Manu has mentioned the country between the Eastern ocean and the Western ocean was called Ārya Deśa and this could refer only to Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Karnataka (and also Kerala).
After his preliminary description of explanations and Samskāras he gives the following subjects as the content of his text.
1.Brahmacarya
2.Upacāram
3.Snānam
4.Desādigamanam
5.Vivāha lakṣaṇam
6.Vṛtti lakṣaṇam (Professional approval)
7.Snātakasya vṛatam (Householder's observances)
8.Saucam (Purity)
9.Śuddhi (Cleanliness)
10.Strīdharma
11.Tapas (Recluse)
12.Sanyasa (Ascetism)
It may be seen the major components of this first part are studentship, householder, recluse (Vānaprasta) and ascetics (Sanyāsa) which are applicable to individual life style as given byManu. Vaḷḷuvar follows exactly the same sequence in his Aratuppāl which is called dharma chapter. The first four chapters of Aratuppāl deal with the studentship that is Brahmacarya.The second section is called “illaṟa-iyal” that represents the gṛhasta stage from 5th chapter to 24th chapter.
The next section of Kuraḷ deals with what is called aruḷṭaimai. It is a preliminary to Vānaprasta stage, give up possession except the bare requirements, from chapter 25 to 35 nilaiyāmai - impermanence.Here Vaḷḷuvar compares the accumulation of wealth, property and individuality are likened to material, costumes, jewellery and appearance on a dramatic stage, where everything is short lived including the speeches. They will disappear in a moment and so is individual life. This chapter points out the impermanence of life in the body and the flight of life from the body on death. It emphazises the realization of death and the consequent liberation - vīṭu/mokṣa — end. This section deals with the Vānaprasta stage. The last section deals with Sarvasanyāsa, total rejection. In three chapters under the section “Turavu”, Vaḷḷuvar deals superbly with last stage of man's existence, which ends in merging with nature called jīvan mukti which Vaḷḷuvar calls as “Iyarkai” - nature.
Thus it is clear that Vaḷḷuvar has adopted the four basic stages of life, as given in “Manu's Dharma Śāstra”, the Brahmacāri, Gṛhasta, Vānaprasta and Sanyāsa which is out and out the Hindu (Indian) concept of life. Any attempt to describe Vaḷḷuvar as done by G.U. Pope and some others, are frivolous and ignorance of total layout of Tirukkuṟaḷ.
This is not only the path laid out by Manu, but also the other sūtrakāras like Yājñavalkya. Sage Yājñavalkya was a Vedic ṛṣi, as many of his versionary statements are found in Upaniṣads. This is not impossible that to have a different write up on his date; except to state the present text is later than that of Manu. However he follows the same structure of Manu's life style as Brahmacāri, Gṛhasta, Parivrā Jaka (Vānaprasta) and Sanyāsa.
However he has tagged the section on Artha immediately after Gṛhasta and after that he deals with Vānaprasta and Sanyāsa. We have also seen that besides these two texts, Bodhāyana and Apastamba have also compiled Dharma Śāstras. For example, Yājñavalkya's text has the following sequence of chapters:
1.Brahmacāri
2.Vivāham
3.Vṛatam
4.Gṛhasta Pañca Mahayajña
5.Snātakam
6.Bhikṣā (food - annam)
7.Dravya Śuddhi
8.Dana & Tavāmsi
9.Śrāddham
10.Gaṇapati kalpa
11.Gṛhaśānti
oVyavahāra nirṇaya
oRājadharma
oUpanidhi
oŚākṣi
oPrāyaścittam
oVānaprastam
oYati dharma (Sanyāsa)
Yājñavalkya thus treated wealth, administration and judiciary immediately after Gṛhasta Dharma but before Vānaprasta and atidharma (Sanyāsa stage).
In addition he has also included Gaṇapati Kalpa (pūja) and Gṛha pūja (Navagṛha pūja) in the Gṛhasta stage. Obviously these two stand for removal of obstacles — Vighna — human and super human (due to position of constellations). The society has moved forward recognizing impediments beyond the control of human efforts and worship included to ward off such evils. While Manu has not included these evil effect, Yājñavalkya includes them as effects of past or present actions which we call “(ஊழ் வினை)” ūḻ vinai.Tiruvaḷḷuvar includes one chapter after Sanyāsa (turavu) as “ūḻ”, obviously after Yajnavalkya's Śānti chapter.
I have shown earlier that Vaḷḷuvar has structured his Tirukkuṟaḷ as given in Manu's Dharma Śāstra. But Manu deals with Vānaprasta and Sanyāsa and ends the stages of a man's progress. Yājñavalkya has added “ūḻ vinai” due to human or planetary dispositions beyond the control of human in this life and so includes the Śāntis for their removal. Tiruvaḷḷuvar's inclusion of “ūḻ” (pāpa) at the end of Turavu chapter is because of this and shows Vaḷḷuvar was influenced by Yājñavalkya's Dharma Śāstra. But it is clear that Vaḷḷuvar followed the Dharma Śāstras in his main thrust on the four fold āśrama dharma, viz., Brahmacāri, Gṛhasta, Vānaprasta and Sanyāsa as the main chapters.
Āpastamba, also has the four fold division of Brahmacāri, Gṛhasta, (Rājadharma), Vānaprasta and Sanyāsa Vidhi.Apastamba is referred to as Sūtrakāra by Bodhāyana in his text and obviously was earlier to Bodhāyana. Bodhāyana is too detailed and does not structure his text on the clear cut division as Brahmacāri, Gṛhasta, Vānaprasta and Sanyāsa as done by Manu, Yājñavalkya and Āpastamba but has more guidelines for mantras, yajñas and explanations though he also deals with the aśramas. However, he does not seem to be too concerned with Vānaprasta stage.
There are some passages which are seem to have definitely influenced Vaḷḷuvar.He details strict discipline for the brahmacāri vrata. He also deals with the different kinds of marriages which are mentioned as eight in number including the Gāndharva marriage that deals with pre-martial union; he also details deva, ṛṣi, pitṛu tarpaṇa and pañca mahā yajñas - that are also stipulated by Vaḷḷuvar in his Kuṟaḷ. He also describes begetting good children prajākāma.
It is clear that such consistent prescriptions in many dharma śāstras, repeatedly found and also found in Vaḷḷuvar's Kuṟaḷ shows life style and customs and manners are the same between the Sanskrit tradition and Tamil tradition and as the Sanskrit tradition is professedly derived from the Vedic tradition, there could be no two different opinion that Vaḷḷuvar's work is an abridgement of Vedic tradition.
As the dharma śāstras are codes of observances for all the four varṇas namely Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Sūdras and all the mixed castes were controlled by these domestic laws - the common codes were dealt as prescribed in the Dharma Śāstras of Manu, Gautama and Yājñavalkya and others they were followed by Vaḷḷuvar in his poruḷ adhikāram. I have already shown that Tamilnadu was included among the ārya deśa.
Yājñavalkya — (5.4), Manu
ब्रह्मचारी गृहस्थो भिक्षुः वैखानस इति ।
तेषां गृहस्थो योनिप्रजत्वा नदिः इतरेषाम् ॥
இல்வாழ்வான் என்பான் இயல்புடைய மூவர்க்கும்
நல்லாற்றான் நின்ற துணை. Gautama (III 2-3) calls him “Yoni” while Vaḷḷuvar calls him he is the support of other three āśramas. This concurrence shows that Vaḷḷuvar followed the Dharma Śāstras.
After dealing with Brahmacāri Gautama deals with married life that is Gṛhasta which he calls Vivāha, Gautama also speaks of eight kinds of marriages. After dealing with marriage, Gautama deals with begetting children,
—पुनन्तिसाधवःपुत्राः (1.4.24)
त्रिपुरुषं आर्षात्दश
दैवात् दशैव प्राजापत्यात्
They get good children, who purify the family from Naraka and worship Devas, Ṛṣis, and Pitṛs.Under the topic Householder Gautama speaks about Pañca Mahā Yajña and providing alms (Bhikṣātana) Atithi Satkāra and dāna ritual gifts. These are called Gṛhasta Dharma. Also in this division worship of Māta and Pitā (māta pitṛ pūja) etc., Gautama deals with Rājadharma, the king, his qualities, education, protection of people, Administration, Judicial Punishment etc. He follows it by a part of snātaka vrata in which dharma, artha, kāma — these are called ācāra — oḻukkam in Tamil. Gautama gives an interesting stipulation in dharma, mid day in maternal works and in the evening in amorous life.
कुर्यात् यथा शक्ति धर्म अर्थ कामेभ्यः (Gau. I.9.46)
Here again we find dharma, artha, and kāma are concerned in life.
The Kuṟaḷ is however is clear, that it says the gṛhasta (ilvaḷvān) is the support of other three groups.
