'SUDU AM' AS A STORY-TELLER

lIIt |U5tU5 IQ_lD5, !CDOy It!t|ItC to as 'Sudu /OI y ltI pupIh, IS Lt5!
KDOWD !O CoD5KII! 5CDOdI5 5 !t U!DO O! [O]U! lD5!!lOD O! 3O1t birth-,;t(lrir!, O!
!Dt LUOOD Dt5C 5!OIt5 WtIt t!t!tC !IOO !t Jiltakamala, CO!1 O5tO by the Ot!
/Iy5UI, VDO .5 5IO IO DVt lIVtO ID !t !CU''! CD!UIy / Prillted ! !Dt Oy5
DOU5!II OOC |IC5, Vt!W!IC DO published m COOmbO in 191t, Higgins' lO+! v5
OtOC!tO !O |I5 LXCt!CDCy, C!! ODtf! '!It!5, \OVtIDOI O! 'ty!:D (1913 - 1916).
'DlmtI5 W5 5CDO!OJ O It]O!t, WDO5t !IcD5!!lOD O! UO!! 5IO! lt5 !IOI |1I W5
pUD|5DtO lD LODOOD D 1895. /DOIDtI oII 5COIOI. !l+ IDtO5O]DI5! |!I+! Ltt VOOV++O,
|IDC!Q O! |D\DO 'Olt_t, \DIt, !IOI 1903 !O ) 919, WIO!t !Dt 'OWOIO to |_QD5
DOOK. t DtO ! DtCKJCt O! ptr!5, !Dv 5!ID_ D_ !Dt 'D L't !D! |OD5 D5 a
_OOtD !DItO !lIOU_D all, DO !Dt pearls, Tach ol+e |Ilt O! !+t LX!tC 'J+t tt
LIO!DtI O! ID, !t LOCDI5!!VD
|D her ID!IOODC!IOD !O !Dt !IO5l!OD Ol !D JO!ol!1, MIQ_!D5 OC5CIDt5 tU!i!Oy
DOW LUOODl5!5 in the l:DO O! 'ty!OD 57DI lD7 `C! Lcy O! !'1t ytI 24.'>5 01 the
Buddhist Era, WHtD 'The greatest CIOWC5 O! Buddhists DO QO!tItO ID !Dt O!O Di .I!y
O! /DUIOo|UID The CiICUO5!oDCt, VDt\C! '_!DC.l O real, !D! tO !O DtI !ID5!JDQ
!Dt J!KI! COUlO lt Dt5! tIt55tC I` her OWIl vOIO5
/DO DOW It Wt IO CtltD!\!t Vt5K L6y, Chl drtD?" said the wDI!t OO!I1tl !i! DtI
OIKtytO OIOtD5, WDO |O _DIDtItC IO\DC !O _IVC tI !t _Itt!D]5 O! the 1y
'D, |1OItI OtI 5OJO LttW!I C! us !I5l go !O !t tO]t !O_t!tI !O O!tI
!OWtI5 DC !DC\ ]lt56 !t! OD6 C! the SIOIIt O! ! lOOOD5 former births, which /OU
]IOOI5tO yOU WOUO !tl U5 Vt t OD!y ltV _I!5 |t U5l DOW ID !t O!IO5 DO Wt
OU_D! !O Vt 5OOt ItWIC !OI 5IyID_ l1tIt, l5!tO of _OID_ DOO like the O!Dt Iills".
"Yes, little OOt l5VtItO !Dt Oott-. "I IOO !!ID !h' !!5 O1y is the be';t y !OI
O!D_ Dt_1DD\D_ !O !Cl the LUOC!: LIID5'OIJ05. C1 !tI W It!UID !IO! !t
tOt, t! U5 5I! UOWD D !D t LDDOOQ!OV D OU! _IOtD DI OUI \!!lt CDI:D!OI
DO then Wt V COOOtDCt OUI _IDO C! L!!|5lIt5.
Dt 5UD w3 U5t 5IDKID_ ltDDO thf' coconut |O5, !OOOIDQ Ihe _IOD W\J+ l!5
ItO DO _O!CtD DUt5, VDtD !ht l!!lt _roup O Sinh,llc',e _II5 gathered IOUDO !DtlI WDI!t
OO!DtI ID !Dt ODOO_IOVt C_tI !O hear the story Whi cD she '1O promis,d !c tell,
/DO the OO!her 5O` 'D!OItD, Oy stories, tDIs !I!, It O O!!t!CD! KIDO !IOI !Dt
!OIOtJ ODt5 Dty It DO! ! all Kt !Dt Stories frol !ht MI5!OIy O 'tyOD !ItV are
!t5 O! !Dt !OIOt! DII5 O! !Dt OIO LUOOD vtD D W5 a LOO5`!!V, VD D W5
5!|! OD !Dt fOO !O tItC!IOD !O LUOODOlOOC
Dty It C!ltO J!KD, OI \rl DO O LI!5lOIIt5, btcU5e !f _ID!
WI!tI O! !D5t 5!Olt5 5O !D!. |t WOU!O CtV\!y worship the WODOI!U! expl()its W!ICD
!Dt lUD tI!OIOtO |D ]ItV\OU5 DII!D5, |y a poeO, the VtI5I5 O W!Cl WOU!O |t 'I!t !t
!OWtI5 |D a _IDO.
4 S
.:.
Aryasura's Jatakamala was translated into English from the original Sanskrit by
Professor J.S. Speyer of Leyden and published for the first tIme in a Dutch magazine.
Higgins retold the stories with the kind permission of Speyer and added: 'The Story of
Prince Siddhartha, the last Birth on earth of the Bodhisattva' based on Edwin Arnold's
Light of Asia and some other sou rces. Higgins illustrated the jataka stories with photographs
of the carvings of the Borobudur temple in Java.
Copies of Higgins' publication of 1914 which could then be obtained from the
Manager of the Musaeus Girls' Boarding School, Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, are not
now easily available. I have fortunately had access to a copy kept at the University
Library in Peradeniya. A re-designed edition was published in 1984 by Lake House
Printers and Publishers, by arrangement with Miss Dilani de Silva of Colombo 5. Here,
the stories are illustrated with line drawings by the Sri Lankan artist, Stanley Kirinde.
Copies of this edition should be available to be read by past and present students of
Musaeus College during this centenary year.
University of Peradeniya,
Binara Full-moon Poya Day
September 30, 1993.
Ratna Handurukande
,----------------------------------,
Uves of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And departing leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time.
(Longfellow)
I
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