An Analytical Study of Buddhist Philosophical Concept in Nāladiyār

Abstract

It is a matter of observation that even though studies have been carried out on the religious philosophies mentioned in Nāladiyār, which is one of the eighteen books (Pathinen kilkkanakku noolkal) originated in the Post Sangam period and have shown that they are based on Jain philosophy, It is noteworthy to note that Buddhist philosophical ideas are also prevalent in Nāladiyār. Buddhism is also one of the religions that hold a high position in Tamil literature, along with Jainism. Thus, Buddhist philosophies also influenced the literature of that era. The poems of that book reflect the multi-religious elements in Nāladiyār. The society in which Nāladiyār appeared had the primary aim of developing morality in people's life. Nāladiyār’s Venpā (kind of verse of four lines) clearly explain the principles of Buddhism. The idea that religion is one for those who have attained enlightenment and see the truths of religion through art is embodied in Nāladiyār. Nāladiyār also implies that those who examine the material truth with non-realistic knowledge will interpret it in accordance with their own religious philosophy. Thus, although Nāladiyār is identified as a Jain book with Jain religious theories, how does it contain the background for Buddhist religious ideas to spread and whether it can be classified as a public book are the research questions. The purpose of this study is to identify with examples the Buddhist philosophical principles expounded in Nāladiyār. It is also to confirm what is Nāladiyār’s foundational philosophy and, at the same time to identify other philosophical backgrounds in this book. This study follows a descriptive research approach and uses the book Nāladiyār as primary data and books, research articles, and online data related to Nāladiyār and Buddhist philosophy as secondary data.