[1] His is the earliest of the available commentaries on the Kural text,[2][3][4] and hence considered to bear closest semblance with the original work by Valluvar.
[5] He was among the canon of Ten Medieval Commentators of the Kural text most highly esteemed by scholars.
[6] He was also among the five ancient commentators whose commentaries had been preserved and made available to the modern era, the others being Pari Perumal, Kaalingar, Paridhi, and Parimelalhagar.
[13] Scholars consider his commentary as following the Tamil culture without the influence of Sanskrit works.
Only in few places, such as couplets 2, 401 and 802, does Manakkudavar cite other ancient didactic works, including the Naladiyar and Nanmanikkatigai, to exemplify.
[7][15] In various places, such as couplets 29, 269 and 274, Manakkudavar also cites various stories and incidents from ancient Indian epics such as Mahabharata and various Puranas.
[24] The fact that Manakkudavar's commentary served as the cornerstone and guide for other medieval commentators, including Parimelalhagar, cannot be overstated.
[27] The following table depicts the variations among the early commentators' ordering of, for example, the first ten verses of the Tirukkural.
Note that the ordering of the verses and chapters as set by Parimelalhagar, which had been followed unanimously for centuries ever since, has now been accepted as the standard structure of the Kural text.
[29] The following table lists the variations between ordering of chapters in Book I by Manakkudavar (the oldest of the Medieval commentators) and that by Parimelalhagar (the latest).
[28][29]Spelling, homophonic, and other minor textual variations between Manakkudavar and Parimelalhagar commentaries are found in several verses such as couplets 139, 256, 317, and 445.
[37] According to M. S. Purnalingam Pillai, Manakudavar's commentary "shows a knowledge of the Tamilian traditions, manners, customs and civilisation, and the arrangement of the verses in each chapter is rational and significant.