Anthologies and Paarppaar

Abstract

This article offers a detailed exegetical study of Akanāṉūṟu 340, examining its thematic structure, thinai–thurai classification, aesthetic strategies, and political–sociohistorical resonances. A central objective of this study is to resolve the textual variants found in lines 14–15 and line 20, thereby clarifying their implications for the poem’s narrative and interpretive coherence. The primary source for this analysis is the hymn itself, supplemented by traditional commentaries, modern critical interpretations, intertextual references from other Sangam anthologies, and relevant visual or media resources, which collectively function as secondary data. 

Through a close reading grounded in the analytic framework of muthal, karu, and uripporul, the study delineates the internal architecture of the poem. Special emphasis is placed on the poem’s aesthetic density, including the deployment of iraicci-based similes and other figurative devices that enhance emotive depth within the akam tradition. The article further investigates the political and sociohistorical elements associated with King Thondaimān, along with the mythical allusions embedded within the poem. By interrogating the origins and significance of the textual variations, this research demonstrates how philological analysis and literary interpretation converge to enrich the understanding of classical Tamil poetics.