நந்திக்கலம்பகமும் அறம்பாடுதல் உத்தியும்: தமிழ் இலக்கிய மற்றும் இலக்கண மரபில் ஓர் ஆய்வு

Nandikkalambakam and the Technique of Aram Paaduthal: A Study in Tamil Literary and Grammatical Tradition

Abstract

The literary concept of Aram Pāṭuthal (ethical or curse-like poetic invocation) in Nandikkalambakam has been the subject of scholarly debate. Some researchers argue that Aram Pāṭuthal is incompatible with the Tamil literary tradition and that such a technique is absent in Nandikkalambakam. This study re-examines those claims and argues that Aram Pāṭuthal has existed as a continuous literary tradition from the Sangam period to the present. The study compares the Ānanda Kuṟṟam found in Malaipaṭukaṭām and the satirical poems of Kāḷamēga Pulavar (Āṟṟār, Kayaṟṟāṟu, and Āṟumuka Maṅkalam) with the Aram Pāṭuthal found in Nandikkalambakam. It further examines the traditional belief in the transformative power of music—such as lighting lamps through Dīpamālai, invoking rain through Amṛtavarṣiṇi, charming serpents through Punnāgavarāḷi, and curing diseases through Ānanda Bhairavi—to argue that poetic utterances endowed with Aram were also believed to possess the power to bring about tangible consequences. The study concludes that Aram Pāṭuthal in Nandikkalambakam is not merely a mythical belief but a significant literary device deeply rooted in Tamil literary, cultural, and traditional thought.