parts of the Kural literature, a didactic work authored by the ancient Indian philosopher Valluvar. Written in High Tamil distich form, it has 38 chapters each containing 10 kurals or couplets, making a total of 380 couplets, all dealing with the fundamental virtues of an individual. Aṟam, the Tamil term that loosely corresponds to the English term 'virtue', correlates with the first of the four ancient Indian values of dharma, artha, kama and moksha. The Book of Aṟam exclusively deals with virtues independent of the surroundings, including the vital principles of non-violence, moral vegetarianism,[a] veracity, and righteousness.
Tiruvalluva Malai is an anthology of ancient Tamil paeans containing fifty-five verses each attributed to different poets praising the ancient work of the Kural and its author Tiruvalluvar. With the poets' time spanning across centuries starting from around 1st century CE, the collection is believed to have reached its present form by 10th century CE. With the historical details of the ancient philosopher and his work remaining obscure, much of the legend on the Kural and Tiruvalluvar as they are known today are chiefly from this work. The collection also reveals the name of the author of the Kural text as 'Tiruvalluvar' for the first time, as Tiruvalluvar himself composed the Kural text centuries earlier without indicating his name anywhere in his work. Reminiscing this, E. S. Ariel, a French scholar of the 19th century, famously said of the Tirukkural thus: Ce livre sans nom, par un autre sans nom.
The Book of Poruḷ, in full Poruṭpāl, also known as the Book of Wealth, Book of Polity, the Second Book or Book Two in translated versions, is the second of the three books or parts of the Kural literature, authored by the ancient Indian philosopher Valluvar. Written in High Tamil distich form, it has 70 chapters each containing 10 kurals or couplets, making a total of 700 couplets all dealing with statecraft. Poruḷ, which means both 'wealth' and 'meaning', correlates with the second of the four ancient Indian values of dharma, artha, kama and moksha. The Book of Poruḷ deals with polity, or virtues of an individual with respect to the surroundings, including the stately qualities of administration, wisdom, prudence, nobility, diplomacy, citizenship, geniality, industry, chastity, sobriety and teetotalism, that is expected of every individual, keeping aṟam or dharma as the base.
Iṉbattuppāl, or in a more sanskritized term Kāmattuppāl, also known as the Book of Love, the Third Book or Book Three in translated versions, is the third of the three books or parts of the Kural literature, authored by the ancient Indian philosopher Valluvar. Written in High Tamil distich form, it has 25 chapters each containing 10 kurals or couplets, making a total of 250 couplets all dealing with human love. The term inbam or kamam, which means 'pleasure', correlates with the third of the four ancient Indian values of dharma, artha, kama and moksha. However, unlike Kamasutra, which deals with different methods of lovemaking, the Book of Inbam expounds the virtues and emotions involved in conjugal love between a man and a woman, or virtues of an individual within the walls of intimacy, keeping aṟam or dharma as the base.
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 ancient Tamil works continue to remain in comprehension chiefly due to exegesis or commentaries written on them. The most famous examples of such works are the Tolkappiyam and the Tirukkural, with the latter remaining the most reviewed work in the Tamil literature.
Tirumeni Rathna Kavirayar, known in full as Tirumeni Kaari Rathna Kavirayar, was a 16th-century Tamil scholar. He is known for his work Nunporul Maalai, a commentary on Parimelalhagar's commentary to the Kural text. His work is also the first in the series of commentaries appearing on Parimelalhagar's Kural commentary, known in the scholarly circle as uraikku urai.
