|
Focus on books:
Narratives from Buddhist sources
Professor Sunanda Mahendra
Lovuturu Ridum
Swarna Kanthi Perera
Buddhist Cultural Centre, Nedimala, 2008
149 pages.
 Quite a number of short and long narratives have been woven from the
Buddhist sources with emphasis on Jataka Tales. The creation of these
narratives is not exactly centred round Jatakas, but on various other
sources such as the free recreation of some incidents in the time of
Buddha.
Though the Buddha does not appear either as a protagonist or as a
saviour of beings from the pangs of sufferings, it is hinted so.
The story titled Kaviya Oba (1-18pp) centres round the poet monk Ven.
Vangisa Thera who lived during Buddha's time. Here he is portrayed as a
poet attempting to transcend the barriers of the mere natural beauty,
entering into a world of spiritual bliss.
Ven. Vangeesa Thera seems to be declaring that he is misunderstood in
his creative act. He too seems to say that all his actions connected
with the monastic activities are more or less poetic creations. He sees
that he is compelled to see most of the happenings around him and those
force him to express his inner feelings.
This realisation, for him, is a poetic creation. Eventually the
reader feels that as a series of discourses in the form of a dialogue
ensues between Buddha and Ven. Vangeesa. The narrative ends with a
moment of illumination, where the Senior Monk Ven. Ananda Thera finds a
large collection of poems composed by Ven. Vangeesa, laid inside his
meditation chamber.
Sura Asura (19-35pp) has a spiritual dialogue between the God of Gods
Sakra and his celestial driver Matali. It is in a way a dialogue on the
subject of defeat and win where the person who wins, but fails to
conquer his inner self, too is shown as defeated.
Premaya Nam (37-53pp) is a recreation of a Theri Gatha or the poem of
joy in the mind of a Buddhist nun as she attempts to free herself from
all bonds in order to achieve a higher state of spiritual bliss.
The place of her attempt symbolic of a forest abode is called Anda
Vanaya or the 'Blind Forest'. Once again the reader encounters a series
of dialogues which gradually indicates some of the happenings which one
has to transcend.
Nun Uppala hears sounds of various persons, the clamour that binds
and the clamour that releases. She ultimately finds that in this Blind
Forest abode there are others who have entered the order of nuns. She
feels a sense of release ultimately and utters words in veneration,
'Sadhu'. The undertone of the narrative is a tender love story of hers
which is shown as the bond that created critical unpleasantness.
She feels that the lover also had entered the forest abode looking
for her. Then comes the spiritual dialogue, a sort of a stream of
consciousness. In the end the protagonist Nun Uppala seems to clarify
her ultimate goal by saying that 'I am not a traveller any more in the
worldly ways, instead a pathfinder to the greatest bliss in Samsara'
(52-53pp).
Paravalalu, or Boomerang, is a narrative woven around a few
characters who seem to suffer on account of their own fallacies. They
are shown as people with repentant minds envisaging the forthcoming
merits and demerits of their own misdeeds.
The story Parami Dam (91-110pp) looks like a deconstructed version of
the Vessantara legend; king leaves behind his faithful queen consort
Madri and two children Jaliya and Krishnajina.
The story Udunganbala (111-132pp) is a long drawn version of the
dispute between the two royal clans Sakya and Koliya over the watering
of the fields owned by them. The historical legend states Buddha settled
the dispute and here it is made to look reversed. In this manner there
is a wave of fresh creativity which indicates the gravity of creative
communication via Buddhist legends. The tradition of age-old traditions
of story telling is made change with fresh nuances of creative thinking.
Swarnakanthi has already exhibited her skills in the art of creative
writing via Buddhist sources such as Mahaparinibbana Sutta. May it be
stated in good intention that the intensive sense of faith or Bhakthi
and Saddha is made to over pervade in most situations. This may be due
to the sensitive attachment to the primary sources. But to a new reader
this factor may hinder the readability which is essential.
[email protected]
|
