A Five-Dimensional Theory of Life in Silambam

Abstract

The oldest book we have in Tamil is the Tholkappiyam grammar book. The oldest literature is Sangam literature. Silappathikaram, which appeared during the Sangam Maruviya period (3^rd Century–Dark period), was the first epic to appear in Tamil. There is evidence that there were countless books in Tamil before Tholkappiyam. The fact that literature sprang up before the Tolkappiyam and that they divided the lives of the people on the basis of a discipline testifies to the fact that grammar is written only from literature. Tolkappiyar also advocates life in that way. The Sangam literature that emerged after Tholkappiyam is also based on Thinai songs. After that, Silambam, the first epic in Tamil, puts before our eyes the theory of Thinai and the life of the Tamils who lived in it. This is a study of Silambam's Thinai theory as it established to the world the life of the Tamils in the full-length epic Silambam Thinaivazhi, which is a full-fledged epic, established to the world that the Sangam literature tradition, referred to by many as spare songs, oral songs, and folk songs is a figment of the imagination.