Roaming of Insatiable Soul

-Yadav Chandra Sharma

Some people claim that the history is highly interesting subject to study because it furnishes with the knowledge of past events and helps to plan the future. Particularly, I consider the study of history is a journey of insomniac mountains during the cold and dark night.

The sensation for historiography often drives me towards a state of torture and grief because it is the tale of deceased and burial place. Here, I remember someone stating that “history is an account of the dead” and of those who go through it they may encounter ghost hunting. Though history has been a detestable subject for me and I am apprehended with panic in reading the story of dead past, gory wars and destructive phenomenon. But recently, I was curious to discover an interesting portion of the history because I was interested to distinguish among community service, social emancipation and individual downfall. While the history pertaining to Buddha, Buddhism and monastery for social emancipation can satiate my quest.

Unfortunately, I am far behind from theological studies and I possess a sallow understanding on the issue but my voracity was obvious to acquire some knowledge and information which must be extracted from primordial Buddhist historiography. It could symbolically elucidate the core realm of ancient human behaviors, the manifestation of conflict, struggle and battle between negative and positive aspects.

The human activities both in the past and present are stunning because the sway of noble and notorious actions is continual portrayal of such manifestation in all the dimensions of human activities. I compared both, now and then. The occurrences in the past correspond to present as well because of the presence of lust for power, egocentric instinct and unseen packs of intrigues are alike to shadow of an entity that shrinks and expands in accordance with the situation.

Prevalence of such instincts in a man’s mind is a never-ending phenomenon; let it either be past or present. I found that the lust of political power, negative attitude and retributive character grown in the mind of Devadatta (cousin of Buddha) became causative to dethrone and drive away Buddha. State authority loyal to modern Devadatta evacuates the villages of Buddhas resulting Buddhas possibly to scythe grass in remote highlands, pursuing their cattle and hastening herds towards the scruffy sheds waiting for doomsday. Meanwhile, the rest might have been tilling barrens, where monkeys and porcupines are eagerly waiting for reaping. Even though for Buddhas, their indomitable hope for future is radiant. They never discard herculean tasks and cling to Jacobean wait around. But a traitor like Devadatta , who is a full-fledged effigy of idleness, a slave of ambition and a bard of satanic verses, rests in the mirth of splashing wealth.

History should be the culmination of noble deed of the people; they are the genuine creators of it, not the king and emperors. Still, the people are not conferred with honor as the actual history makers. Sadly, the history sitters are awarded instead of makers. Therefore, if anyone claims that the history is a ghost document, I probably won’t deny. In my opinion, it is a cumulative record of cruel account of human behaviors. In other words, it is also a description of malicious intention, self-centric feeling and embryonic vicious character of human being.

Everything is subject to change and maturation so that the ancient period was also not an exception. The period of rise, enlightenment and sermon was full of tumult and turmoil in Buddha’s life. His quality and aptitude were also sharpened according to the natural laws of struggle. In other words, Buddhism is an outcome of a struggle for knowledge and stiff scuffle against internal and external forces including circumstances and kinsmen. The history of hero and villain grows alongside and is equally old. Therefore, history remains always ajar in order to peep through the old event from where we observe conflict and struggle of good against evil, and vice versa.

At times, the mankind fights against its own self; against the kinsmen and external elements including natural inconvenience. In regard to this phenomenon, Buddha also was not an exception. Besides the other external elements, he had to encounter with several attacks mounted by his own cousin Devadatta who is known as a notorious character in Buddhist historiography. Although he had received knowledge from Buddha, learnt all the sermons, fast promoted as the 11th major disciples among other seniors, he could not heartily transformed himself from prince to the monk.

His demonic ambition led him to commit coup to usurp power of monastery from Buddha. The things what he had immaturely gained could not satisfied him because he was unable to grasp the significant values of Buddha’s teachings. His lip-service to the sermons of Buddha could not subdue his materialistic ambition. Regrettably, his little knowledge and big ambition periled him and his potentialities used good for nothing.

Ultimately, it is proved that he neither had any interest in implementation of Buddha’s teachings nor could he accept it on the philosophical ground. For him, it was only a device of gaining power to establish himself in place of Lord Buddha which led him to the path of anguish and disloyalty. Eventually, he began to exercise the art of repression, allurement and revenge. He was dexterous in the art that he had learnt at the palace and started to apply upon some meek monks in order to gain expected outcome. It is said that the craftsmanship of a knave is to cajole a person who can easily be trapped in.

The impact of his cajoling upon some monks began to fructify in later days. He began to claim himself above Buddha and began to denounce him as if Buddha was inferior to him. For Devadatta , monastery was not a forum for social emancipation but a device to bring him good name, luminous fame and absolute power. As a regent, born in royal palace with golden spoon in his mouth, he had genetic instincts and was perfectly trained to hatch conspiracies in accordance with environment. Ultimately, he became a ringleader of some sallow wise monks and opened a new monastery though it could not long last.

Meanwhile, his accomplice in a mission with Ajatshatru, the crown prince of Magadh, sprinkled water over his almost withered hopes. However, Ajatshatru was seduced for loin-share in the sovereign power and state authority got ready to assassinate his father and gave word to co-operate Devadatta after power grabbing. As a consequence, in collaboration with new King after the murder of poor old king, Devadatta made several attempts accompanying with Ajatshatru to bring Buddha’s life string to shatter. But all the malicious endeavors could not bear fruit for them. Neither an adroit archer nor a drunken elephant harmed Buddha. After Devadatta shrine shattered by Mahodgalyan, a righteous disciple of Buddha, the whole life before his mysterious death, he acted as a strayed soul, a deceitful spirit and an unrighteous person like Dhundukari, a heinous character of Mahabharata.

In later days, Devadatta lost somewhere and was never found. Neither his body nor any remnant of physical components was discovered in consecutive years. It is clear as the day light that evil intention guided malicious actions never pays back to anyone. So, the history of a notorious traitor is obliterated in such a pathetic way. Right to make an assessment over the fact is reserved to the prudent readers. Whether it is true or false, I don’t know. I also don’t believe, but have heard from some old people as a hearsay story that Devadatta, in a half naked position, attiring in mangy cloth and whining for alms as an insatiate soul, still visits Buddha monasteries in the moonless dark midnight.