View source for Eighteen Lesser Texts

{{Short description|Collection of 18 poetic works}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Sangam literature}}
The '''Eighteen Lesser Texts''', known as the '''Patiṉeṇkīḻkaṇakku''' ({{langx|ta|பதினெண்கீழ்கணக்கு}}) in the literature, is a collection of eighteen poetic works mostly created during the 'post [[Sangam period]]' (between 100 and 500 CE). The poems of this collection differ from the earlier works of the [[Eighteen Greater Texts]] (''Patiṉeṇmēlkaṇakku''), which are the oldest surviving [[Tamil language|Tamil]] [[Tamil literature|poetry]], in that the poems are written in the [[venpa]] meter and are relatively short in length. Naladiyar, having sung by 400 poets, is the only anthology in this collection. Each of the remaining works of the Eighteen Lesser Texts is sung by a single poet.<ref>{{cite book |author= M. V. Aravindan |title= உரையாசிரியர்கள் [Commentators] |year= 1968 |publisher=Manivasagar Padhippagam | location= Chennai |page= 312}}</ref> Unlike the works of the Eighteen Greater Texts, most of the books of the Eighteen Lesser Texts deal with morals and ethics.

==Works of the "Eighteen lesser books" collection==
The Eighteen Lesser Texts contains the following books:

* ''[[Nālaṭiyār]]'' 	
* ''[[Nāṉmaṇikkaṭikai]]''
* ''[[Iṉṉā Nāṟpatu]]'' 	
* ''[[Iṉiyavai Nāṟpatu]]''
* ''[[Kār Nāṟpatu]]'' 	
* ''[[Kaḷavaḻi Nāṟpatu]]''
* ''[[Aintiṇai Aimpatu]]''
* ''[[Tiṉaimoḻi Aimpatu]]''
* ''[[Aintinai Eḻupatu]]''
* ''[[Tiṉaimalai Nūṟṟu Aimpatu]]''
* ''[[Tirukkuṛaḷ]]''
* ''[[Tirikaṭukam]]''
* ''[[Ācārakkōvai]]''
* ''[[Paḻamoḻi Nāṉūṟu]]''
* ''[[Ciṟupañcamūlam]]''
* ''[[Mutumoḻikkānci]]''
* ''[[Elāti]]''
* ''[[Kainnilai]]''

==See also==
* [[Eighteen Greater Texts]]
* [[Sangam literature]]
* [[List of historic Indian texts]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Varadarajan, M,  First International Conference Seminar of Tamil Studies, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April 1966.

==External links==
* [http://adakshinamurthy.wordpress.com/translations-into-english/ Patinenkilkkanakku – Works on Akam theme, a translation of seven works by Prof. A. Dakshinamurthy (Thiruchirapalli: Bharathidasan University, 2010)]

{{Tamil language}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eighteen Lesser Texts}}
[[Category:Tamil-language literature]]

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