Features
Two well-known Sinhala classical poems translated into English
Embarrassed, I admit, I am not familiar with the two great classics of our Sinhala literature but have been reading them, along with easy-to-understand English translations, in the book I feel privileged to write about.
Unlike many Buddhists I did not study these two sets of poems as a school goer when classics are usually ‘done’ in classes and greatly appreciated. I was in a Christian missionary school when the medium of instruction and language of conversation was English. In three years of Kindergarten and then Standards Two to Five, we sang hymns and had Bible stories narrated. In Forms 1 and 2 we started on the Bible but then CWW Kannangara’s education reforms were introduced and we Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims had time-tabled periods of ‘moral teaching’; while the others had Christianity classes. Also, Sinhala texts that swayed towards Buddhism were not included in such school curricula. We certainly missed out on classics such as Lovada Sangarava and Subhasitaya. Thus my gratitude to Ven Nanasiha for gifting me copy of his excellent translation, with the verses in Sinhala too.
Authorship of the two Sinhala Classics
The 140 verses of the Lovada Sangarava were written by Ven Vidagama Maitreya Maha Thera, during the reign of Parakramabahu VI of the Kotte period (1410-1468 CE). The meaning of the title of the poems is Compendium (of Poems) for Universal Well-being. As Ven Nanasiha points out in his Introduction, these poems were not for the erudite but for those who were not able to read and understand books on Buddhism in Pali. “The purpose was to wean them from unwholesome deeds and to urge them to do wholesome actions that would be beneficial to them in their lives here and hereafter, … also to evoke deep saddha or confidence in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.” I well remember at my grandmother’s ancestral home a learned old man would sit and chant from Buddhist texts of an evening, while family and servants and nearby villagers listened intently. Remember how Silindu was deeply affected by such a recitation while on pilgrimage to Kataragama in Leonard Wolfe’s Village in the Jungle. It was a custom for a guru to chant aloud suttas etc when illiteracy was common.
The Subhasitaya, the translator says, may be rendered as “The Well Spoken” in English. Its 100 verses were composed by Alagiyawanna Mukavetti (1552-circa 1625), who was a scholar of repute and versatile in Pali, Sanskrit, and Tamil too. In his verses, (the exact date of writing not being known exactly), he reacts against conversion and asks why persons forsake the sublime religion – Buddhism. However he converted to Roman Catholism and was known as Alagiyavanna Mohottala and served under the Portuguese. “The Subhasitaya deals with matters relatively more worldly, … good worthy men (sudana) and low, unworthy men (dudana). They are compared and the consequences of associating with them described in detail.”
The term didactic is used to classify these two ancient collections. Its definition: “intended to teach, particularly in having moral instructions as an ulterior motive” proves the point made in classifying the two collections as didactic, more so the first collection.
Ven. Nanasiha writes in his Introduction to the first collection of verses: “The message is to make the best use of being born a human… They echo the last exhortation of the Buddha to all his disciples. The world is fragile. Exert heedlessly and put an end to those conditions that make one continue in the cycle of birth, decay and death; i.e. samsara.”
How the translation and publication happened
It started in 1993. Ven Nansiha, then civil servant Deshabandu Olcott Gunasekera, was invited by the SL Broadcasting Corporation to translate into English the verses of Lovada Sangarava and to read them after each verse in the original Sinhala was sung by a female guest artiste. This was in March. A couple of months later he was invited by SLBC to do the same with Subhasitaya.
He consulted his sisters – Sudharma Pandita and Sujata Dias – both highly qualified educationists whom he says were lodestars in his life. To his surprise he found Sujata had translated the classic and she handed him a hand-written manuscript which he used as the base of his translation, making much easier his task. He thus shares the magnitude of this translation with his second sister and others he consulted. Very fortuitously, in a conversation with the Most Ven Tirukunamale Ananda Mahanayake Thera, he mentioned his translations for SLBC. To continue the fortuitousness, the Mahanayake Thera queried; “Why don’t you get them printed?” With donations received, the printing was done by Ruwan Paharuva Press in 2017.
That was the first edition. The second, six years later, which I write about, was somewhat due to comments received by his sister Sudharma from Sahityarathna Dr Lakshmi de Silva, of the Department of English at Kelaniya University and also a renowned translator, critic, writer and winner of many awards. She went through the English translation meticulously and edited. Most Ven Tirikunamale Ananda Mahanayake Thera himself undertook to edit and proof read the Sinhala verses.
“My wish was to ensure that the second edition reaches a wider circle.” Consequent to discussion with the Mahanayake Thera, The Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, was selected as publisher. As a layman, Ven Nansiha had close contact with this Society inaugurated in 1957 under the supervision of Ven Nyanaponika Maha Thera; at one time having Bhikkhu Bodhi as its editor. BPS accepted the book readily for publication. And thus the benefit to so very many of us having in one slim volume the verses of these two classics of more than 500 years vintage in Sinhala and English.
Ven Nanasiha mentions in his introduction to the volume I write about, that the verses are currently relevant, both to individuals and societies. He thinks particularly of Sri Lankan children living in foreign countries who could and should read our classical writings. His publication is particularly suited in content matter and style to young minds. Conscious as we all are of the present day political situation in this country, in the context of corruption, other evils and elections taking place, what he says in the sentence I quote from his Introduction cannot be over-emphasised. “These verses are good measures to evaluate good governance even in the 21st century.”
When I wrote to Ven Siri Vajiraramaye Nanasiha Thera for permission to make more people aware of his latest publication, he replied: “As the translations are an end product that is not completely mine but edited by an erudite person of very high calibre and commended by a Venerable Mahanayake, I wish the book is popularized among Dhamma School students so they are motivated or enthused to live upright lives, … How is it possible to make those gems of words and wise ideas contribute to a better world order? How make these classics a part of modern society? If you can contribute towards that popularization of the two classics, I shall be happy and contented that something has been achieved for the greater good of humanity.”
As columnist, I can only hope people will read this article and have themselves and their younger family members read the book. It is available on sale priced Rs 375/-, at outlets of BPS in Colombo – one of which is the bookshop in the Sri Sambuddhatva Jayanthi Mandiraya along Havelock Rd. I can assure you BPS is excellent in its posting of books when ordered from its Kandy headquarters.