Pari Perumal (c. 11th century CE), also known as Kaviperumal, 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 most 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, Kaalingar, Paridhi, and Parimelalhagar.
Pari Perumal hailed from Thenselhuvai in the Sethu country of the Pandya Kingdom. Scholars date his period between the second half of the 11th century and the first half of the 12th century CE [3] since he mentioned the work Vatsyayana (whose author also lived in the 11th century CE) at the beginning of his commentary of the third book of the Tirukkural. The Thondaimandala Sathagam, which mentions the names of all the ten medieval commentators, refers to Pari Perumal as "Kavi Perumal". A verse at the end of his commentary work indicates that Pari Perumal has also authored two other books, namely, Molhiyiyal (linguistics) and Kamanul (book of pleasure). [4] The verse also indicates that his home town is Thenselhuvai in Sethu Naadu under the Pondy zone. [5] The Perunthogai has a few verses about Pari Perumal. The Perunthogai verse 1539 indicates there were few commentators before Pari Perumal. [4]
Pari Perumal chronologically came after Manakkudavar among the medieval commentators. In writing his commentary on the Kural, he greatly followed Manakkudavar, elaborating only where necessary. There are many places where he uses Manakkudavar's commentary verbatim. It can be said that Pari Perumal revised Manakkudavar's work. The semblance of his work with that of Manakkudavar includes an introduction to all the three books of the Kural text, an explanation to each subdivision (Iyal), introduction to each chapter, and the ordering of the couplets within each chapter. [4] Following Manakkudavar's original division, Pari Perumal also divides Book III of the Kural text into five iyals attributed to the moods of five thinais, or divisions of the Sangam landscape, namely kurinji (mountainous landscape), mullai (forest and pastoral landscape), marudam (agricultural plains and valleys), neidhal (coastal landscape), and paalai (desert landscape). [6] Nevertheless, Pari Perumal's explanations also differ from those of Manakkudavar in many places. For instance, his commentary varies from that of Manakkudavar in couplets 1081, 1178, and 1195. He also refers to other early commentators besides Manakkudavar in places such as couplets 480 and 1116. [4]
Like other medieval commentators, Pari Perumal had an extraordinary command of both Tamil and Sanskrit. He quotes several Tamil and Sanskrit works across his commentary. [4] For instance, he cites the Tolkappiyam (verse 22 under the Meippaattiyal) in couplets 1126 through 1129 in the third book of the Kural text. [4] [7] At the beginning of the third book, he quotes on the sutras of the Tolkappiyam (verse 14 under the Kalaviyal) and the Iraiyanar Agapporul. [4] [8] In couplet 641, he cites verse 252 of the Purananuru. In couplet 687, he bases his elaboration on a verse from the Bharatha Venba. [4]
Pari Perumal was also well-versed in the Sanskrit works of Kamasutra and Arthasastra. In Chapter 51, which appears in the second book of the Kural text, he quotes the philosophies of Drona, Chanakya, Narada, Parashara, Vyadha Gita, and Uddhavacharya doctrines in couplets 503, 504, 505, 507, 508, and 510, respectively. He also narrates many stories in his commentary to explicate the meaning of the Kural couplets as in couplets 431, 432, 437, 439, and 440. He cites Vatsyayana's Kamasutra at the beginning of the third book of the Kural text. [4]
Pari Perumal also possessed excellent social and worldly knowledge. This is revealed in his explanations to couplets 522, 527, 529 and 530, where he describes the societal structure of his time. [4] Pari Perumal's analytical skills are revealed when he elaborates envoy in three different types, namely, primary, secondary, and tertiary. According to him, the primary envoys are those one who sense the situation and act, the secondary ones are those who acts according to instructed, and the tertiary ones are those who simply passes the message. [9] Like Paridhiyar, Pari Perumal employs storytelling in several places to explain the moral of a given Kural couplet. [7] This can be seen in his explanations to the couplets of the chapter on the correction of faults (Chapter 44) in Book II.
Verses 1540 and 1541 of the Perunthogai indicate that Pari Perumal's commentary was not accepted by the masses during his time. Nevertheless, Pari Perumal hints that without a holistic understanding of the essence of the Tirukkural, one's effort to delve deep into the work would be fruitless. [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 16 variations found in the ordering of the Kural couplets by Pari Perumal with respect to the commentary by Manakkudavar. Thus, Pari Perumal's commentary remains the closest resembling work to the Manakkudavar commentary.
Bhashya is a "commentary" or "exposition" of any primary or secondary text in ancient or medieval Indian literature. Common in Sanskrit literature, Bhashya is also found in other Indian languages such as Tamil. Bhashya 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 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. Considered one of the greatest works ever written on ethics and morality, 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.
Kaalingar, 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 text 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, 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.
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, 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.
Tirukkural, or the Kural, an ancient Indian treatise on common moralities, has been given by various names ever since its writing between the first century BCE and the 5th century CE. Originally referred to as Muppāl, perhaps as presented by its author Valluvar himself at the ruler's court, the work remains unique among ancient works in that it was not given any title by its author himself. All the names that the work is referred by today are given by later days' scholars over the millennia. The work is known by an estimated 44 names excluding variants, although some scholars list even more. E. S. Ariel, a French scholar of the 19th century who translated the work into French, famously said of the Kural 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.
The Book of Inbam, in full 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.
Nanpalūr Sirumēthāviyār was a poet of the Sangam period, to whom 3 verses of the Sangam literature have been attributed, including verse 20 of the Tiruvalluva Maalai.
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.
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