[4][5] As per the grammatical book Thandiyalangaram, a literary work should follow the four codes– aram (morality), porul (material), inbam (happiness), and veedu (moksha), to be classified as a major epic.
[5][13] The story of the epic mainly serves as a framework to rebut teachings from other religious philosophies and to extol the tenets of Jainism.
[5][14] It narrates the story of a minor goddess Neelakesi, who becomes a Jain nun, and engages in rival arguments with scholars from various schools of thought such as Ajivika, Lokayatika, Mimamsa, Sankhya, and Vaisesika.
She later travels to various places indulging in philosophical debate with rhetoricians of other religious practices starting with the Buddhist Kundalakesi.
[14] As the epic Kundalakesi itself has been lost, Neelakesi which quotes extensively from the original text serves as the main source for reconstructing the earlier.
It also narrates various customs of the Tamil people during the era it was composed such as the influence of soothsayers, practice of swayamvara, and various wars.
[19] The epic narrates the story of king Yashodaran and his wife, who die after consuming poison following a sacrifice ritual.
The ritual of offering a rooster made of flour was done to pacify Kali due to ill omens surrounding the incest of the queen (Yashodaran's wife), and was against Jain traditions.
After Yashomathi is made to realise the story behind his parents, he does good by them and both the brother and sister left the world and attain heaven.