study the Abidarmapitaka shall (in like manner) receive twelve meals. "4. Donations made unto the priests shall be applied in accordance with the intention of the donors, and without misappropriation. "5. That of all the (produce) of the lands and tenements which appertain to this temple and its appurtenances, that which may be necessary shall be first given for the maintenance of the temple; and the residue thereof shall not be enjoyed (by the priesthood) separately, and by coveting the temple, but shall be possessed (in common), and without affection for the temple. "6. The workmen of this temple shall not be punished, or reprimanded by one single priest, but it shall be lawful to do so with the concurrence of the whole community of the priests. "7. The Rev. priests resident in this temple shall not enjoy the produce of the fields and orchards which appertain to the inner temple, except in such manner as is conformable to religion." SECOND PERIOD. FROM 339 TO 1410. To a nation little accustomed to traffic, and therefore free from the endless difficulties and anxieties which trade produces on society in general, the cultivation of letters was not only a sine-quà-non, but its sole delight. Under such circumstances the Singhalese could not long remain without supplying their wants from the neighbouring country. Each succeeding Sovereign, interested in the people's welfare, rendered them essential service in this respect; and whilst their own intellectual improvement was next to their heart, that of their subjects was not "Coveting the temple," i. e. the priests are not to set their affeetions upon the temple. t neglected. In A. D. 350, Bujas or Buddhadāsa, much cele brated for his wonderful acquirements in Medical Science, wrote his "Sarattha Sangaho." This is a Sanscrit work, and very popular amongst the physicians of the Island. It has a paraphrase or commentary attached to it in Singhalese; from which we shall select a specimen: see post. During the reign of this Prince, the Suttans were translated into Singhalese (see Mahawanso, p. 247.) These, like the Singhalese Commentaries which preceded them, are now extinct. But reference, it is believed, is made to the Singhalese of the Suttans (the text of Budha's Sermons) in the Winayartha Samuch-chaya (A. D. 1165), to which we shall allude in the third period of our narrative. From these references we obtain several words which probably occurred in the Singhalese version of the Suttans; and they seem to correspond with the pure Elu terms which occur in the selection we have already made from an Inscription found at Mihintale-e. g. 83 sisi Kond 'Thou hast become an ignoramus;' 'Thou hast become faulty;' 'Thou hast stolen that which belonged to others.' Perhaps we are far from being wrong in considering that about this time the Mulusika and Kudusika were written. We have no clue whatever to their exact date; but the character of the style adopted certainly favours the belief that they were composed about this period. * From the former we extract the following passage. තුන්ලොවට උතුම් රුවන්තියාකා විසිමුනි තුන් දොරින් සක සා වැඳ උපසපුවලද පැවිජ්ජාපටන් හික්මිය යුතු සරිත්වරිත් සි ක සැකෙවින් කියනෙම්** * දික්කෙස්නියනැහැලොම් නොහරී නම් නොහරවා නම් නොගිලන්ව කැසහඬු පියස ලොම් හරි නම්කර වා නම් නියමට කෙරේ නම් කරවා නම් පිරියම්කලබී මතෙන් පයින් පවු වහන් ඇති පයින්බව් ඇම් නම් සඟ සතු හැඳ පුටුදු පිරිස කලබිතදු වෙරින් පහරී නම් සඟල සිවුරෙන් අකවටුහ වුළුවා හිදී නම් සිවුරු දුක් පරි බෝ කෙරේ නම් කහ බහනොබැ දහම්ව දී නම් සිරුරුකිස කොට ඇති දියෙහි දිය කිසනාසහා නම් දූකුලාවේ.. "Having by means of the three doors properly bowed unto the three Jewels, † illustrious in the three worlds, I shall briefly relate the precepts of religion, both of commission and omission to which the Upasampada § ascetics should conform themselves.*** If the Upasampada priests shall not crop, or cause to be cropped, the hair (on their heads) as well as that in the nose, and also nails, whenever they shall have grown long; if without any disease (which shall demand it) they shall remove or cause to be removed the hair in the arm-pits, as well as that growing in their private parts; if they shall pare, or cause to be pared, their nails; if on an ornamented floor they shall walk with wet feet, or covered feet; if they shall with their naked bodies come in contact with ornamented walls, beds or chairs, of the common property of the priests; if they shall sit covering their double outer-robe around their necks; if they shall ill-use their robes; if they shall go in the village without their yellow band; if (moreover) having fulfilled the calls of nature, and having water at hand, they shall not perform the necessary ablutions *** they shall be guilty of an offence." During the reign of Mahanama (A. D. 410), it appears that further additions were made to the literature of the Island by one Budha Ghosha, a very learned and renowned priest, who composed a series of commentaries on the Pali * See note (†) at p. 34. The three Jewels, viz. Budha, Priesthood, and the Scriptures. The Singhalese word which we have rendered "pare," means smooth' or 'polish.' This is a doubtful expression in the Singhalese. also text of the Budhistical scriptures, and a number of metrical compositions in the Maghada language. These are, an original work called the Nanodayan, the Wisuddi Maghan (to which we shall have occasion to refer when we come to speak of the commentary upon it in the Singhalese), and a Pali version of the whole of the Singhalese Atuwas. After a short interruption to the cause of education by the disturbances of the Malabars, which soon ensued, we again find the literature of Ceylon in a flourishing condition in the reign of Dhatuseno, A. D. 459-when Mahanama composed the celebrated Mahawansa, to which and a few other native historical records we are indebted for this summary. The fact of the Mahawansa being in Pali would naturally lead one to the supposition that at this period of time the Singhalese language was deficient. But such a supposition would be inconsistent with the fact, that discourses so varied and abstract as the Atuwas, or Commentaries on the Pittakattaya, had been previously written in the Singhalese language. And moreover, it is clear from the very notes of Mahanamo, that he adopted the Pali, not from any deficiency of the Singhalese, in which the former histories were composed, but with the sole object of giving to the language of Budha, "the supreme Maghada," a superiority over that of his native country. A short interval elapsed between Dhatusena's death, and the accession of Kumaradas, A. D. 515, one of the best and most enlightened of the Singhalese kings. Whether we regard him as a benefactor of the people, as a just king,, or as a scholar, our admiration of him is equally great. A long course of study before he assumed the reins of government peculiarly fitted him for the throne, and enabled him to govern his people with justice and equity, and to promote those interests which the exigencies of the times re quired. Eighteen temples, and as many tanks were founded by this Prince; and Budhism naturally obtained all the triumph which one of her devoted sons could achieve. He was an elegant writer, and a celebrated poet; and gave to the public many a valuable work, of which the ravages of succeeding times have left behind but a solitary Sanscrit poem called the "Janakeeharana." The following passage occurs in the Perakumba Sirithe, a Singhalese poetical work of some celebrity. වෙහෙර දසටක් පුරා කරවා දහ අටක් මහවැව් බැ ඳී තෙමගුල් යෙදී ඇජර කිවිව්සරපිනින්ජනකීහරණ ඈ මහක බැ. දි දී King Kumaradàs, who on the very same day celebrated a three-fold feast in honour of the accession of the Queen-consort to the throne, the installation into office of a number of the priesthood, and the founding of 18 temples and 18 tanks; and who in masterly and elegant rhymes composed Janakeeharana, and other celebrated poemsoffered his life for the poet Kalidàs. ” The circumstances which led to the tragical end of the Sovereign were as follows:-Kumaradas conceived an attachment to a female of great personal attractions, and during his visit one evening at her house (which was situated on the borders of a beautiful pond overgrown with Lotuses,) the king observed that a "bee" which had alighted upon a Lotus, and "sat on the bloom extracting liquid sweet,' was insensibly imprisoned within the fading petals of this flower of the oriental poet. A felicitous poetical idea, having reference to the danger of his own situation, was the result of the observation; and the royal poet, not wishing to give utterance to the whole of his sentiments, left the two following lines on the walls of the apartment which he then occupied, with the ad 99 |