สำนักราชบัณฑิตยสภา

The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Volume II - 2010 Srisurang Poolthupya 29 and Mangkhala also play important parts that make the story interesting and exciting right to the end. The name “Aphai Mani” means the Jewel (mani) of Forgiveness (aphai). It seems that Sunthon Phu may intentionally name his hero in order to convey his great message of forgiveness. If the virtue of forgiveness is not maintained, wars and conflicts will occur unceasingly. Peace and non-violence cannot be achieved without forgiveness. Before discussing the concepts of peace and non-violence in Phra Aphai Mani, the meanings of the two words should be agreed upon. The meaning of peace or shanti in Sanskrit, according to the Hindu belief and also the Buddhist belief, means the condition of the mind that is calm and undisturbed by any destructive feelings such as anger, revenge, greed. Non-violence is the inadequate translation of the word Ahimsa in Sanskrit. Mahatma Gandhi explains that Ahimsa means love for mankind, compassion and tolerance without which Ahimsa cannot be attained. Ahimsa must be expressed in the heart, words and deeds. Ahimsa is very hard to achieve. In Gandhi’s own words, “We may never be strong enough to be entirely non-violent, in thought, word and deed. But we must keep non-violence as our goal and make steady progress towards it ... The truth of a few will count. The untruth of millions will vanish even like chaff before a whiff of wind.” (Singh, 2009,23) In short, peace means more than a peace treaty and non-violence means more than ceasing the use of violence. Peace or Shanti, and non-violence or Ahimsa, must originate from a heart that is well-controlled to generate calmness, love for all beings, compassion, tolerance, and forgiveness. Peace and non-violence must go hand in hand, being motivated by sincere love for mankind and true forgiveness. Why Phra Aphai Mani is an outstanding work The Tale of Phra Aphai Mani is different from other tales of Sunthon Phu’s time. Most literary works of his period are about wars and stress the martial prowess of the heroes. The prominent works are of foreign origins such as the Ramakien from the Indian Ramayana, Inao from the Panji Romance of Java, Indonesia, and Sam Kok from the Chinese Tale of the Three Kingdoms. Although Phra Aphai Mani is also about wars with foreign lands, the tale is about the Thai people and there is a hint that Rattana is in fact the Thai capital, known officially as Rattanakosin. The story is created from the imagination of Sunthon Phu, not a foreign story retold in Thai. However, Sunthon Phu may be influenced by a Chinese chronicle named Sai Han which relates the story of a great piper who can play the pipe and induce swans