Download Buddhist poems in Sanskrit literature

Buddhist Era 2545 Nikini New Moon - Thursday, September 06, 2002
Buddhist poems in Sanskrit literature
by D. Amarasiri Weeraratne
The ancient Sanskrit poets made use of popular legendary stories as the
themes of their poetical works. The best examples are the Ramayana and the
Mahabharata. This was the method adopted by the ancient Greeks. They wrote
similar works called Iliad and the Odyssey extolling their heroes and their
brave deeds. The earliest Sanskrit poems were written on themes such as the
doings of their gods or some hero-king and his doings. The ancient Greeks and
Romans seem to have adopted this procedure.
Even the ancient Sanskrit poets followed this line of thinking. The Buddhists
among them made use of Jataka stories where the hero was the Bodhisatva. The
Sanskrit poets of India during the heyday of Buddhism resorted to this practice
on a marginal scale.
Asvaghosa was a great Sanskrit Buddhist poet in Buddhist India. He chose
the life of the Buddha (Buddha Charita) as theme of his classical work. In another work Saundara Nanda Kavya) he selected the story of Nanda Thera and his
former fiancee Rupananda) as the motif of his poem. Asvaghosha lived during
the time of the Buddhist emperor - Kanishka the Graeco-Bactrian ruler. Chinese Buddhist works refer to Asvaghosha Ma-Ming - (horse-neigh) making a
literal translation of his name.
His Buddha-Charita deals with the life-story of the Buddha. As available
now it comprises 13 chapters. The original is said to have contained 28 chapters. In it he displays his profound respect and honour to the Buddha.
He adopted the nine rhetorical devices considered necessary for a Maha
Kavya, in Sanskrit poetry. In portraying the seasons, he describes the beauties
of nature. Descriptions of cities, seasons etc considered necessary to a MahaKavya are found in this work.
Aryasura's Jatakamala (Garland of Jataka Tales) is another Sanskrit poetical
work written round 100 AD. It belongs to the class of literary works known as
'champu'. They are works of mixed verse and prose in Sanskrit. Jatakamala
deals with some selected Jataka tales. The literary style resembles that of the
Panchatantra and the Hitopadesa. Aryasura's poetic style is fascinating and
free of charm.
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There are some works called "Avadana". They deal with the Bodhisatva's
previous lives taken from Mahayana literature. The author remains anonymous. Avadana Sataka (A century of life-stories) and Divyavadana are two of
these well-known works. Divyavadana is the more popular work among Sanskrit scholars. The Jataka tales are taken from Sarvastivadi literature.
Lalita Vistara is a well-known biography of the Buddha compiled by the
Mahayanista. It contains a mixture of verse and prose writings. The miraculous
and the supernatural elements loom large in these pages Vasubhandu's Abhidharma-Kosha is a treatise on philosophy compiled in verse. It has been composed in verse to help students to memorise the doctrines enunciated therein.
Janakiharana was written by King Kumaradasa during the Anuradhapura period to commemorate the Rama-Sita story of the Ramayana. There were sanskrit
works written in verse and prose by the monks of the Abhayagiri Vihara. But
they were burnt and destroyed due to the jealousy of the Mahavihara monks and
their anti-Mahayana obsessions. King Kumaradasa is said to have written a
work called "Gnanananda Kavya". It is now lost, we have only quotations from
it in other works.
In Sanskrit literature there is a class of poetry called Sataka-poetics. They
usually contain a century of Buddha-hymns, panegyrics, and Buddha-eulo-
gies. They are calculated to evoke adoration and faith among the devotees.
Anuruddhi Sataka contains a hundred Buddha-hymns written by one Anuruddha Thera. It is written in scholarly style in elegant Sanskrit verse. Anuruddha
Thera lived in the 12th century at Uttaramala monastery.
Then we have the Namastha Sataka. It was a text in our ancient system of
Pirivena education. 108 names for Buddha are mentioned in offering him
praise and worship. The author remains anonymous. He is said to have lived
during the Polonnaruwa period.
The Bhakti Sataka was written by Sri Ramachandra, a Bengali Brahmin who
came to Sri Lanka to study the Theravada doctrines at Vijayabahu Pirivena
under Totagamuwe Sri Rahula. This work was a text book in our ancient system of Pirivena education. 108 names for Buddha mentioned in offering him
praise and worship.
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Even now it is a text for the Pracheena examination in oriental studies. King
Parakramabahu VI of Kotte honoured the author with the title "Agama
Chakravarthy".
Santideva's Bodhicharyavatara (Journey towards the Lights) is the immortal classic in Sanskrit Buddhist verse. Santideva was a teacher at Nalanda University - India's oxford during the heyday of Buddhism. It was at Nalanda where
Hieun Tsang - the celebrated luminary of the Buddha Sasana in China studied
and obtained his Masters Degree. In his classic "To-Tang Si-yu-ki- Buddhist
records in the western world he gives a glowing record of Nalanda University
its activities, teachers, curriculum patrons etc. Santideva's Bodhicharyavatara
has been called the finest poem in Buddhism by European scholars - recognised
as masters of Buddhist literature. It has been translated to the leading languages
of the world. Two Sinhalese translations are available. In 1957 I prepared an
English translation and it was published by the Buddhist Federation of Australia, Melbourne, under Chas. F. Knight, its president. I was elected a lifemember of the society by way of appreciation. In our own time Ven. Henpitagedara Gnanaseeha wrote his "Samanta-kuta-varnana" in a century of Sanskrit verses. It gives an account of Sri Pada, our mountain shrine, the cynosure
of all eyes during the pilgrim season. Rev. Dehigaspe Pannasara who was sent
to the London Vihara for Buddhist missionary work in the 1930's wrote his
"Sanskrit Literature in Ceylon". It was Kshemendra's Jinacharita that inspired
Sir Edwin Arnold to write his classic "Light of Asia" which has become world
famous and has been translated to the leading languages of the world.
Let me conclude with an English rendering of two verses from Ramachandra Bhareti's Bhakti-sataka.
Worship thou my head the Buddha's supreme form
Hear thou my ear his ambrosial norm,
Kiss thou my nose the master's holy feet,
Preach thy my mouth Buddha's Dharma sweet,
Sing thou my tongue, Buddha-hymns in praise
In worship to the Lord, my hands thyself raise
Walk thou my feet the Buddha's holy shrine
Reflect thou my mind, on the Buddha-virtues fine.
From birth to birth may I have steadfast faith
In the Buddha-dispeller of nescience - gloom
From birth to birth may I have steadfast faith
In the Dharma my unfailing guide
From birth to birth may I have steadfast faith
In the Sangha - the Supreme merit field.
☞