சங்க இலக்கியங்களில் இந்திய அறிவுமரபுச் சிந்தனைகள்: இயற்கை, அறம், வாழ்வு

Thoughts on Indian Knowledge Traditions in Sangam Literature: Nature, Ethics, and Life

Abstract

The Indian Knowledge Tradition is a holistic scientific and philosophical system that integrates humanity, nature, society, morality, and spirituality. Tamil Sangam literature stands as an ancient and rich expression of this tradition. Viewing human life as inseparable from nature, these texts present the natural environment, human emotion, social morality, and political responsibility within a unified scientific and cultural framework.

Sangam poets have positioned nature as the center of life, Aram (virtue/ethics) as the foundation of social order, and life itself as a balanced human activity. The Thinai (landscape) system found in Sangam literature serves as a form of ecological knowledge that integrates land, time, and human experience. The five Thinais—ranging from Kurinji (mountains) to Paalai (arid lands)—express human emotions and social ethics in deep connection with the natural environment.

Furthermore, Aram is defined in Sangam literature as social knowledge that regulates human actions. The Akam (inner/love) and Puram (outer/public) literary traditions represent two dimensions of the Sangam philosophy of life; together, they propose a life of equilibrium.

This paper establishes that the thoughts embedded in the knowledge tradition of Sangam literature possess the power to offer alternative solutions to modern global issues, such as the ecological crisis, moral decay, and the quest for humanism. Through this, the study emphasizes that Sangam literature is not merely ancient literary evidence, but a living Tamil intellectual expression of the Indian Knowledge Tradition and a philosophical source contributing to global scientific and humanistic values.