mahaavansh

mahaavansh (shaabdik arth : mahaan itihaas) paali bhaasha mein likhi padya rachana hai. ismein Sri Lanka ke raajaaon ka varnan hai. ismein kaling ke raaja vijay (543 isa poorv) ke Sri Lanka aagaman se lekar raaja mahaasen (334–361) tak ki avadhi ka varnan hai. yeh sinhal ka prasiddh aitihaasik mahaakaavya hai. Bhaarat ka shaayad hi koi pradesh ho, jiska itihaas utana surakshit ho, jitna sinhal ka; dablyoo gegar ki is sammati ka aadhaar mahaavans hi hai. mahaan logon ke vansh ka parichay karaanevaala hone se tatha swayam bhi mahaan hone se hi iska naam hua "mahaavans" (mahaavans teeka).

is teeka granth ki rachana "mahaanaam" sthavir ke haathon hui. aap deeghasand senaapati ke banaae vihaar mein rahate the (mahaavans teeka, pru. 502). deeghasand senaapati raaja devaanaanpriya tishya ka senaapati tha.

"mahaavans" paaainchaveen shataabdi E poo se chauthi shataabdi E tak lagbhag saadhe aath sau varshon ka lekha hai. usamein tathaagat ke teen baar lanka aagaman ka, teenon bauddh sangeetiyon ka, vijay ke lanka jeetne ka, devaanaanpriya tishya ke raajyakaal mein ashokaputr Mahendra ke lanka aane ka, magadh se bhinn bhinn deshon mein bauddh dharm prachaaraarth bhikshuon ke jaane ka tatha bodhi vruksh ki shaakha sahit Mahendra sthavir ki bahan ashokaputri sanghamitra ke lanka aane ka varnan hai. sinhal ke mahaaparaakrami raaja dushtaagraamani se lekar mahaasen tak anek raajaaon aur unke raajya kaal ka varnan hai. is prakaar kehne ko "mahaavans" keval sinhal ka itihaasagranth hai, lekin vastut: yeh saare bhaarateeya itihaas ki mool upaadaan saamagri se bhara pada hai.

"mahaavans" ki katha mahaasen ke samay (325-352 E) tak samaapt ho jaati hai. kintu sinhal dweep mein is "mahaavans" ka likha jaana aage jaari raha hai. yeh aage ka hissa choolavans kaha jaata hai. "mahaavans" sainteesavein parichhed ki pachaasaveen gaatha par pahuainchakar ekaaek samaapt kar diya gaya hai. chhattees parichhedon mein pratyek parichhed ke ant mein "sujanon ke prasaad aur vairaagya ke liye rachit mahaavans ka......parichhed" shabd aate hain. sainteesavaaain parichhed adhoora hi samaapt hai. jis rachayita ne mahaavans ko aage jaari rakha usane isi parichhed mein 198 gaathaaeain aur jodkar is parichhed ko "saat raaja" sheershak diya. baad ke har itihaasalekhak ne apne hisse ke itihaas ko kisi parichhed par samaapt na kar agale parichhed ki bhi kuchh gaathaaeain isi abhipraaya se likhi prateet hoti hain ki jaateeya itihaas ko surakshit rakhane ki yeh parampara akshunn bani rahe.

mahaanaam ki mrutyu ke baad mahaasen (302 E) ke samay se danbadeniya ke pandit paraakramabaahu (1240-75) tak ka mahaavans dhammakeerti dviteeya ne likha. yeh mat vivaadaaspad hai. uske baad se keerti raajasinh ki mrutyu (1815) ke samay tak ka itihaas hikkaduve sumangalaachaarya tatha bahubantudaave pandit devarakshit ne. 1833 mein donon vidvaanon ne "mahaavans"ka ek sinhali anuvaad bhi chhaapa. 1815 se 1935 tak ka itihaas yagirl prajnyaaanand naayak sthavir ne poorv parampara ke anusaar 1936 mein prakaashit karaaya.

mool mahaavans ki teeka ke rachayita ka naam bhi mahaanaam hai. kisi kisi ka kehna hai ki mahaavans ka rachayita aur teekaakaar ek hi hai. par yeh mat maanya naheen ho sakta. mahaavans teekaakaar ne apni teeka ko "vansatthappakaasini" naam diya hai. iski rachana saataveen aathaveen shataabdi mein hui hogi.

aur swayam mahaavans ki? iski rachana mahaavans teeka se ek do shataabdi pehle. dhaatusen naresh ka samay chhathi shataabdi hai, usi ke aas paas is mahaakaavya ki rachana honi chaahiye.

• raajatarangini (Kashmir ka itihaas)
• madal panji (jagannaath mandir ka itihaas)
• buranji (asam ka itihaas)
• deepavansh

• Geiger/Bode Translation of the Mahavamsa
• The Mahavamsa: The Great Chronicle of Sri Lanka
• "Concise Mahavamsa" on-line version of: Ruwan Rajapakse, P.E. (2003). Concise Mahavamsa: History of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Maplewood, NJ : Ruwan Rajapakse. ISBN 0-9728657-0-5.
• Online-Pali-Text on tipitaka.org.
• History of Sri Lanka