Psychological Elements in Manimegalai

Abstract

Manimegalai is an epic and the protagonist of the text is Manimegalai. Madhavi's daughter was ordained as a Buddhist monk according to her mother's wishes. She tries to prevent her mind from going to her love Udayakumaran due to her previous birth. Later, she became a Buddhist monk according to her own will and lived with the duty of relieving people's hunger. Many deities and saints like Manimegalai Deivam, Sampathi Deivam Kandipavai, Aravanavadis, Samayakanakkar, Buddhadevan etc. refines the mind of Manimegalai. Their austerities help Manimegalai, who took asceticism at a young age, not to indulge in sensuality. Mantras that take other forms also lend a helping hand to Manimegalai. Finally, she propagates Buddhism. In this article it can be seen that Manimegalai's mindset is created based on virtue.