Social Equality and Humanism in Kapilar Agaval: A Comparative Perspective

Abstract

Tamil literary tradition has historically served not only as a medium for expressing individual emotions but also as an important repository of the social, ethical, political, and cultural life of Tamil society. In this context, Kapilar Agaval presents a range of reflections and ideological positions concerning social organization and human relationships. This study examines the social thought articulated in the text, focusing particularly on caste, birth, lineage, gender distinctions, education, labour, religion, scriptural authority, life and death, and human unity. The assertion that “All Are One Community; All Are One Human Kind” challenges social divisions based on birth and foregrounds the principle of human equality. Adopting a comparative approach, the study examines the social ideas found in Kapilar Agaval alongside selected ethical and social perspectives expressed in major Tamil works such as Thirukkural, Purananuru, and Naladiyar. The comparison focuses on concepts of equality, virtue, human dignity, social responsibility, and the rejection of discriminatory social distinctions. The analysis demonstrates that the social vision represented in Kapilar Agaval shares significant continuities with the long-standing Tamil intellectual tradition of equality, ethical conduct, and humanism, while also articulating distinctive perspectives on social divisions and human relationships. The study argues that Kapilar Agaval can be understood as part of a broader continuum of Tamil social thought that questions inherited hierarchies and emphasizes human unity. By examining its ideas in relation to earlier Tamil literary traditions, the study highlights both the continuity and ideological distinctiveness of its social vision and demonstrates the enduring relevance of its reflections on equality, education, labour, gender, religion, and human solidarity.