Pal̲amol̲i Na̲n̲ūr̲u: Text, Transliteration and Translations in English Verse and Prose

Paḻamoḻi Nāṉūṟu is a treasure house of four hundred quatrains in Tamil that reveal the wisdom of the Ancient Tamils via their proverbs. It belongs to the group of ethical works like Tirukkuṟaḷ, Nāṉmaṇikkaṭikai, Nālaṭiyār and so on that are broadly called Nīti Nūlkaḷ belonging to the Patiṉeṇkīḻkkaṇakku corpus. It is gratifying to note that even in those ancient times the poet, Muṉṟuṟai Araiyaṉār had thought it fit to collect proverbs that were already in vogue rather than create some of his own or write an ethical treatise in verse. Most of these ethical works, if not all, have been attributed to Jain ascetics because some of the principles of Jainism lie scattered here and there in these works. However, there is no evidence of these literary works being propagandist. Written in a simple style they can be easily comprehended by the common man. Paḻamoḻi Nāṉūṟu, in recording the proverbs has become a document of history also. Thus, Muṉṟuṟai Araiyaṉār is a poet, a historian and an ascetic all rolled into one – a unique personality indeed.