PRAKASINA a Buddhist Princess
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FOREWORD (First Edition) The first birth-centenary of Prof. Puran Singh is to be celebrated in 1981. As part of celebrations, the Punjabi University, Patiala is bringing out the hitherto unpublished works of Puran Singh, in Punjabi, Hindi and English, in fulfilment of its commitment. The University has also started a quarterly journal ‘Puran Singh Studies’ as another part of the centenary Programme. Puran Singh left a number of original writings and translated works in the form of manuscripts. The story of Princess Prakasina, completed by the author in 1922, has remained unpublished so far. Prakasina was the princess— daughter of the ruler of a Buddhist Kingdom, located in the Pothohar region of the ancient Punjab. The princess loved and dedicated herself to a prince turned Bodhisattva a wise and enlightened soul carrying the message of Lord Budha to his people. Puran Singh’s narration has transformed history into a superb piece of literature. The manuscript was entrusted to S. Kartar Singh Duggal, a renowned Punjabi writer for editing. He has done a good job of his assignment, for which the University is grateful to him. On the occasion of the first centenary of Prof. Puran Singh’s birth, the Department of Punjabi Literary Studies presents this work of Prof. Puran Singh, as its humble contribution. July, 1980 RATTAN SINGH JAGGI Patiala “Ashoka—the great emperor who united India, and made the influence of his empire felt from Ceylon to the limits of Syria and Egypt, deliberately recognising Buddhism as its unifying force,—gave the weight of his personal influence to those thinkers who must have been closely allied to the Northern school, though with Asiatic toleration he patronised their opponents also and did not fail to countenance the Brahmanical religion itself. His son Mahindra converted Ceylon to Buddhism, laying the foundations thereof Northern school, which still survived in the seventh century, when Gensho (Hieuntsang) visited India, till the reflux from Siam, a few centuries later, of the Southern doctrine, of which it remains the present strong-hold. Northern India and Kashmir, where immediate disciples preached the faith, formed the busiest seat of Buddhist activity. It was in Kashmir, in the first century after Christ, that Kanishka— that king of the Gettaes, who extended his power from Central Asia to the Punjab, and left his foot- prints at Mathura near Agra,—called a great Buddhist council, whose influence spread Buddhism further into Central Asia. But all this was only enforcing the work begun by Ashoka the great descendent of Chandra Gupta (Fourth century B.C.)”— —OKAKURA PREFACE (First Edition) No definite or indefinite details as to the site and the times of the story narrated in the following pages could have been at all even remotely guessed from the vague rumours in the freed mouths of confused traditions heard from old men and women to whom the story was subject of a Katha—a recital, a chant with explanatory extempore additions. History does not become ripe in its lesson, till it has forgotten its own time and space, and descends as a song on the tongues of men, or sinks as a beautiful story into the depths of human consciousness becoming an organic part of it. One may, however, guess that, most probably, there was, out of the innumerable Buddhist estates and kingdoms one small Buddhist kingdom of Anardha, mentioned in our story, historically speaking, perhaps all so insignificant, in that corner of the north-west India which is now known by the name of Pothohar, Dhani and Hazara. There is, no doubt, that this part of the country, at one time, was full of monasteries and stupas; and many of these important historical sites of the old Buddhistic periods of history were buried here by Time. Taxila, the old Buddhistic University had sunk in earth, not at very great distance from Anardha, the capital of this kingdom. Occasionally the Chinese and other pilgrims roamed about Anardha to verify some important details of history as recorded by the famous Chinese travellers, the glorious past had left but these last remanants and ruins as pathetic tales of Buddhism in India. In this small, almost unknown kingdom of Anardha, ruled over by an Arahaat, in succession similar to what, at least, in dead form if not in spirit, still exists in Tibet in Lamaism, had gathered most of the holy men and women, driven out of the other parts of the country, persecuted by the satanic followers of the vedic ritualism. Here did bum quietly for a brief while of about 200 years or so the Great Lamp in its, let us say, last beautiful flicker, centuries before the fresh onslaught of the Moslem iconoclasts of Central Asia. This Arahaat had modified Buddhism some-what radically and we might say it was a new- Buddhism of his own. Whether the story is true or not, as to the names of persons and places and religions or as to the exact layer of the historical period to which it belongs, this much is vouchsafed, that it does truly record the private life of a great and noble man who once ruled over a kingdom in which he had his immediate religious ancestors had actually realised a Utopia of an ideal political estate; the Buddhism in its peculiar individualistic Anardha-modification had once become both the religion and the politics of the people of that little country. Like the pages of an old manuscript, in spite of many portions of it being somewhat indistinct and blurred, the story might, even in its narration in English, a language foreign to the author, it is hoped, still scintillate with the light that the author as a boy, beheld on the faces of men and women figuring in the story, as it was being word— painted before his eyes by the great story- tellers, the grand old men who have become well-nigh extinct due to the general drive of the old by the new types of men. The self-realised, enlightened simplicity of human life in its own perfect health, sympathy, labour and love is, after all, the highest religion that the kings of Anardha taught their people and wrought it in, into the consciousness of the people by their occult genius of the supernatural vision. Gwalior, Central India PURAN SINGH December, 1922 PREFACE (Second Edition) Professor Puran Singh needs no introduction as he is well-known and much loved versatile poet and writer and enjoys a distinguished place in the field of literature. His writing skill is not only reflected in his Punjabi literary works, he also chose Hindi and English language as medium of expression of his overwhelming divine thought. In celebrating his first birth century in 1981, Punjabi University Patiala decided to publish the unpublished works left by him, as a mark of tribute to him and the first edition of ‘Prakasina’ was presented by the Department of Punjabi Literary Studies, to the readers as a token of great respect and love for this great son of Punjab. Professor Puran Singh was impressed and fascinated by the stories narrated by the story- tellers about an ideal King named Jasmanji of Anardha, now known as Pothohar, Dhani and Hazara. Based on these ancient stories concerned with this region the author created ‘Prakasina’. Though, it is a love story of Princess Prakasina and Manmahaji, it is enriched with mysticism and highlights the highest principles of life. We see in this book, how a man adopting these principles like love, honesty, justice, equality, humility and getting religious minded turns from an ordinary human being into angelic personality. How they achieved transcendental state of mind where they could visualize their future and look into the past, where the phenomena of the individual souls meeting the departed divine souls appears to be very normal and natural. Through simple living and high thinking and leading ethico-spiritual life the people of Anardha created heaven on earth. This book inspires its readers to make the best of life and gain perfection. Such people are spiritually beautiful and helps creating a beautiful world. They are ever blissful here and hereafter. The Punjabi Literary Studies Department now takes pleasure in presenting its second edition to the readers. We hope, it will be loved by them. AJMER SINGH Prof. & Head, Punjabi Literary Studies Deptt., Punjabi University, Patiala. CONTENTS I. The king in disguise 1 II. Lokina, the image of God 9 III. The Princess Prakasina 13 IV. Thought bodies 16 V. The king’s visit 21 VI. Manmahaji 29 VII. The camp 42 VIII. At the foot of the Siwaliks 50 IX. The first glimpse of glaciers 55 X. The garden of fairies 64 XI. The guests 70 XII. Love 79 XIII. The swing 85 XIV. The invisible robbers 88 XV. The King visits Gangola 93 XVI. The clouds of mercy 98 XVII. The gold washers 102 XVIII. The ascent 110 XIX. The camp parting 116 XX. To Mansarovar 120 XXI. The caves of Mansarover 127 XXII. The veil lifted 136 XXIII. Albita 141 XXIV. Ansi 147 XXV. Poali Kanta 155 XXVI. The travelled tracks 162 XXVII. The prize of beauty 168 CHAPTER I THE KING IN DISGUISE Old days are gone, when the best of men were the kings, and the kings of men were the best of men. And the men knew life only in its sweet self-contentment, in its profusion of gifts, in its bounteous abundance, so much so, that the tillers of soil were the richest givers; they knew how to labour, to give and to live in the good will of their ever-watching king.