பதினெண் கீழ்க்கணக்கும் திருமாலும்: pathinenkilkanakku and Lord Vishnu

Abstract

Although the Pathinenkilkanakku works composed during the Post Sangam period mostly expound on ethical values for living, they also serve as historical records to understand the religious elements of contemporary society. They highlight the moral values and way of life of Tamils. Concepts from various religions including Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Jainism, and Buddhism are featured in these texts. The primary objective of this paper is to analyze the devotional thoughts and mythological records regarding Lord Vishnu, one of the Supreme Trinity. This study explains how invocation sections in ethical works like Naanmanikkadikai, Thirigadugam, and Inna Narpathu describe the radiant appearance of Lord Vishnu, and how love (Akam) works like Kar Narpathu and Thinaimalai Nootraimpathu record the worship of Mayon (Vishnu) by the people of the Mullai (pastoral) region. Furthermore, this paper explores how the stories of Vishnu's avatars, such as Vamana and Krishna, have been used as similes across these literary works.

Keywords

• Lord Vishnu
• Avatars
• Mythological Stories
• Aram
• Kadavul Vaazhthu
• Worship