Naaladiyar is a Tamil poetic work of didactic nature belonging to the Pathinenkilkanakku anthology of Tamil literature. This belongs to the 'post Sangam period corresponding to between 100 – 500 CE. Naaladiyar contains 400 poems, each containing four lines. Every poem deals with morals and ethics, extolling righteous behaviour.
There is an old Tamil proverb praising naaladiyar, which says, Naaladiyar and Thirukkural are very good in expressing human thoughts just as the twigs of the banyan and the acacia trees are good in maintaining the teeth. (ஆலும் வேலும் பல்லுக்குறுதி, நாலும் இரண்டும் சொல்லுக்குறுதி).
Naaladiyar was composed by Jain monks, who flourished in the Tamil country during the reign of the Kalabhras and delivers the didactic messages that are characteristics of the period. Written by Nalatiyar stresses the transient nature of life and youth.
Naaladiyar is unique in the employment of similes, which help to teach the moral codes using simple examples from daily life. The poem below explains how a calf in a herd finds its mother properly, the results of bad deeds will reach the doer even in next birth.
பல்லாவுள் உய்த்து விடினும் குழக்கன்று
வல்லதாம் தாய்நாடிக் கொள்ளலைத்- தொல்லைப்
பழவினையும் அன்ன தகைத்தேதற் செய்த
கிழவனை நாடிக்கொளற்கு.
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