A tale of time and timelessness

Sudhamahi Regunathan has translated Acharya Mahapragya’s classic “Rishabhayan” into a readable work of English poetry.

May 15, 2015 08:33 pm | Updated 08:33 pm IST

Book jacket

Book jacket

“Once upon a time there was a king….” Countless stories begin with these words. But the “Rishabhayan”, or story of Rishabha, begins differently. Here we can say, “Once upon a time there was no king.” There was no society either. And no rules. From today’s perspective this would sound like chaos. But in this story, the rule-less, unfettered “Age of Twins” was characterised by serenity, fulfilled desires, limited needs and an ignorance of death and loneliness. Acharya Mahapragya’s “Rishabhayan”, a work of some 2000 verses in Hindi, tells us about the life and times of Rishabha, or Adinath, the first Jain Tirthankar. It weaves into the storyline all the basic tenets of Jainism.

Now this epic poem, redolent with imagery and action, the rainbow colours of the world and the unblemished white of enlightenment, is available in English as “Rishabhayan: The Story of the First King” translated by Sudhamahi Regunathan, former Vice Chancellor of the Jain Vishwa Bharati Institute (a deemed university).

It was Rishabha, who, according to Jain mythology, first organised forest dwellers into a structured, networked community and laid the seeds of modern living. He did much more than that though. Not only did he crystallise the principles of justice and equality, provide his subjects with dwellings and teach them how to grow and cook their food, to create wealth and beauty and to enjoy the fruits of their labour, he also taught them how to renounce all this. Rishabha is believed to be not only the world’s first king but also the first monk.

Published by Harper Element — an imprint of HarperCollins — not long back, “Rishabhayan” was the subject of a discussion at the India International Centre in New Delhi. Present at the event along with the translator were Samani Charitra Pragya, current Vice Chancellor of JVBI, Shailaja Chandra, former Chief Secretary, Delhi, and Professor G.C. Tripathy, Director, Bhogilal Leherchand Institute of Indology, who chaired the proceedings. While Samani read selections from the Hindi original, the former Chief Secretary spoke about her surprise at being invited to this panel, till she realised the story, besides philosophy and spirituality, dealt with the basic tenets of good governance and administrative skills.

The perennial relevance of the storyline and the message is certainly striking. “Yes indeed. The teachings of Rishabha and Jainism are very relevant,” says Sudhamahi.

Troubles first creep into the ruler-less equanimity of the inhabitants of the story when the 10 kinds of kalpavrikshas or wish fulfilling trees stop providing abundantly for everyone. Scarcity leads to worry, hoarding, greed and eventually violence. The people feel the need of a leader who will organise them. At first, submitting to rules is relatively easy, and the concept of punishment non-existent. But as people become thick-skinned, the need for harsher punitive deterrents is felt, and the net of an organised society is well and truly laid out! The machinery is so well oiled that life is once more blissful, but at the height of their enjoyment, the people find their king renouncing the material world to discover the soul — the one kingdom that does not perish with time.

Today, the desire to amass more and more wealth seems to be behind so many of the negative features of life. But then, not many want to hear that they might find greater peace should they consume less, desire less.

“It is not so much the emphasis on ‘less’ as it is on ‘restraint’,” says the translator. “Any activity performed with restraint brings magic into it. Art, you know is built on restraint...if a musician did not pause, where would the notes resonate? If a dancer did not stop at suggestion while performing, where would the rasika’s imagination hide? The central message is to desire, but with restraint, to consume but with restraint. This way enjoyment can be continual. Much like the law of diminishing marginal utility in economics.”

She adds, “Of course it is true that this story is about renunciation. Rishabha renounced when he was so popular and prosperous. Bahubali (his son) renounced when he was on the verge of becoming the emperor. Bharata (another son) renounced when his kingdom was peaceful and happy. So the implications are twofold: first you must have something to renounce, so work hard. Second, to be able to renounce means there is so much detachment about your achievements, material or philosophical. And this comes with continual practice of restraint.”

Sudhamahi is well versed in fields like Indian classical dance, literature, education, religion and philosophy. Her eclectic background renders her eminently qualified to translate a work about which Acharya Mahapragya wrote: “Some years ago Gurudev Tulsi had told me, ‘Write a poem on Rishabha. It should not be just poetry but also instructional for the soul. It should not be just instructional for the soul, it should also be poetry.” (From the author’s note reproduced in the translation.) Sudhamahi has translated eight of his books, four of which are works of poetry. Apart from “Rishabhayan”, these are “The Sun Will Rise Again” (Penguin), “Sounds of Silence” (Jain Vishva Bharati) and “Resonant Voices Deaf Ears”, which is still in manuscript form.

Describing the challenges of understanding deep philosophy couched in poetry, she mentions the importance of keeping in mind “that which is unsaid”. Illustrating the power of poetic economy of words, she points out two lines from “Rishabhayan.”: Often in descent there come/Rare moments of ascent (page 161).

Again, she quotes a verse that may be interpreted “in a myriad ways”: My devoted one, your joy is precious to me/ Why are you getting upset?/ I nurture the undifferentiated/ Why are you seeing differences? (page 182) This verse could at one level be read as “a wonderful love song,” she says. “It is actually the lesson that all souls are equal...a highly philosophical one.”

Acharya Mahapragya’s Hindi epic was completed in 1995, but establishing the historical period of the story of Rishaba is a “tricky question,” says the translator. “Mahavira dates to the 6th Century BC. Before him came Parsvannatha in whose life story is a combination of history and mythology. The rest, before him, is mythology. We have no records. Some say the bull emblem found in Mohenjodaro excavations is symbolic of Rishabha. Some say he is mentioned in the Vedas. Some even say the 22 Tirthankaras before Parsavanntha was a lineage that was drawn up to match the Vedic tradition. Others say vice versa. But these are questions to which we can never have an answer. The teachings that have come down to us are of greater relevance.”

An author in her own right, Sudhamahi remarks she also always has “some translation work going on all the time.” On her next project, she says, “I am in the final stages of a book on my understanding of Jainism. Hopefully a simple rendition of a beautiful way of thinking.”

In a whirling world of pulp fiction and crass commercial cinema glorifying pseudo cults that tend to appeal more to darkness than to light, a researcher of ancient philosophies writing in a contemporary English idiom offers a refreshing change.

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