Prof. Dr.Satya Vrat Shastri's Thai Ramayana 01

As I read the preface of  Sriramakirtimahakavyam I am reminded of Dr.Shastri's enthusiasm as he spoke about his work. He said, 'Verse after verse started pouring in'. His face actually lit up as he remembered his labor of love, prompted from within. He wrote it without rewriting even a single sentence.  'It had all been spontaneous. It seems some unseen power had been behind this.'

His love for Sanskrit was very obvious and it was always a pleasure and very educative to hear him speak about the language. It appears that his father recited Valmiki Ramayana, as he says, when his mother was in the family way. He has actually made my blogging easier by concentrating on the episodes that are not seen in Valmiki Ramayana and other versions, 'highlighting thereby the contribution of the Thais to the development of the Rama story'.  He opines that 'the Ramakein stands out as an independent entity and not a pale shadow of the pioneering work of Valmiki, who might have been the first to tell the story, the Adikavi, but, as the Thai Ramakien or many of the other Ramayanas prove, was not the last. It is the Rama story everywhere but not the same. And that is the beauty of it.'

While the Mahakavya is in Sanskrit, luckily an English translation is provided in the book.

 The first Canto introduces Thailand, a very beautiful country, called Syama in the Puranas. The king Bhumibhala Atulyateja pleases his subjects and relies wholly on the words of the Buddha. The crops grow verily by themselves and the capital city Bangkok, full of big mansions is the pleasure-house of prosperity and elegance. The people of Thailand call it by another name Krungthev. The word Krung is Thai and theva is of Sanskrit origin. Theva is derived from deva. It is agreed by scholars that it means 'Abode of Gods'.

We are then introduced to the authors of Ramakein. Buddha Yod Fa was the first to sing the song of Rama. Then it was king Buddha Nai Lert La who presented the story in the form of a play. The play is staged even today. The actors wear dresses, bright and rich in color and cover their faces with masks, they delight the hearts of men.

Later King Mongkut carried out research on the Rama story adding much knowledge. Before, people of Thailand did not know that the author of Ramayana was Valmiki, the foremost among sages and thought that Rama story belonged to Thailand having originated there. It was king Mongkut who taught the masses that the song took birth in India. The educated have accepted this, but the illiterate have not. They hold that the birth of Rama and Sita took place in Thailand and the battle between Rama and Ravana was fought in their land. The city named Ayodhya exists in the country and so does the city Lopburi (Lavapuri), bearing the name of Lava.

Thus the orthodox masses of the country believe that the story of Rama originally belongs to Thailand. There is a sense of ownership towards Ramayana which is rare elsewhere. While the original story is the same, there are differences in small detail, which makes it appear that it is a different Ramayana. The educated when they see the differences are charmed by it.



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