Denial of bravery and the Narration of Morality

Abstract

Only those books which talk about ethics throughout the book are called moral books. But in the Sangam songs, there are moral ideas embedded in the puram songs. Similarly, in the akam hymns, the order of virtue is stated ethically. Madurai Kanchi and Silappathikaram are not the two moral books in the history of Tamil literature. However, there are ethical ideas embedded in them. In both books, the places where virtues are talked about are very important. In particular, they have emphasized morality as an alternative to virtue. In the Tamil tradition, virtue is placed in these two books as an alternative to heroism and love. Heroism refers to fighting, losing, and sacrificing lives. Virtue speaks of peace, no sacrifice of life, and no hostility. The purpose of this article is to examine how these two characteristics are found in Madurai Kanchi and Silappathikaram.