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This poem belongs of the little-known Newari (Nepal Bhasha)
language and literature, specifically to its even less known
Buddhist version. It is one of the very rare cases that works in
Newari language appear outside Nepal.
In nineteen long cantos, the "Sugata Saurabha" tells of the life
of the Buddha, following the traditional accounts, but situates it
in the strongly local context of Newar and Nepali Buddhism. It
emulates the classical (Kavya) style of the long-standing Indian
tradition, and has been inspired by the 2,000-year-old Sanskrit
poem, the "Buddhacarita," Consequently, the poet inserts stanzas
composed in traditional classical Sanskrit meter, though written in
polished Newari.
The poem was composed by the greatest modern writer in Newari
language, Chittadhar Hrdaya (1906- 1982), while he was imprisoned
by the autocratic strongly pro-Hindu Rana regime that governed
Nepal from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century.
The poem is the best-known work of the flowering of modern
Newari literature that emerged after the restrictions of the Rana
regime were lifted in 1950.
The Sugata Saurabha is an epic poem that retells the story of the
Buddha's life. It was published in 1947 in the Nepalese language,
Newari, by Chittadhar Hridaya, one of the greatest literary figures
of 20th-century Nepal. The text is remarkable for its
comprehensiveness, artistry, and nuance. It covers the Buddha's
life from birth to death and conveys his basic teachings with
simple clarity. It is also of interest because, where the classical
sources are silent, Hridaya inserts details of personal life and
cultural context that are Nepalese. The effect is to humanize the
founder and add the texture of real life. A third point of interest
is the modernist perspective that underlies the author's manner of
retelling this great spiritual narrative. This rendering, in a long
line of accounts of the Buddha's life dating back almost 2,000
years, may be the last ever to be produced that conforms to the
traditions of Indic classic poetry. It will not only appeal to
scholars of Buddhism but will find use in courses that introduce
students to the life of the Buddha.
The Sugata Saurabha is an epic poem that retells the story of the
Buddha's life. It was published in 1947 in the Nepalese language,
Newari, by Chittadhar Hridaya, one of the greatest literary figures
of 20th-century Nepal. The text is remarkable for its
comprehensiveness, artistry, and nuance. It covers the Buddha's
life from birth to death and conveys his basic teachings with
simple clarity. It is also of interest because, where the classical
sources are silent, Hridaya inserts details of personal life and
cultural context that are Nepalese. The effect is to humanize the
founder and add the texture of real life. A third point of interest
is the modernist perspective that underlies the author's manner of
retelling this great spiritual narrative. This rendering, in a long
line of accounts of the Buddha's life dating back almost 2,000
years, may be the last ever to be produced that conforms to the
traditions of Indic classic poetry. It will not only appeal to
scholars of Buddhism but will find use in courses that introduce
students to the life of the Buddha.
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