สำนักราชบัณฑิตยสภา

«“√ “√ √“™∫— ≥±‘ µ¬ ∂“π ªï ∑’Ë ÛÒ ©∫— ∫∑’Ë Ò ¡.§.-¡’ .§. ÚıÙ˘ Srisurang Poolthupya 271 become a part of Thai heritage since the Ayudhya period. When Ayudhya was sacked by the Burmese, the Thais tried to pre- serve the Ramakien. Although King Taksin of Thonburi (A.D. 1767-1782) was busy pushing back the invading Burmese, he spared the time to compose a few episodes of the Ramakien. In the Rattanakosin (Rat- nakosindra) or Bangkok period (A.D. 1782-present) many versions of the Ramakien were composed. The most notable ones are those composed by King Rama I, Rama II and Rama VI. The Rama I Ramakien is most important because it is the only version that tells the complete Rama story. The Rama II Ramakien is generally used for stage because the dra- matic and exciting episodes were written especially for Khon per- formances. The Rama VI Ra- makien has some episodes very close to the Valmiki Ramayana, for example, Vibhishana in this version is a brave warrior whereas in Rama I and II versions he is an astrologer, medicine man and a coward. He becomes a comic figure when he acts cowardly, being scared of his powerful bro- thers and nephew. 7 The Influence of the Ramayana (Ramakien) on Thai Culture: Kingship Before the 1932 revolution, Thailand or Siam was ruled by absolute monarchs. Yet absolute monarchy in Thailand was not totally absolute. It was modified by the Buddhist concept of Dharmaraja who must rule by dharma or righteousness. A king should possess ten kingly virtues such as generosity, self-sacrifice, justice. In addition to Buddhist virtues, the king should strive to make his rule resemble Ramarajya or the ideal reign of Rama regarded as the golden age. This explains why many kings has the word Ram as part of their names such as Ram Khamhaeng, Ramadhipati and Ramesvar. Especially the Thai kings of the present Chakri dynasty have long names beginning with the word “Ramadhipati”. The sixth king of the Chakri dynasty started the tradition of calling himself Rama. Thus posthumously the 5 kings before him became King Rama I, Rama II, Rama III and so on. Our present King Bhumibol is regarded as King Rama IX. This is not just a mere name. The idea behind it is that the king is divine like Rama in the Ramayana and the Ramakien and he must strive to be as good as Rama, the rein- carnation of the god Vishnu. Therefore, the king must use his absolute power only for the benefit of his people, not for his own personal gain. Now the Thai King is a constitutional monarch and his power derives from his de- dicated work for the benefit of the Thai people. Literature There are many folk tales based on the Ramakien. Various towns have folk tales connected will the Ramakien. In Lop Buri there are many folk tales of this kind. In one tale, Rama returned to Ayudhya after the end of the war. Wishing to reward Hanuman, Rama shot an arrow and told Hanuman to follow it. The place where the arrow fell would be Hanuman’s city to rule. The arrow fell on Lop Buri where the earth turned white because of the heat of the arrow’s impact. This story explains the white earth which Lop Buri people use for making talcum powder. In Chainat there is a mountain called Khao Sapaya where Hanu- man collected a medicinal plant called Sangkoranitrijava. The top of this mountain is flat and smooth because Hanuman enlarged his body and used his huge tail to sweep the mountain to obtain the wanted plant. In Saraburi there is a moun- tain where there is a big hole right through one side. The tale tells how Thotsakan (Ravana) carried Sita in his chariot. While he was rushing past the mountain, the axle of the chariot wheel hit the mountain and made a big hole. Both Chonburi and Phatta- lung claim to be the place where Bali (Vali) fought with the buffalo named Thoraphi (Dundhubi) be- cause the earth around the caves in both places is red like the buffalo’s