Therigatha
Buddhism in India and beyond
Siddhartha Gautama
gained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya and became the Buddha. Buddhism, the new
religion he preached, found patrons in King Ajata Shatru, Emperor Ashoka, and many
more and spread to Sihala Dipa (Sri Lanka), Burma, Siam (Thailand), Cambodia,
China, Japan, Vietnam, and beyond.
Sangha
Buddha
established the Sangha, the Order of Monks, and these ordained bhikkhus took it
upon themselves to practise and preach the teachings of the Buddha. To begin
with, the Sangha barred its doors to women. It is believed that the Buddha himself
was opposed to the admittance of women into the Sangha for fear that it may
weaken the resolve of the monks. However, he was persuaded to change his opinion
by Maha Prajapati Gautami, his aunt and foster-mother who had looked after
Siddharth after his mother Mahamaya’s death a week after his birth. Maha
Prajapati became the first ordained bhikkhuni.
Therigatha: Poems of the First Buddhist Women
Included in the
Pali canon of Theravada Buddhism under Sutta Pitaka of Tipitaka (Three
Baskets), the Therigatha is an anthology of 525 verses in the Pali
language by and about 73 Theris – Elder Buddhist bhikkhunis who had gained enlightenment
through the teachings of the Buddha. Composed during 6th century BC when
Buddha lived and preached to 3rd century BC, these poems celebrate and
share the bliss of Theris upon gaining enlightenment. Dhammapala, the sixth-century
Buddhist commentator, described these poems as udana or ‘inspired utterances.’
Theris are among the earliest women poets of the world, and Therigatha is most
likely the first anthology of women authors.
Ever since a friend gifted me a copy of Therigatha[i] a few years ago, it sat patiently in my book rack waiting to be read someday.
That day arrived recently when a friend mentioned Sanghamitra (Sanghamitta in Pali),
Emperor Ashoka’s daughter, who became a nun, and at the request of the King of
Simhala -Devanampiya Tissa - travelled there to ordain Queen Anula and several
other women to the Sangha. She had carried a branch of the sacred Maha Bodhi
tree (Ficus religiosa) at Gaya under which Buddha had gained enlightenment and
planted it at Anuradhapura. The tree still flourishes.
Sanghamitra’s
mother was from Vidisha (near the Sanchi Stupa, a UNESCO World Heritage). Sri
Lanka celebrates the full moon night of December every year as Mitta Day in remembrance
of her foundational contribution to spreading Buddhism in the country.
Theris, the
Elder Bhikkhunis who sang these songs could scarcely have imagined that nearly
two and a half millennia after articulation of their personal epiphanies and
the essence of their spiritual achievement in the Pali language, a reader would
read these verses through a translation and revert to the Pali text to try to savour
the original speech and idiom. Many of these verses are presented as Buddha’s
address to a Theri by name, after which the Theri repeats what the Buddha
taught.
Each verse hopes
to convey to one who listens or reads at least a bit of the epiphany which
flashed enlightenment to the concerned Theri.
Does one
have to be a Buddhist to appreciate and enjoy these poems? No, but most people
are familiar with the basic teachings of the Buddha and the Buddhist worldview,
and may relate to these poems.
How amazing
that these women poets wrote wonderful poetry that still speaks to a reader,
not of their religion or faith, nearly 2500 years after these were written!
Why did I
like these poems? Not for the scriptural content, but for the poetry, and the
nuggets of creative content embedded in these religious songs.
Yes, these
are verses or songs, not poems; meant to be sung, and not merely read and
appreciated. Veena was a popular musical instrument, and these and other
scriptural verses were set to music to convey the thoughts and awareness of the
Buddha and the Theras and Theris.
Since many
readers may not be interested in reading Buddhist scripture, translations of two
short verses are presented to provide a flavour of the poetry, the thoughts and
feelings, and the life and times of these enlightened women poets.
Therike
Sleep well,
Therike,
Curled up
under the cloth you have woven,
Now that
your desires are shrivelled
Like a dead
creeper in a pot.
Note: Theri is an Elder bhikkhuni, a nun who has attained
enlightenment; Therika may be a proper name or may mean ‘little theri.’
Mukta (Meaning ‘Free’ and/or ‘Pearl’)
FREE at
last,
Blissfully
free am I
Unbound from
the three afflictions –
Implements
to thrash and grind, and
My crooked
husband, too.
Free from
the endless grind
Of birth and
death.
If the Pali words
पतिना खुज्जकंन are meant to be a pun, the
translation would be as follows:
FREE at
last,
Blissfully
free am I
Saved from
the three afflictions –
Implements
to thrash and grind, and
Husband’s
crooked instrument, too.
Free from
the endless grind
Of birth and
death.
***
Hindi & Sambalpuri Translation
For readers
who may be interested, translations of these two verses into Hindi[ii]
and Sambalpuri[iii] (my
mother tongue) are also given.
Sanchi Mahotsava
The 71st
Bouddha Mahotsava commenced at Chetiyagiri Vihara, Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh on 25th
November, 2023. The relics of Buddha’s chief disciples, Sariputta and Maha Moggallan,
were brought out of the sanctum sanctorum, placed in a new urn provided by the
Buddhist Society, Sri Lanka, and venerated through a ceremonial procession.
These relics,
returned by the British in 1947 to Ceylon, were distributed by the Maha Bodhi
Society in 1952 to be kept at stupas in Rangoon, Colombo, and Sanchi.
***
[i] Therigatha: Poems of the First Buddhist Women,
Translated by Charles Hallisey, Murty Classical Library of India, Harvard
University Press, 2015.
[ii] Hindi Translation
थेरिके
अब चैन की नींद सोना थेरिके
खुद का बुना चादर ओढ़ कर
कामवासना जो मर चुकी है
गमले की सूखी वेल की तरह ।
मुक्ता
मुक्ता कहते हैं मुझे
वाकई मुक्त हूँ अब मैं
मुक्त तीनों कष्टों से
कूटने पीसने की औजारों
और पति के टेढा औजार से भी
मुक्त हूँ जन्म मरण से
और पुनर्जन्म के जंजाल से ।
[iii] Sambalpuri Translation
ଥେରିକେ
ବନେ ନିଦେଁ ଏତ୍କେ ଶୁଇବୁ ଥେରିକେ
ନିଜେଁ ବୁନ୍ଲା ଚାଦର୍ ଉଢ଼ି କରି
ଦିହି ମନର୍ ଭୋକ୍ ତ ମରିଗଲାନ
ଗମ୍ଲାର ସୁଖା ଖଡ୍ଖଡ୍ ଲହ ବାଗିର୍।
ମୁକ୍ତା
ମୁକ୍ତା ମୁଇଁ
ମୁକ୍ତି ପାଇଛେଁ ତିନ୍ହି ଜଂଜାଲୁଁ
ଢ଼େଁକି, ମୁଷଲ୍, ଆଉର୍ ଘଏତାର୍ ଟେଢ଼ା ଠେଂଗା ନୁ
ମୁକ୍ତି ପାଇଛେଁ ଜନମ୍ ମରନୁଁ
ଫେର୍ ଜନମ୍ ର ଜଂଜାଲୁଁ।
