Muthumozhikkanchi (Tamil: முதுமொழிக்காஞ்சி) is a
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, na ...
poetic work of
didactic
Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is an emerging conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need t ...
nature belonging to the
Eighteen Lesser Texts
The Eighteen Lesser Texts, known as the Patiṉeṇkīḻkaṇakku ( ta, பதினெண்கீழ்கணக்கு) in the literature, is a collection of eighteen poetic works mostly created during the 'post Sangam period' (between 100 ...
(''Pathinenkilkanakku'') anthology of
Tamil literature
Tamil literature has a rich and long literary tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution. Contributors to the Tamil literature are mainly from T ...
. This belongs to the 'post
Sangam period' corresponding to between 100 and 500 CE. ''Muthumozhikkanchi'' contains 100 poems written by the poet
Mathuraikkoodalaar Kilaar who must have lived in
Madurai
Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration i ...
.
The poems of ''Muthumozhikkanchi'' are divided into ten groups of ten poems each and employs simple poetic style to enable the lay person to understand the messages. All the poems start with the same phrase - ஆர்கலி உலகத்து மக்கட் கெல்லாம் ("For all the people of this world") as a preface and the rest of the first line qualifies the characteristic dealt by the rest of the ten lines of the section.
In the following poem, the excellence (சிறந்தன்று) of righteous behaviour and chastity are found in the second and third lines:
ஆர்கலி உலகத்து மக்கட் கெல்லாம்
ஓதலில் சிறந்தன்று ஒழுக்கம் உடைமை,
காதலில் சிறந்த ன்று கண் அஞ்சப்படுதல்.
References
* Mudaliyar, Singaravelu A., Apithana Cintamani, An encyclopaedia of Tamil Literature, (1931) - Reprinted by Asian Educational Services, New Delhi (1983)
* http://tamilnation.org/literature/
* http://tamilnation.org/literature/pathinen/pm0025.pdf ''Muthumozhikkanchi'' eText at
Project madurai
Project Madurai (மதுரை தமிழ் இலக்கிய மின்தொகுப்புத் திட்டம்) is an open and voluntary initiative to publish free versions of ancient Tamil literature on the Internet. Te ...
Sangam literature
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