c01225 - நீதிநெறி விளக்கம்

நீதிநெறி விளக்கம் belongs to the later didactic literature in Tamil. குமரகுருபரர் composed this work as per the wishes of king Thirumalai நாயக்கர் who ruled over Madurai. The ideals found in the poem are based on the ideals found in திருக்குறள்.

குமரகுருபரர் was born in திருவைகுண்டம். He could not speak till the age of five. He was taken to திருச்செந்தூர் where he gained the power of speach. He belongs to the seventeenth century.

There is an interesting story about his மீனாட்சி அம்மை பிள்ளைத்தமிழ். He sang each poem and explained its meaning in the Meenakshi temple in Madurai. The goddess was pleased with his work. She came in the form of the priest’s daughter, went straight to the king, took off his chain of pearls and put it around kumaragurubarar's neck and disappeared.

குமரகுருபரர் travelled widely. He went to Kasi and established a mutt there. He has written 16 works. In the invocation to நீதிநெறி விளக்கம் he sings about the impermanence of life. Because human life is impermanent, as long as we live, we should practise good and avoid evil.

A man should pursue education throughout his life. To begin with learning may be painful, but as we proceed, we feel happy. Education brings us worldly joys. It also leads us to salvation. Learning is the greatest wealth. However, if we cannot impart our learning to others, it remains useless. Even the creator lord பிரம்மா is not equal to an educated man; for Brahma creates bodies which decay. The creation of poets, on the other hand is immortal.

Riches are necessary for life. The world respects a rich man and disregards a poor man. Even if a rich man is miserly, he is adored. However, wealth is meaningless, when it is not shared. In fact, a poor man is preferred to a wealthy miser.

Efforts form the basis of success in life. Even if something looks impossible, we should persevere till the end. Even adverse fate can be overcome through honest effort. மார்க்கண்டேயன் was blessed with immortality because of his untiring efforts.

All of us keep doing something all the time; but some reap the fruit and some don't. To perform an act skillfully, one needs to be aware of the proper time and place for action. How do we accomplish something? We should work tirelessly; we should not worry about hunger or sleeplessness. We should not long for appreciation. We all know that empty vessels make the most noise but ‘நிறைகுடம் நீர்தளும்பல் இல்’.

Kumaraguruparar also talks of the life of sanyasis. They should control their senses. They should not care for tasty food or sound sleep. They must be compassionate. Fake sanyasis crave for fame.

Lord Murugan is the ultimate lord; he is worshipped in other forms, such as the mother, father and teacher.