`Wealth` which Sages use

செல்வம் - Wealth;

Today we are going to discuss about wealth and who were richest people of ancient times. When we say wealth the quickest thought comes to mind is `money`. Unless one has knowledge, they can only understand "money is only wealth". `Knowledge about self and society` bring one to a different altitude and those will understand there are different Wealths. Pre-historic mankind had different wealth. When we use chisel down technique then we can see the Ancient society very clearly. Let us chisel down governments one by one, When we chisel down India we get British, When we chisel down British we get Nayakars and Palayams, When we chisel down Nayakars we get Nawabs, When we chisel down Nawabs we get we get Vijayanagar rulers, When we chisel down Vijayanagar rulers we get Later cholas & pandyas, When we chisel down Later cholas & pandyas we get eary cholas & pandyas, When chisel down them we get Imperum Kaapiyangal times, When we chisel down Imperum Kaapiyangal we get a society which wrote grammer to the Tamil language, When we chisel down the society we get mankind who traded in sea, When we chisel down traders we get farmers, When we chisel down farmers we get predators from stone age. Survival is the Knowledge at these times. So `ultimate knowledge` one should acquire is not money but survival skills. Slowly from stone age to medival age, when we look at there is a better Grand father with knowledge. Even before grammer was written for a language, there were listening skills which made one to become a better Grand father. Writing skill had only materialize what one has thought and experienced, those were fact and knowledge at these times. What stone age society thought as wealth? What farmer society thought as Wealth? What trader society thought as wealth? What medival age society thought as wealth? What millenials thinks as wealth? `what is wealth` varies in all the time. For poor, ways to become rich is wealth. For rich, ways to give to society becomes wealth. At all ages these two principle will not change. What one think as wealth makes him/her self. 

Looking at medivel times with this idea, count how many temples are in south india. Temples in south india > temples in north india. The society in south india were the richest and wealthiest community of Indian sub continent. If you ask a civil architect to estimate the construction cost of the temples in south india, today it will be measured by money. But if you understand the chiseling technique and estimate the wealth of the community, then you can understand, who are the richest? So having dozens of bitcoin doesn't make you rich it only helps you to survive and it is not wealth. Definition of wealth varies time to time. For all the time, `wealth which is supreme` varies but the medium doesn't change which is told in Thirkkural ages before.

Wealth of wealth is wealth acquire be ear attent; Wealth mid all wealth supremely excellent 

- Thirukkural (411)

Svetambara வள்ளுவம்

I was in a great foolishness. I realised this foolishness few days back only. Often we hear religious debate but it is not clear in which religion this Thiruvalluvar born out of. There is no evidence of his birthplace or period. But we can understand from reading for thriukural that thiruvalluvar knows about anthanaar, king and vellalar. So we can say he/she was a person who didn't live in stone age but somewhere after Mankind came out woods(aaranyam). 

When someone wants to understand history in India they were given with ithihasas like Ramanyana and Mahabharatham. Once you read these two texts you will be filled with thoughts and notion of well constructed Vedic religion. Often institutions in world will make you slaves of this Vedic religion. We know in Rig Veda there are no Siva or Murugan or Vinayaka. All we know is there were 33devas and Cows and horse were sacrificed in yagas. During this period there were no Trinity in religious belief. Vedas weren't aware of temples because yagas can be moved wherever the people move. So it is clear that Vedas are alien to our ancestors and they were following a religion from which Murugan, Sivan, Vinayaka and Lakshmi were belong to. When we try to identify who are these people, our mind which is cooked with ithihasas will not answer this question. But in modern times proofs like graffiti and artifacts can add more ingredients to our debate. When we rule out Vedic thoughts and travel with history then we will land in land of Sangam era where people lived without awareness about Vedas and Devas. But we had Gnanis in community. What were the guidance for these Gnanis and what were the doctorines of these Gnanis. This will take us to Samanargals. Yes, these Gnanis of Sangam era are from Samanargals. How Samana thoughts have cooked the minds of Ancient people of Sangam era. 

Silapathikaram - சமணம் - ilangovadigal

Manimegalai - புத்தர்கள் - சீதலைச் சாத்தனார்

சீவகசிந்தாமணி - சமணம் - திருதக்கதேவர்

வளையாபதி - சமணம் - unknown

குண்டலகேசி - புத்தர்கள் - நாதகுத்தனர்

These are ஐம்பெரும் காப்பியங்கள் of ancient Tamil community. When these texts were contributed by different religious background we should understand the religious acceptance of ancient Tamils.

Samanar have the credit of writing the first grammar texts in Tamil. They also pioneered the compilation of 'nigandugal' or Thesaurus in Tamil and composed the early epics. Indra Kaleeyam, Yaaparungalam, Neminatham and Nannool are some of the famous grammar texts written by the Samanargal. There is a belief that Tholkappiam is a Samanar text. Divakara Nikandu and Pingala Nikandu are 2 popular Thesaurus compiled by Samanargal. Among 5 minor epics Soolamani, Neelakesi and Yasodara Kaviyam were composed by the Samanargal. 4 of the பதினெண கீழ்க்கணக்கு நூல்கள் are attributed to the Samanargal. Madurai Kanchi which is one of the Pathu Paatu anthology speaks of a temple dedicated to Samanar god Aruhar in Madurai. Pattina palai which is also one of the Pathu Paatu anthology mentions the presence of a samanar monestry in Kaveripoompattinam. Scholars asserts that Nikandanar one of the Sangam poet was a Samanar. Another poet of the Sangam period called Ulochanaar is also said to be Samanar.

When the ancient Tamil community has these many Samanargal then Thiruvalluvar or the Tamil work must be of Samanargal. We don't know whether he is a Digambara or Svetambara. Whoever he may be now he is a Svetambara வள்ளுவம் because he wore a white cloth.