Guththila Kavya Sinhala Pdf 14

Guththila Kavya - A Sinhala Poetic Masterpiece

Guththila Kavya - A Sinhala Poetic Masterpiece

Guththila Kavya (Sinhala: ගුත්තිල කව්ය) is a book of poetry written in the 16th century by Weththewe Thero (Sinhala: වත්තව හිමි), a Buddhist monk from the Kingdom of Kotte (1412-1597). The book is based on a story of a previous life of Gautama Buddha, known as Guththila Jataka (Sinhala: ගුත්තිල ජතකය), one of the 550 Jataka tales that narrate the past lives of the Buddha. Guththila Kavya contains over 511 poems that describe the musical contest between Guththila, a virtuoso veena player, and Musila, his jealous rival. The book is considered as one of the finest examples of Sinhala classical poetry, and showcases the literary, cultural, and musical traditions of Sri Lanka in the medieval period.

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The Story of Guththila Jataka

The story of Guththila Jataka is as follows: In a previous life, the Buddha was born as Guththila, a Brahmin who mastered the art of playing the veena, a stringed musical instrument. He was so skilled that he could produce any sound or melody with his veena. He became famous and wealthy, and was invited to perform at various royal courts. One day, he was invited by King Brahmadatta of Benares to play at his palace. There, he met Musila, another veena player who was jealous of Guththila's fame and talent. Musila challenged Guththila to a musical duel, claiming that he could play better than him. Guththila accepted the challenge, confident of his superiority.

The contest was held in a public arena, where thousands of people gathered to witness the spectacle. The king appointed five judges to decide the winner. The rules were simple: each contestant had to play three rounds, and each round had to be different from the previous one. The one who could produce more varied and pleasing sounds would be declared the winner. The loser would have to break his veena and become the servant of the winner.

The contest began with Musila playing first. He played his veena with great skill and finesse, producing melodious tunes that delighted the audience. He played different modes and rhythms, and imitated the sounds of various animals and birds. He finished his first round with a flourish, earning applause from the crowd. He looked at Guththila with a smirk, thinking that he had already won.

Then it was Guththila's turn to play. He picked up his veena and gently plucked the strings, producing a soft and soothing sound that calmed the minds of the listeners. He played with such grace and elegance that everyone was mesmerized by his music. He played different styles and genres, and imitated the sounds of nature and celestial beings. He finished his first round with a sublime note, earning admiration from the crowd. He looked at Musila with a smile, knowing that he had surpassed him.

The judges unanimously declared Guththila as the winner of the first round. Musila was shocked and angry, but he did not give up. He decided to play more vigorously in the second round, hoping to impress the judges with his speed and agility. He played his veena with great force and energy, producing loud and fast tunes that excited the audience. He played complex scales and patterns, and imitated the sounds of various instruments and weapons. He finished his second round with a bang, earning cheers from the crowd. He looked at Guththila with a glare, thinking that he had regained his advantage.

Then it was Guththila's turn to play again. He picked up his veena and gently stroked the strings, producing a deep and rich sound that touched the hearts of the listeners. He played with such harmony and balance that everyone was enchanted by his music. He played different moods and emotions, and imitated the sounds of human speech and laughter. He finished his second round with a sweet note, earning praise from the crowd. He looked at Musila with a wink, knowing that he had outdone him.

The judges unanimously declared Guththila as the winner of the second round. Musila was stunned and furious, but he did not give up. He decided to play more creatively in the third round, hoping to surprise the judges with his innovation and originality. He played his veena with great flair and imagination, producing novel and unusual tunes that amazed the audience. He played different combinations and variations, and imitated the sounds of mythical creatures and supernatural phenomena. He finished his third round with a twist, earning gasps from the crowd. He looked at Guththila with a sneer, thinking that he had finally defeated him.

Then it was Guththila's turn to play for the last time. He picked up his veena and gently tapped the strings, producing a subtle and refined sound that enlightened the minds of the listeners. He played with such wisdom and insight that everyone was awed by his music. He played different teachings and principles, and imitated the sounds of silence and emptiness. He finished his third round with a sigh, earning reverence from the crowd. He looked at Musila with a bow, knowing that he had transcended him.

The judges unanimously declared Guththila as the winner of the third and final round, and the overall winner of the contest. Musila was humbled and ashamed, but he did not give up. He decided to play one more time, hoping to challenge Guththila to a rematch. He played his veena with great desperation and frustration, producing harsh and discordant tunes that offended the audience. He played different curses and insults, and imitated the sounds of pain and suffering. He finished his last round with a scream, earning boos from the crowd. He looked at Guththila with a challenge, thinking that he had provoked him.

But Guththila did not respond to Musila's challenge. He simply put down his veena and walked away from the arena, leaving behind his fame and fortune. He realized that music was not a means of competition or ego-boosting, but a way of expressing compassion and wisdom. He decided to renounce his worldly life and become a monk, following the path of the Buddha. He looked at Musila with a farewell, knowing that he had liberated him.

The Significance of Guththila Kavya

Guththila Kavya is not only a poetic rendition of a Jataka tale, but also a reflection of the Sinhala literary, cultural, and musical heritage. The book demonstrates the mastery of Weththewe Thero in using various poetic devices, such as rhyme (Sinhala: එළිසමය), alliteration (Sinhala: අනුප්රසය), and meter (Sinhala: විරිතය). The book uses five different meters: Mahamegha Viritha (Sinhala: මහමඝ විරිත), Savisimath Viritha (Sinhala: සවිසිමත් විරිත), Solos math Viritha (Sinhala: සලස් මත් විරිත), Dolos math Viritha (Sinhala: දලස් මත් විරිත), and Mahapiyum Viritha (Sinhala: මහ පියුම විරිත). The book also illustrates the richness of the Sinhala vocabulary, using various synonyms, antonyms, metaphors, similes, and idioms to describe the musical sounds and expressions.

Guththila Kavya is also a testimony of the Sinhala cultural and musical traditions, especially in relation to Buddhism. The book depicts the social and historical context of Sri Lanka in the 16th century, when the Kingdom of Kotte was flourishing under the patronage of King Parakramabahu VI (1412-1467). The book portrays the role of music in Buddhism, as a means of conveying moral lessons, ethical values, spiritual teachings, and aesthetic experiences. The book also reveals the influence of Indian classical music on Sinhala music, as evident as evident from the use of terms such as veena, raga, tala, and alapana. The book also showcases the diversity of Sinhala music, as evident from the use of various musical genres, such as kavi (Sinhala: කවි), gee (Sinhala: ගී), sandesa (Sinhala: සන්දස), and nelum (Sinhala: නළුම).

The Legacy of Guththila Kavya

Guththila Kavya is not only a literary masterpiece, but also a cultural treasure. The book has been preserved and transmitted through generations of Sinhala scholars, poets, and musicians. The book has been studied and analyzed by various academic disciplines, such as linguistics, literature, history, sociology, and musicology. The book has been translated and adapted into various languages and media, such as English, Tamil, Hindi, Sanskrit, Pali, and audio-visual formats. The book has been celebrated and honored by various institutions and organizations, such as the Sri Lanka Sahitya Mandalaya (Sinhala: ශ්රී ලක සහිත්ය මණ්ඩලය), the Department of Cultural Affairs (Sinhala: සස්කති කටයුතු දපර්තමන්තුව), and the National Library and Documentation Services Board (Sinhala: ජතික පුස්තකල හ ලඛන සව මණ්ඩලය).

Guththila Kavya is also a source of inspiration and creativity for modern Sinhala artists and audiences. The book has been performed and interpreted by various musical groups and individuals, such as the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (Sinhala: ශ්රී ලක ගුවන් විදුලි සස්ථ), the Tower Hall Theatre Foundation (Sinhala: කුල ශඈ ර  ngedara (Sinhala: ක as the Tower Hall Theatre Foundation (Sinhala: කුලසිහ රගදර), the Sri Lanka Army (Sinhala: ශ්රී ලක යුද්ධ හමුදව), and the University of Kelaniya (Sinhala: කලණිය විශ්ව විද්යලය). The book has also inspired various literary and artistic works, such as novels, short stories, poems, paintings, sculptures, and films. Some of the notable examples are: - Guththila (Sinhala: ගුත්තිල), a novel by Martin Wickramasinghe (Sinhala: මර්ටින් වික  ngasinghe), published in 1940. The novel is a historical fiction that nar