LATER DIDACTIC LITERATURE - A GENERAL INTRODUCTION

The organisation of society is the basis of life on earth. Society is made up of people. Every man has his own characteristics; and his actions are a reflection of his character. The actions of men, should in general, be beneficial to mankind. If they are selfish, they are likely to cause problems. To ensure the smooth functioning of society, our forefathers laid down certain codes of conduct in the form of didactic writings.

There are several didactic works in Tamil. பதினெண்கீழ்க்கணக்கு, consists of eleven such works. You would have studied them in the earlier section of this course. This section comprises the later didactic works (twenty in number), not found in பதினெண்கீழ்க்கணக்கு. You may wonder -- what is the need for more didactic works when there is already a collection called பதினெண்கீழ்க்கணக்கு.

The works listed in பதினெண்கீழ்க்கணக்கு were written before the 6th century. They were studied by people who lived up to the 12th century. Those who came later needed simpler and shorter works.

Several temples were built in Tamil Nadu during the 12th century. Around this time, monasteries also sprang up and functioned as centers of learning. Religion and education therefore became interrelated. Hence, there arose a need for didactic works which were simple and short.

The Saint - poetess Avvaiyar, sang verses in praise of Saivaite gods. At the same time there appeared literary works related to Jainism. There is a possibility that these works were written to be taught in schools established by Jain monks. Apparently they were written as alternatives to Avvaiyar's Saivaite works.

The didactic works included in பதினெண்கீழ்க்கணக்கு were all written in the 'Venba' metre. The twenty works collected under the title "Later Didactic Literature" belong to different periods between the 12th and 20th centuries. They are different from one another in form and structure.

Our forefathers laid down certain ethical rules of conduct in the form of didactic literature, as a guide for men to lead virtuous lives. Later didactic works which were simpler, also dealt with various requisites for virtuous living.

This lesson serves as an introduction to twenty didactic works, of which eleven are dealt with in detail here, and the rest in the subsequent lessons.