In times of such national disaster Buddhist monks have always come forward and played a pivotal role in taking corrective measures for the benefit of the society. Besides attending to daily religious duties they gather as a community to pay due obeisance to elders, discuss and decide what needs to be done for their own failings and what has to be done for the welfare of the society upon which they depend for their sustenance. They choose their leaders for their unblemished character, comportment, learning and ability to provide wise counsel. They follow a code of discipline with rules and regulations which have withstood the test of time and remained intact except for a few minor changes for over two thousand five hundred years. From this perspective a collective decision of a community of monks has to be beneficial to the community and the laity. The post of Uttaritara Maha Nayaka or the Supreme Prelate therefore carries a heavy burden of responsibility which requires a high level of transparency in every action. The purpose of this article is to provide some background information about the new Maha Nayaka Thera who, I feel is a worthy successor to the revered Madihe Mahanayake Thera.
The place of birth of the thera is the village known as Davuldena in Uva Paranagama of Badulla district. His father, Aloka Mudiyanselage Kavurala and mother, Gajanayaka Mudiyanselage Kirimenike were devout Buddhists. He was educated at Medawela school before entering the order at the age of twelve as a pupil of Rev. Uma Ela Piyaratana, Sangha Nayaka of Udukinda and Rev. Uma Ela Pannananda who was later appointed as the Maha Nayaka of the Udarata Amarapura Samagri Sangha Sabha. These two teachers who ordained him were the chief incumbents of Tapodhanarama Purana Viharaya of Sapugolla, a historical village on the ancient route from Badulla to Kandy. After learning and practice of the basics of homeless life he was enrolled as a student of the Vidyodaya Pirivena in Colombo where he completed his studies as a brilliant scholar winning the coveted "Syama Raja Thyaga," an award presented by the king of Siam (Thailand). Thereafter he passed the three higher examinations conducted by the Society of Oriental Languages for Sinhala, Pali and Sanskrit carrying many a prize for excellence in studies. The Olcott College in Colombo enabled the Thera to attain proficiency in English. Notwithstanding the inborn competency for the study of other languages he had a penchant for Sanskrit poetry. Constant practice in poetic compositions in elegant Sanskrit brought him fame as a leading Sanskrit scholar and poet with due recognition even among Sanskrit scholars abroad.
I had the fortune of being a close acquaintance of the thera not only because I was his countryman but because of my father’s acquaintance with him and relationship with his early teachers. This relationship naturally led me to seek the guidance and advice of the present Maha Nayaka Thera on many occasions. Common literary interests steered us to some joint efforts such as editing the Sinhala historical work Rajaratnakaraya. His poetical creations, Dharmacinta, Yatidutam, Vairagyacinta, Yasodharacaritam, Maranga-navijayam and Svanastavakavyam couched in elegant classical Sanskrit inspired me so much that after reading some of them in manuscript form I requested him to provide at least a sketchy translation in Sinhala of these works for the benefit of many readers although that involved taxing too much of his valuable time and energy. He accepted my request in silence though quite conscious of other multifarious responsibilities which kept him busy as a Nayaka priest, lecturer at higher educational institutions, serving on editorial boards of Tripitaka publications and as delegate to a number of international religious conferences. He has travelled widely in USA, Europe, Russia, Asia and Australia conveying the messages of peace and deliverance through adherence to the Buddhist way of life. In recognition of his efforts in this direction he was awarded the gold medal for peace at the Asian Buddhist Peace conference held in Mongolia.
In 1985 Rev. Gnanissara’s book Dharmacinta won the Presidential Award. Three years later the Vidyodaya Pirivena bestowed on him the honour "Sanskruta Cakravarti" for his poetical composition "Yatidutam". The Oriental Languages Society of Sri Lanka conferred on him the appellation "Grantha Visarada" for the poem "Vairagyacinta". His poetic achievements are too numerous to be enumerated. Suffice to say that the work Rev. Vidurupola Piyatissa Maha Thera did for the promotion of the study of Pali in Sri Lanka is being done by this Maha Thera for the study of Sanskrit at present.
The new Maha Nayaka Thera emulated the leading elders who were his predecessors. He has composed many Sanskrit slokas in sincere appreciation of the services rendered by these theras in their various capacities. It should be mentioned here that the most venerable Madihe Pannasiha Nayaka Thera was one of these elders who received much praise in a poem dedicated to him by the present Maha Nayaka Thera.
The new Maha Nayaka Thera’s appointment to the esteemed post of supreme prelate of the Amarapura sect confirms the confidence of the community of Aniarapura Nikaya monks on him. The foremost need of the day is to ensure peace and order in our society including the Sangha. Always a silent worker and a messenger of peace I think the new Maha Nayaka Thera would be able to lead the Amarapura Nikaya for the benefit of its members and the laity in general in an exemplary way.
