Kābymahājāŧi

The Kābymahājāŧi (Thai: กาพย์มหาชาติ; RTGS "Kap Mahachat") is an old work of literature composed in Siam sometime during the Ayuthian period. There is no mention of the name of its author and its history remains unclear. However, it is held as a work of both literary and Buddhist value.

History

Prince Taṃroṇ postulated that the Kābymahājāŧi was likely composed during the reign of King Droṇdharm at a joint convention of philosophers and royal academicians between the years 1602 and 1627.

Content, Language and Style

The content of the Kābymahājāŧi is simply a narration of the "Mahājāŧi" or "Vessantara Jātaka" (มหาเวสสันดรชาดก; "Maha Wetsandon Chadok") in a style known as "yok gathā" (ยกคาถา; "yok katha"), which is the incantation a sentence or phrase in Pāḷi and then retelling it in Thai, the entire tale being told from start to finish by alternating between the two languages. Verse is in a style known as "rāy pōrāṅ", at the time referred to as "rāy mahājāti" (ร่ายมหาชาติ; "rai mahachat"). Aside from being simply prosework composed to give sermons on the "Mahājāŧi" itself, each chapter (known as a "parb" (บรรพ; "bap") when referring to the "Mahājāŧi") is in fact quite concise so that it could be directed at an audience of average layfolk. The Thai prefix "kāby" of the title can be glossed as 'narrative poem'.

Examples

From the chapter "Vonҏravēśn" (กัณฑ์วนประเวศน์; "Kan Wonprawet"); words in bold are in Pali:

เต จัต์ตาโร ขัต์ติยา อันว่าพระบรมกษัตริย์ทั้งสี่ศรีสุริยวงศ์ เมื่อเสด็จบทจรประสงค์สู่เขาคิริยวงกฏ มิได้แจ้งทางที่กำหนดดำเนินไพร ด้วยความเข็ญใจก็จำเป็น ปติปเถ ทอดพระเนตรเห็นมหาชน อันเดินทวนทางถนนนั้นมา ก็ตรัสถามถึงมรคาเขาคันธมาทน์ ..."

"source: Thai Wikipedia"