Paridhi (c. 11th century CE), also referred to as Paridhiyaar, was a Tamil literary 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, Pari Perumal, Kaalingar, and Parimelalhagar.
Paridhi is also referred to as Parudhi in olden manuscripts. [3] From the works of Tudisai Kilar, Paridhi's home town is known to be Tirupparudhi Niyamam, a town located near Uloor, between Thanjavur and Orathanad in the present-day Tanjavur district, [4] where the presiding deity is Parudhiyappar (hence the name Parudhi). [5] He belonged to the Saivite sect of the Brahmin caste. He is believed to have lived around the 11th century CE. Kalpana Sekkilar claims that Paridhi lived around early 13th century. [4] : 9 He lived before Parimelalhagar. [4] Paridhi had a scholarly knowledge in Sanskrit and Tamil and possessed a good worldly knowledge. He is believed to have written the commentary in his old age. [6]
Paridhi belonged to the Saivite sect. [3] [6] This is evident from several usages he employed in his commentary. In the invocatory chapter of the Kural text, he explains the terms நற்றாள் (kural 2), இறைவன் பொருள்சேர் புகழ் (kural 5), and அறவாழி அந்தணன் (kural 8) as "the divine feet of Lord Shiva," "Shiva kirti," and "the virtuous ocean called Lord Parameshwara," respectively. In chapter "Not lying," he interprets the term எல்லா அறமுந் தரும் (Kural 296) as "obtaining the blessings of Lord Shiva." He employs the term "Shiva gyanam" in his explanation to kural 359. [3] In Kural 388, he elaborates the term மக்கட்கு இறை as "Lord Parameshwara, the saviour of the world". In Kural 310, he interprets the term துறந்தார் as "those who renounced from the body the ninety-six principles." He has also explained the term எண்குணத்தான் (Kural 9) in Shivite terms. [6]
Of all the ten medieval commentaries of the Kural text, Paridhi's commentary is the simplest in form and presentation. The commentary appears more or less in a colloquial style, without losing the beauty of the language and ease of comprehension. [6] It has more Sanskrit terms compared with other medieval commentaries. [7] In some places, it appears like a discourse in written form. Yet in some other places, the explanation is shorter than the Kural couplet upon which it elaborates. In still other places, the commentary appears long winded. [6] According to Dhandapani Desikar, "connecting and integrating the meaning of the Kural couplets by means of Paridhi's commentary is analogous to crossing the Cauvery by means of a rope bridge." [5]
For Kural couplets 161, 166, 167, 191, and 194, Paridhi's commentary is similar in meaning to that of Kaalingar. For couplet 1126, it strikes a similarity with that of Parimelalhagar. [6] Paridhi employs storytelling and folklores in several places to elucidate the meaning of a given Kural couplet, as in his explanation to kural 320. [3] [8] In instances such as kural 58, he cites epics such as the Silappathikaram. [3] Paridhi categorizes the chapters of Book I as Good, Moderate, and Bad, thus classifying the virtues and vices described by the Kural text in accordance with human behaviours. [9] He uses simply language and focuses solely on getting the point across to common audience, without employing complicated grammatical constructions or showing eloquence. [8]
The following table depicts the variations among the early commentators in ordering, 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 |
Comparing the verse ordering by various ancient commentators with that of Manakkudavar, the first of the ancient commentators whose commentary is available, it can be reckoned that Paridhi's commentary follows closely Manakkudavar's, save for a few variations. The modern chapters 10, 13, 17, 18, and 19 appearing under the subsection "Domestic virtues" of the Kural text appear as chapters 26, 27, 30, 31, and 32, respectively, under the subsection "Ascetic virtues" in Manakkudavar's commentary. Similarly, the modern chapters 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, appearing under the subsection "Ascetic virtues" appear as chapters 19, 20, 10, 16, 17, 18, respectively, under the subsection "Domestic virtues" in Manakkudavar's work. Nevertheless, being the earliest available commentary of the Tirukkural, Manakkudavar's work is considered to bear the closest semblance with the original work of the Kural text by Valluvar.
The following table shows the numbering of variations found in the ordering of the Kural verses by various ancient commentators with respect to the commentary by Manakkudavar.
| Commentator | Number of variations in verse ordering |
|---|---|
| Pari Perumal | 16 |
| Paridhi | 20 |
| Kaalingar | 171 |
| Parimelalhagar | 120 |
According to M. V. Aravindan, Paridhi's commentary was first published in 1935. [4] S. Meiyappan records that the commentary was published again in 1938 by Thudisai Kilar. [4] C. Dandapani Desikar, who published Tirukkural Uraivalam, a compendium of early Kural commentaries including that of Paridhi, said that the palm-leaf manuscript for Paridhi's commentary was provided by V. R. Deivasikamani Goundar. [4] : 9 Paridhi's commentary is unavailable for 22 couplets. [4] Of the available commentaries for the remaining 1308 couplets, the commentary differs from other medieval commentaries in 21 places. [4]
Following the Purushartha elements from the Indian religious schools of thoughts, Paridhi went on to write an exegesis for the Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai, one of the works of the Ten Idylls, after completing his Kural exegesis. [4] : 9–10 Following Paridhi, Parimelalhagar and Nacchinarkkiniyar also wrote commentaries to Tirumurugarttrupadai. [4] : 10
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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
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,[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.
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.
Mamulanar was a poet of the Sangam period, to whom 31 verses of the Sangam literature have been attributed, including verse 8 of the Tiruvalluva Maalai.
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.
The dating of the Tirukkural, and by extension the period of its author Valluvar, has been a subject of intense debate among scholars for centuries, and it continues to remain so. The Kural is variously dated between 300 BCE and 5th century CE. According to Blackburn, the "current scholarly consensus" dates the text and the author to approximately 500 CE. The Tamil Nadu government has ratified 31 BCE as the year of birth of Valluvar. Still the precise date as to when Valluvar completed writing the Kural text remains murky. This article speaks about various dates arrived at by various scholars over time.
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.
