?????????? Brahminism in Thailand

There is a tale of Lord Waes Suwann’s (Guberan) origins – ???????????????????????????;

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There was once a Ruesi practising in the forest in the region belonging to Lord Dharawintu who went by the name of Bussattya. One day, as the Ruesi was practising his abstentions and meditations in the forest, a group of celestial virgins belonging to Lord Dharawintu entered the area where he was practising, and began to chatter and make a humdrum running around and laughing. The Ruesi Bussattya took great offence at their frivolous behaviour and put a curse on them

“If any Maiden appears again in this my place of practise,she will instantly bear the fruit of her immodesty, and seem as if she has a secret lover, and have to live in shame”. None of the Maidens returned to bother the Ruesi, until, one day, a Celestial virgin by the name of Itawita, who was the daughter of Lord Tarawintu (who knew nothing of the Ruesi’s curse), entered into the ceremonial area of the Ruesi in the forest, and itawita was instantly transformed into a pregnant woman. She instantly ran home in shock to told her father what had happened.
When Lord Dharawintu learned of the events, he rushed to the Ashram of the Ruesi Bussattya, and offered him his daughter Itawita as wife and concubine, which Bussattya happily acccepted. Nang Itawita then gave birth to a son named Visrava, otherwise known as “Baolast” (or Lasataya), which means “he who is son of Bussattya”. After this Lord Visrava marrried Nang (lady) Tep Wananee, who in turn gave birth to a son named “Waisarawan” (Lord Guberan/Waes Suwann). According to Hindu Brahmin Cosmology, Lord Guberan is one of the Yaksa (Asura Giants) family, and has 3 legs, eight Fangs and four arms. His body is white in color.

picture of Yakka asura (Ragasasa) After this, Lord Waes Suwann went to rule the city of Langka (the city of the Yaksa in the Ramakian (Hindu Ramayana) Epic. previously, Langka had belonged to the Raghasasas (giants), but due to the fact that they once challenged the power of Phra Naaraayn (Vishnu), they were cursed by him and their culture fell into entropy. langka then became a ghost town and the Ragasasa fled and hid in the Badala realms (Mueang Badan in Thai), where the Nagas lived..
One day, Sumalee came up for a wander from Mueang Badan (Badala – the Underworld realm of Nagas), and saw Lord Waes Suwann flying in the sky on his magic dais, and he became jealous, and planned a scheme to overtake the rule of Langka.Sumalee convinced his daughter “Nang Nisa” to go present and offer herself to Lord Lasataya (Baolast), Waes Suwann’s father, who accepted and they gave birth to four children in all. These four children are all extremely prominent and important figures in both the Thai ramayana, and the Indian Hindu ramayana Epics;

1.Totsagan (Ravana – ???????),

2. Gumpagan (Kumbhakana)

3.Nang Samanagkhaa (???????????)

4. Pipek (Bhibheka – ?????).

This means that Lord Waes Suwann is the older half-brother of Totsagan on his father’s side.In that time Lord Waes Suwann was lord and ruler of Langka, but later Nang Nisa convinced Totsagan to overtake the rule of the city and take the power from Lord Waes Suwann. Totsagan was even shameless enough to steal his magic dais too.The magic dais was able to travel anywhere one’s heart wished, but there was a special rule; It was forbidden for a lady who has had three husbands to ride on the chariot/dais. One day, Nang Montoe (Totsagan’s wife), got on the chariot, and the thing came to a halt, it was no longer possible to be moved.Nang Montoe was first the consort of Palee, after which she became Totsagan’s queen, whilst married to Totsagan, the Monkey general of Phra Ram’s (rama’s) army, Hanuman, once shape-shifted into the likeness of Totsagan and duped Nang Montoe into sleeping with him.Nang Montoe is therefore considered to have had three husbands.

As Lord Waes Suwann came to have to lose rulership of Langka, id caused Brahma to feel sorry for him, as he was such an honorable being, so the Deity conjured up a new City for Lord Waes Suwann, and Named the City “Wasutaraa”, or, “Wasusatalii”. This Mythical City is told to have been located in the Himalayan mountains. A second legend says that, after Lord Waes Suwann lost the City of Langka To Totsagan, he went to reside on the mountain of Khantamat (?????????), which was a legendary and Divine place, with only beautiful sights to behold; there was a mystical pond as a place of Residence called Nalinii, whose water would spring up like a fountain and sprinkle down from the air like soft rain or a watery mist.The palace in the center of the pond where Taw Waes Suwann and the other Yaks lived was called “Pakalowadii”.
The legend of Taw Waes Suwann is not only present in the Vedas of the Hindu Brahmin Tradition, rather it is also to be found in the Bhuddhist Pentheon of deities and legends too. There is a noticeable difference between the tales recounted in each Tradition. Before I begin to recount further, it is important to explain first that the Brahmin/Hindu Traditions maintain the belief in the idea that Deities (such as Lord Waes Suwann), posess an eternal self/soul, called “Atta”, which is immortal and immutable. The Bhuddhist Tradition, however, maintains the belief that all Deities and Devas are still subject to the law of Karma (and therefore also the chain of rebirth), and must have made some kind of meritorious deeds in the past, in order to have attained the blessings to enable them to ascend into the Celestial Realms (Heaven).These Celestial Realms, or Heavens, are then split into 6 divisions, or levels, beginning from the “Jadtumahaaraachiga” level.After this, comes the Dawadeungs Heaven, then the Realm of Yama, Dusit Heaven, and the Nimaanaradii, and lastly the Paranimidtawasawadii level of Heaven.
Back to Thai Brahmin – Siamfoundation Projects >>>>>>Here! Picture of Guberan, Waisaravana, Waes suwann

Taw Waes Suwan resides in the Jadtumahaarachigaa realm – Jadtu means four in Pali – the four quarters of this realm are ruled by Asura Lords, of which Taw Waes Suwann is Lord of the North – Mahaa Raachigaa means a King of the Angelic/Deva status level – so the word Jadtumahaaraachigaa means; “Realm of the Four Celestial Kings”.
Who are namely;

1. Taw Tadtaratha – Lord of the East  2. Taw Wirulabpaks – Lord of the South  3. Taw Wirunlahog – Lord of the West, and  4. Taw Waes Suwann – Lord of the North.

According to Thai Bhuddist Legend, it is said that, far far back in Time, in the Era of the Buddha Gasayaba (the sixth of the seven Bhuddhas of the Past, and the third Buddha of the patara Kalpa), the humans lived for a length of 20 thousand years. Lord Waes Suwann was born in this kalpa (Aeon) as a Brahmin called “Guwen”, or Gubera. He owned a sugar-cane and sugar beet extracting business, with up to 7 branches/production stations. On the basis of conducting his sugar business, he became slowly a wealthy millionaire. He would always give all the profit fropm one of the seven production stations to the poor Folk. With the profit from the rest, he re-invested to expand the business and open more locations. All the money from all of the newly opened and constantly increasing in number locations was given to the poor people and localfolks, for a period of 20,000 years.

When the time came for Guwen to leave the world of Humans, he was reborn as Weradhevabhutra (Waeratepabut in Thai), in the Mahaaraachigaa level of the Celestial dimension, as a result of his great generosity and merit making whlst alive as a human. He was given the gift of all Divine riches and treasures in the Celestial City of
Wisaana, giving him the Inherited name of “Taw Waes Suwann Taepabhut”. He was given the power to Rule over the assembly of Yaks (Asuras, also known as Yakkha, or Yaksa). He had an entourage of 9 Lordly Yaks; 1. Saatakiiriiyayaksa 2. Haemandtaayaksa 3. Apakawayaksa 4. Jidtasaetayaksa 5. Waepatayaksa 6. Maakabaatayaksa 7. Kamasaepabitayaksa 8. Kinubaatayaksa and, 9. Khantayaksa.
Lord Waes Suwann also posesses another entourage consisting of an assembly of “Yakaratiga”, a lower lineage of Yaks, whose job was to patrol and keep watch over any incidents and occurences in the Realm, and to report it to the Lordly Yaks. Their highest comission they had was to keep watch and report over the doings, comings and goings of the Yak family, who sometimes would perform actions which disturbed those beings who were practising asceticism or Dharma and renunciation, and also bothering the Human world too. Some of the Yaks who gained fame in the legends for this kind of naughtiness were; Dtadtolaa Dtadtalaa, Dtadtoedtalaa, Oechalii, Dtaechalii, Dtadtoechalii, Sura, Raacha, Suroeraacha Aridta, Naemi and Aridtanaemi.

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Deities, English pages

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