Iraiyanar Akapporul and Sangam legend

Iraiyanar Akapporul is one of the most significant and early Tamil literary works dealing with the theory of classical Tamil love poetry. It occupies a distinctive place in the history of Tamil literature for its contribution to poetics, literary criticism, and cultural understanding of ancient Tamil love conventions. Closely linked with the Sangam legend, this text connects the post-Sangam period with the legendary tradition of the Tamil academies known as the Sangams and provides valuable insight into the continuity of Tamil literary culture.

Background and Authorship

The Iraiyanar Akapporul (literally meaning “The Divine Doctrine of Love”) is traditionally attributed to Iraiyanar, believed to be a manifestation of Lord Shiva in Tamil literary tradition. The accompanying commentary was written by Nakkīraṉār, an eminent poet and scholar who is also linked to the Sangam legend as a presiding poet of the Third Sangam held at Madurai.
Scholars generally place the composition of Iraiyanar Akapporul around the 7th or 8th century CE, during the post-Sangam or early medieval period. However, the text incorporates older concepts and poetic traditions inherited from the classical Sangam literature (circa 300 BCE – 300 CE).
The text, together with its detailed commentary, serves not only as a treatise on love poetry but also as a bridge connecting the classical age of Tamil literature with the evolving medieval scholastic and devotional era.

Structure and Content

The Iraiyanar Akapporul is composed in sixty verses, each dealing with theoretical aspects of Tamil love poetry (akam genre). The commentary by Nakkīraṉār, which is more extensive than the verses themselves, provides detailed explanations, examples, and interpretations drawn from earlier works, making it an indispensable resource for understanding ancient Tamil poetics.
The treatise primarily discusses the classification, conventions, and emotional states found in Tamil love poetry. It codifies poetic principles that had been practised by earlier poets of the Sangam period but had not yet been systematised.
Key concepts covered include:

• The five landscapes (tinai): Kurinji (mountains), Mullai (forests), Marutham (fields), Neythal (seashore), and Palai (desert) — each symbolising a different mood of love.
• The two main divisions of Tamil poetry: Akam (interior, dealing with love and emotions) and Puram (exterior, dealing with war, heroism, and public life).
• The use of symbolism and natural imagery to represent emotional states and moral values.
• The roles of the hero (talaivan), heroine (talaivi), and friends or messengers (tōḻi, vākai) in love narratives.

Through these frameworks, Iraiyanar Akapporul codified the poetic grammar and thematic conventions of Tamil akam poetry, serving as a foundational text for later literary criticism.

The Commentary of Nakkīraṉār

The commentary (urai) written by Nakkīraṉār is among the most celebrated in Tamil literary tradition. It transforms the short, dense aphorisms of Iraiyanar into a detailed exposition of literary theory.
Nakkīraṉār not only explains the verses but also provides historical anecdotes, mythological references, and examples from Sangam poems to substantiate his interpretations. His commentary discusses the evolution of Tamil poetry, poetic decorum (ilakkiya nilai), and the ethical dimensions of love and social behaviour reflected in classical literature.
The commentary is also significant for containing the earliest comprehensive narrative of the Sangam legend, which has profoundly influenced Tamil literary history and identity.

The Sangam Legend

The Sangam legend, as recorded in the commentary to Iraiyanar Akapporul, recounts the existence of three successive literary academies (Sangams) in ancient Tamilakam, held under the patronage of the Pandya kings of Madurai. These academies are said to have nurtured Tamil poets and scholars over thousands of years and to have produced the body of work known as Sangam literature.
According to the legend:

1. The First Sangam was held at Then Madurai (Southern Madurai), presided over by gods and sages including Lord Shiva, Agastya, and Murugan. It lasted for 4,440 years, during which early Tamil works were composed.
2. The Second Sangam was convened at Kapatapuram, attended by mortal poets and divine beings. This academy flourished for 3,700 years and saw the production of texts that were later lost in a great deluge.
3. The Third Sangam was established at Madurai, patronised by the Pandya kings. The extant Sangam literature such as Ettuthokai (Eight Anthologies) and Pathuppāṭṭu (Ten Idylls) are said to have originated during this period.

The Sangam legend thus provides a mythic framework for the historical evolution of Tamil literature, portraying it as a divine and unbroken tradition guided by gods and sages. It symbolises the sacredness and antiquity of Tamil learning and places Madurai at the centre of Tamil cultural identity.

Literary and Cultural Significance

The Iraiyanar Akapporul and its commentary serve as a bridge between the classical and medieval periods of Tamil literary development. Its importance lies in several key aspects:

• Codification of Poetic Tradition: It formalised the principles of Tamil love poetry, preserving the aesthetics and symbolic conventions of the Sangam period.
• Historical Continuity: By linking Tamil literary culture to the Sangam legend, it created a narrative of unbroken literary and cultural continuity.
• Foundation for Later Treatises: It influenced later Tamil grammatical and poetic works such as Tolkappiyam commentaries and medieval ilakkiya nūlgal (literary treatises).
• Myth and Identity: The Sangam legend, as embedded in this text, helped shape Tamil cultural pride and linguistic identity, highlighting the divine origin and antiquity of Tamil scholarship.