BY SHITAL PRADHAN
I first heard about S Mahinda Thero
during 2005 while at Kolkata when I was asked by one of a stamp dealer whether
I was interested on a 20 paisa stamp of S Mahinda Thero issued by Sri Lankan
Postal Department in early 1970s. I collect philatelic items on Buddhism but I
never had a sense of whom he was talking about. He
told me, as I was from Sikkim so I might be interested to know more about the
person and he went on to add it was Sikkim Mahinda Thero, a Buddhist monk who
is regarded as a national hero, a famous poet in the Sinhalese language whose
poetry promoted patriotism and the revival of Buddhism to this part of the
Island. He promised to send me the stamp of S Mahinda Thero from Colombo
through mail but since then I had never heard from him. But towards my limited
concern it was enough to have knowledge of such person who is keeping the name
Sikkim with honour and pride in Sri Lanka.
I had the name of S Mahinda Thero within
me but never got an opportunity to look at more about him until a year back
when I was told by my younger brother about his penpal friend from Sri Lanka. I
believe she could help me increase my little knowledge about S Mahinda Thero. A
letter arrived from Gayani Amarasinghe after a month I had penned down. She was
more than curious about my inquiry about their national hero; according to her
they call him "Tibbet Jathika Sikkimmhe Mahinda Thero" which means
The Mahinda Thero of Sikkim the Tibbetian. She even added his poems are found
in the school text books too. My fascination towards this Buddhist monk cum
poet was growing.
Gayani writes in her letter recalling
how her father would remember the uncertain death of S Mahinda Thero on March
16th 1951 was little expected when the country needed more of his patriotic
poetry then. Her father would sing lullabies of the great poet for his younger
brother and even she had heard her father sing for her when as a child. Gayani
shared her favourite S Mahinda Thero's poem (English translation) she liked the
most:
"Freedom is
a diamond crown
Religion is a
diamond lamp
If (someone is)
able to protect these
It's you my
child."
More than fifty years after his death he
is still remembered as a nation's delight. The role played by S Mahinda Thero
in invoking the national pride among the locals through his writings were
widely appreciated and till today had been described by some as being more Sri
Lankan than the Sri Lankans themselves. His writing along with the revival of
Buddhism also promoted patriotism, national pride, equality and national
independence.
Here I take a reference of an article
"Tibet and Sri Lanka" written by Venerable Dhammika, where a small
background about S Mahinda Thero is shared. According to the article S Mahinda
Thero was born into a noble family in Gangtok as Tashi Namgyal in 1901. This
cleared my earlier confusion about the name of S Mahinda Thero, where Gayani
wrote he was born Vasilingal, I was rather confused and to similar extent I found
the other name of the great reverend where he is referred as Tasilmgal, so
these names are nothing but poor version of Tashi Namgyal. Nevertheless of his
four brothers one was the Prime Minister of Sikkim, another became a professor
of the Tibetan language at Calcutta University, while the third brother like
Mahinda became a monk and joined him to Sri Lanka. The monk brother latter got
his name Punnaji.
There is an interesting incident about
how Mahinda came to Sri Lanka; it was a German monk Nyanatiloka at his tour at
Australia during the broke-out of the First World War was denied permission to
Sri Lanka, his resting place then. Instead he left for Tibet, since it was
another Buddhist hub. But to his surprise Tibetan borders were closed to the
visitor and he landed at Sikkim, then an unknown mountain country. He was
helped by the royal family of Sikkim, where he involved in the matters of the
state of Sikkim's Sangha. It took very less time for a German monk to convince
sending monks to Sri Lanka would help reform the religious fronts in the Sikkim
State itself. Thus Tashi Namgyal and his other brother came to learn Buddhism
in Sri Lanka. The two brothers went on to settle in Sri Lanka for rest of his
life and came to be known as Ven. Sikkim Mahinda Thero and Ven. Sikkim Punnaji.
Well little is known about the Ven. Sikkim Punnaji!
In 1914, they arrived at Nyanatiloka's
Island Hermitage at Dodonduwa. Later they studied at both Mahabodhi College and
Vidyodaya Pirivena. In 1930 Mahinda took his lower ordination under the great
Venerable Lunupokune Dharmananda and in 1931 his higher ordination. He quickly
mastered the Sinhalese language and later used his considerable facility in it
to write a large amount of fine poetry. His writings exposed and condemned the
national apathy that existed and were fervent appeals to awaken patriotic
feelings.
In his life time he wrote over 40 books
both prose and verse in Sinhala. He passed away on May 16, 1951 and it is
believed that his ashes are still kept in a pot hanging on the roof of the
Mahabellana Temple. When Mahinda came to Sri Lanka he was a layman but after
his death he is regarded as a national hero. A man with a single cloth to wrap
his body has a statue after him at a temple in Panadura, a road named after him
'S. Mahinda Himi Mawatha and finally honouring him with a postage stamp.
S Mahinda Thero was born in Sikkim but
he was often referred as from Tibet simply of one reason that Tibet was a more
popular name then Sikkim in those days. Here I am sharing the words of Venerable Dhammika who state "He (S Mahinda
Thero) is mainly remembered today for the religious poems and verses that he
wrote for children, a genre virtually unknown before him. He also wrote rousing
patriotic poetry urging Sri Lankans to be proud of their own culture and
religion and to struggle for independence from Britain. Recently some erotic
love poetry has come to light as well. Mahinda's other literary works include a
translation from Pali into Sinhalese of the classical poem Sadhammopijana and a
biography of King Prakamabahu."
A popular anecdote on S Mahinda Thero
says a few years back a Chinese scholar was send to Sri Lanka from China to
research on the writings of the Mahinda on the purpose of highlighting the
Chinese contribution to Sinhalese literature. But when it was discovered that
Mahinda was from Sikkim and not Tibet, the research was closed down. Out here
can this not be a fitting tribute if we (?), from Sikkim collect his memoirs
and preserve it, what more can be done about a person who speaks pride to be a
Sikkimese?
Nidahasa Maha
Muhudak ve
Ehi Ulpata Puta numba ve
Ebawa Sihikota Melove
Yutukama Itukalayutu ve,
Ehi Ulpata Puta numba ve
Ebawa Sihikota Melove
Yutukama Itukalayutu ve,
(If the ocean is the freedom, its
fountain is the baby in the cradle. When the son is told that it is his
responsibility to protect the motherland from various challenges, the motherly
lover affection also flows along with it.)
It is really amazing to see my words ,once written as a curious child to a penpal 4m sikkim , considered in a blog post :D - Gayani Amarasinghe-
ReplyDeleteHi Gayani..nice to see u here....so hw is life...
ReplyDeleteHi Mr.Shital,
ReplyDeleteS.Mahinda Thero is a house hold name in Sri Lanka. Right now I live in USA and haven't been to Sri Lanka in years. Still every time I read or hear poems of Mahinda thero it touches my heart.
:) Its me Gayani again. well 'life' has changed a lot. Somethings I had wrote I cant remember now. But ofcorse I still remember the poems :)so happy to see this. You are proud of him becase he is Sikkim's and we too are proud because, to us, he is ours.
ReplyDeleteHi Gayani...how ru doing...
Deletehi I'm a filipino, and in our school we were assigned to know the literature different countries and i am assigned in Sri Lanka, could you help me find novels, short stories, poems of sri lankan authors :) PLease i need your help thankks
ReplyDeleteHi Shital,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog when I was looking for articles on Ven. S. Mahinda. I read what you have written on him. I had this nice feeling that we both are sharing a common person who's born Sikkim and a national hero of Sri Lanka. I read a few other of your posts too. They're pretty interesting. Keep it up.
-Suresh Dharmaratne (Sri Lanka)
wow thanx for enlightened us with Ven S. Mahinda of Sikkim Shital ji.
ReplyDeleteVen.MAHINDA OF SIKKIM is a genuine character.he is a part of our lives. But I wonder why these Buddhist countries, including Srilanka are going toward the darkness ? Every human in this world must read ven.Mahinda's writings and must understand that, Buddhism is the only way to confirm the world peace !
ReplyDelete