நல்வழி

ஔவையார் (Avvaiyar)

Traditionally dated medieval period (exact era debated)

The Avvaiyar credited with Nalvazhi is generally considered a later poet, distinct from the Sangam-era Avvaiyar. Her voice here is direct and unflinching, laying out life's hardest truths without softening them.

Nalvazhi ("the good path") is a collection of 40 venpa verses that press home, with real force, the impermanence of life and wealth and the need for disciplined conduct. It remains one of the most widely taught moral texts in Tamil schools.