LECTURE No. XVII: INFLUENCE OF PRE-BUDDHIST RELIGIOUS BELIEFS REFLECTED IN BAGAN FOLK POEMS AND SONGS

LECTURE NO. XVII  

INFLUENCE OF PRE-BUDDHIST RELIGIOUS BELIEFS REFLECTED IN BAGAN FOLK POEMS AND SONGS.

1.      There are folk poems and songs of Bagan Period that reflect the lingering prevalence of pre-Buddhist beliefs among the people. Here one poem and old song are given as exampleṣ Their composers were unknown. They were folk poem and song handed down to generations by words of mouth.

2.      The poem quoted here describes a water reservoir built at the foot of the Tuyin hill range and the song narrates the sad saga of the two Nat [spirit] brother and sister dwelling on the Mount Popa.

3.      The poem entitled “Pleasant Emerald Lake” runs as follows:

“Pleasant Emerald Lake

Fed by a bro ok from the hill cascades

Cool and clear is its water

With a strong intact dyke thither

Fragrant lotus flowers abound

Different avian feathered creatures around

Hark! Is it the Lake “Nanda”

Of celestial Realm “Tavatimsa”?

Yae, looks like it.

4.      This folk poem was composed in the form of a linka. Linka is the simplest form of Myanmar verse which has exact metre, rhyme and rhythm. It describes about a lake called Mya Kan {Emerald Lake} a water reservoir built at the foot of the hill range called Tuyin hills, about seven miles to the south of Bagan. It is now in ruin, sitting and drying up. But it must have been a very pleasant lake with lush vegetation and wildlife especially birds in the heyday of Bagan.

5.      Mention of legendary lake “Nanda” and the celestial kingdom “Tavatimsa” prove the influence of Hindism and Mahayana Buddhism

6.      The folk song “An ode to Mt. Popa” is as follows

Oh Nat-spirit with the headdress of Tho-saung

In the thicket of dense forest on the summit of lofty Mt. Popa

Are the flagrant Champac flowers which bloom seasonally

And their colour can be mistaken for golḍ

Oh Nat-spirit with the headdress of Tho-saung

She was the daughter of the brave man

Her beauty could be compared to the Champac flower.

She was brought up under the care of the kind brother

She had a lover kept in the heart of her hearṭ

He was not with her. He was a service man away on a journey

Oh Nat Spirit with the headdress of Tho-saung

Service childhood while she still wore “Myeiklutsu” hair knot on her head

The twain were fond of each other

He was a nephew of her father

He was thus related to her

The twain were united by attachment

Till the end od their lives

They kept their mutual faith

Her relaives lover wore a red towel

And a fine lanin jacket

He was a knight-designate

She loved him so much

Her love for him was beyond measure

7.      This fold song also is in linka forṃ It descibes the tragic story of a mighty blacksmith named “Maung Tint De” and his cousin sister “Shwe Myet Hnar” both of whom met violent death, and ae believed to have become Nat-spirits dwelling on Mt. Popa. Till today, Myanmarpeople venerate them as guardian spirits of the house.