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Studies in Jainology, Prakrit
197
controversy among scholars over his religion, faith or sectarian denomination, on which, now, I propose to present some observations. Several scholars have so far put forth their views regarding Tiruvalluvar's religious faith, advancing reasons as per their convictions: Some say he was a Jain; a few others think he was a Buddhist; some others hold he was a Brahmin (Saivite/Vaisnavite); some keep him above any or all such sectration
denominations; and some just mark him as a great ecletic ethico-social reformer addressing mankind at large. As it is neither possible nor practical here to consider in detail the views of all scholars, I would cite one or two in each case representatively: Prof.A.Chakravarti Naynar tried to prove that Tiruvalluvar was a Jain Sage Elācārya, a disciple of Acarya Kundakunda; but Prof.S.Vaiyapuri Pillai simply said that he was of Jain faith. The Buddhist work Manimekhalai and also some modern scholars state that Tiruvalluvar had the real Buddhistic vision. This could be, perhaps, particularly keeping in view his verses such as on ‘Giving up Desire' (Tiukkural, Part-I, Ch.37). Prof.S.Krishna Svami Aiyangar quoting some verses in Kural and connecting them with the Manusmrti, the Mahābhārata, the Danacandrikā etc., concludes that the author of the Kural was Brahmanical in religion. C.Rajagopalachari, straightway rejecting Tiruvalluvar being claimed as Jain, finds him above all denominations, Prof.Meenaxisundaram, after much discussion on this point, concludes that the author of the kural refuses to be labelled. Prof.T.R.Sesha Aiyangar pointing out the poet-philosopher's particular qualities remarks: Valluvar resembles that other great ecletic weaver, the medieval reformer, Kabir, who spoke neither to any particular sect not to any one form of religion even, but to the whole of mankind.
But I for one, think that whatever could be the various regional and time-honoured meanings of the term valluvar, Tiruvalluvar must have been from the very beginning an intelligent child and sprouting poetic genius; he must have belonged to some For Private & Personal Use Only
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