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| Sunday, 14 August 2005 |
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Mahanayaka of Udarata Amarapura Nikaya
Ven. Teripehe Somananda the new Mahanayaka of the Udarata Amarapura Nikaya received the formal Act of Appointment as the head of the Nikaya from President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on August 8 on the recommendation of the Sangha Karaka Sabha. It is a most fitting and deserving succession upholding the ancient tradition since the learned monk possesses all the qualifications required for such leadership and has been functioning as the Anunayaka of the Nikaya from 1989. In 1989 he was conferred the title of Rajakiya Pandita. The members of the Nikaya seemed to have had the highest regards for his scholarship and comportment and thus in 1980 he was appointed the Adhikarana Nayaka of the Western Province with the conferment of the honour Sri Saddharma Vagisvaracarya Sarvodaya too had recognised his services by presenting Ven. the Somananda Thera with the distinctive title of Paryaptidhara. Books and learned articles published by him in Sinhala newspapers have brought him to the forefront of contemporary literary and scholarly activities. The number of institutions where he serves in an advisory capacity is too many to be mentioned. He has been a member of the Buddhist Advisory Board since 1989. He is a member of the Management Committee of the Wickremarachchi Ayurveda Vidyalaya, Gampaha. from 1995. He has been a Committee Member of the Oriental Languages Society since 1996. An advisor to be Buddhist Publications Committee of the Ministry of Education, he also works as a member of the Tripitaka Mandalaya and the co-ordinator of some of the simplified versions of the Tripitaka books published by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. He was the co-editor of the sub-commentary to the Samyukta Nikayatthakatha and has served the Arts Council as an honorary member for eight years from 1989. What needs to be noted, however, is that all these achievements are the fruits of hard work, perseverance and determination of a rural boy from a least development backwoods of the Nuwara Eliya district, that is Terepehe, a village that was accessible only on foot till recent times. Born on March 23, 1925 at Teripehe in Walapone, this boy had this primary education at Vidyavilasa Pirivena at Rupaha and Sugata Vidyalaya at Panadura. He entered the Order in 1940 and received the higher ordination in 1945 under the tutelage of Ven. Vidurupola Piyatissa Mahanayaka Thera as the Upaddhyaya (tutor). For higher education, he entered the Vidyalankara Pirivena, Peliyagoda, where he passed the Sahityacarya Examination with Hindi as a subject in 1954 and obtained the Rajakiya Pandita Degree excelling in Sinhala, Pali, Sanskrit, Prakrit, Tarka, Nyaya, Itihasa and Purana in 1958. Thereafter he entered the University of Kelaniya and obtained the BA (Hons) degree in Sinhala with Sanskrit as the subsidiary subject in 1963. Having trained as a teacher during 1960-61 at Ratmalana Training College he taught at Srilanka Vidyalaya, Maradana, Ananda Sastralaya and several government schools. His career in writing began with the publication of Sinhalaye Parinamaya (Evolution of the Sinhala Language) in 1961. He was the Co-Editor of the Buddha Dharma Sangrahaya published in 1964. Then he edited the Vicarabhasa a valuable collection of essays written by Ven. Moratuwe Sasana Ratana Thera. The edition of Bhavopakaraya came next. By this time he had also edited a collection of Jataka stories. In my view the most valuable literary contribution of the Thera is the Sinhala Mala Kavi Sangrahaya, which I got printed at the Government Press as a publication of the UNESCO National Commission. This book running into nearly 800 pages contains 63 Mala Kavyas of the category of popular poetry of the Sinhala collected with much difficulty over a period of two decades from various sources including the British Museum. This genre of Sinhala folk poetry would have been erased from our memories in the absence of a work of this nature 'We are indebted as the Thera has pointed out, to Baddegama Vimalavamsa Thera for encouraging Ven. Somananda Thera to undertake this task which he has performed so well. Padma Edirisinghe in her review of this work has termed it a 'gigantic literary endeavour'. The UNESCO National Commission of Sri Lanka has published the part two of the Malakavi Sangrahaya in 1999. It contains 200 more MalaKavyas. Taken together this work alone is an unparalleled contribution towards the preservation of our folkpoetry. Among his other publications, the editing of Abhinava Sasanavamso with his own addition covering the modern period and the biography of his guru Ven. Bhadantacariya Vidurupola Piyatissa Mahanayake Thera, amply demonstrated his skills in composing Pali verses and writing in elegant Sinhala. A person of simple living and clear thinking he is very kind in his word and deed. It seems that fame and position in no way disturb his equanimity. Ever ready to help any one who seeks his assistance, the Nayaka Thera is distinguishable as an epitome of humbleness. Apart from engaging in scholarly activities he finds time to serve the community through the Daham Pasalas established by him. Well-researched articles on language literature and dhamma written by the Thera appearing in Sinhala newspapers are educative, timely and delightful reading for the discerning. May he live long with the blessing of the Noble Triple Gem to continue with his noble work. - S. J. Sumanasekera Banda |
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