கம்பராமாயணத்தில் உவமை நயத்தின் அறம்: தனிமனித, குடும்ப, அரசியல் மற்றும் ஆன்மீக விழுமியங்களின் மீதான ஓர் இலக்கிய மற்றும் மேலாண்மை ஆய்வு

The Ethics of Simile in Kambaramayanam: A Literary and Managerial Study of Individual, Family, Political, and Spiritual Values

Abstract

Kambaramayanam, composed by the Emperor of Poets (Kavi Chakravarthy) Kambar, stands not only as a monumental epic in the landscape of Tamil literature but also as a guide for living and a repository of management philosophies. This research paper, titled "The Ethics of Simile in Kambaramayanam," provides a comprehensive analysis of how the similes employed by Kambar function as ethical instruments to regulate society. Against the backdrop of Tolkappiyar's theories on similes (Uvamaiyiyal), this study explains how Kambar’s poetic genius establishes virtue (Aram) across four dimensions: Action (Vinai), Result (Payan), Form (Mei), and Nature/Color (Uru). The study is structured upon four primary pillars: individual discipline, the excellence of family relationships, political management, and spiritual pursuit. Specifically, Kambar emphasizes philanthropy through the river-water simile, domestic love through the body-and-soul simile, and political stability through the simile of a day without the sun. Furthermore, Kambar’s political ethics are compared with modern management theories such as Participatory Leadership and decision-making skills. This research also highlights environmental ethics through the scientific similes found in the Maricha Vadhai (Slaying of Maricha) chapter and war ethics through the Yuddha Kandam (War Canto). Although this grand epic of 12,000 verses emerged from a 12th-century social context, the primary objective of this study is to appreciate how its ethical values offer solutions to the global challenges of the 21st century..