Iṉṉā Nāṟpatu
Inna Narpathu (Tamil: இன்னா நாற்பது, romanized: Iṉṉā Nāṟpatu, lit. 'The Forty Undesirable Things') is a Tamil poetic work of didactic nature belonging to the Eighteen Lesser Texts (Pathinenkilkanakku) anthology of Tamil literature. The poems of Inna Narpathu are written in the Venpa meter. It was authored by Kapilar (c. 50–125 CE).
| Topics in Sangam literature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sangam literature | ||
| Agattiyam | Tolkāppiyam | |
| Eighteen Greater Texts | ||
| Eight Anthologies | ||
| Aiṅkurunūṟu | Akanāṉūṟu | |
| Puṟanāṉūṟu | Kalittokai | |
| Kuṟuntokai | Natṟiṇai | |
| Paripāṭal | Patiṟṟuppattu | |
| Ten Idylls | ||
| Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai | Kuṟiñcippāṭṭu | |
| Malaipaṭukaṭām | Maturaikkāñci | |
| Mullaippāṭṭu | Neṭunalvāṭai | |
| Paṭṭiṉappālai | Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai | |
| Poruṇarāṟṟuppaṭai | Ciṟupāṇāṟṟuppaṭai | |
| Related topics | ||
| Sangam | Sangam landscape | |
| Tamil history from Sangam literature | Ancient Tamil music | |
| Eighteen Lesser Texts | ||
| Nālaṭiyār | Nāṉmaṇikkaṭikai | |
| Iṉṉā Nāṟpatu | Iṉiyavai Nāṟpatu | |
| Kār Nāṟpatu | Kaḷavaḻi Nāṟpatu | |
| Aintiṇai Aimpatu | Tiṉaimoḻi Aimpatu | |
| Aintinai Eḻupatu | Tiṇaimālai Nūṟṟaimpatu | |
| Tirukkuṟaḷ | Tirikaṭukam | |
| Ācārakkōvai | Paḻamoḻi Nāṉūṟu | |
| Ciṟupañcamūlam | Mutumoḻikkānci | |
| Elāti | Kainnilai | |
| Bhakti Literature | ||
| Naalayira Divya Prabandham | Ramavataram | |
| Tevaram | Tirumuṟai | |
Inna Narpathu is a collection of 40 poems describing the most undesirable things one should avoid. One of the meanings of the Tamil word Inna is one that brings unhappiness. Inna Narpathu includes four categories of harmful things one should avoid: a beautiful but disloyal wife, the wealth of a miser, a life under a tyrant, beauty of a flower without fragrance.
Inna Narpathu, together with Iniyavai Narpathu spells out in simple and succinct terms moral codes essential for daily life of the individual and for the society. They both emphasise the importance of education and individual responsibility in society.