Inner Ethical Norms (Akam Traditions) in Thiruvasagam

திருவாசகத்தில் அகச்சிந்தனை ஒழுக்கக் கூறுகள்

Abstract

The ethical codes of inner life (Akam) as outlined in Sangam literature — encompassing the role of the female companion (Thozhi), the heroine’s lament (Pulambal), and the ten emotional expressions (Meyppadu) — are deeply embedded in devotional literature as well. In Thiruvasagam, composed by Manickavasagar, the classical Akam framework is transposed onto the spiritual realm: Manickavasagar imagines himself as the heroine (Thalaivi) and Lord Siva as the hero (Thalaivan). Throughout Thiruvembavai, the role of the companion (Thozhi) is portrayed across thirty hymns as friends awaken one another for the pre-dawn ritual bath. Manickavasagar beautifully expresses all ten emotional states described by Tholkaappiyam — longing, single-minded contemplation, physical wasting, purposeful action, loss of modesty, seeing everything as the beloved, forgetfulness, infatuation, and thoughts of death — through his devotional verses. This paper examines how the ethical norms of Sangam Akam poetry are interwoven within Thiruvasagam.