A Jungian Analysis of the Significance of the Mahavamsa
Ruben Nagesparan Chandrakumar, BS
One of the primary tenets of Carl Jung’s school of psychoanalytic theory is the power and necessity of myths. These stories are the base elements through which we perceive the world. As the phenomenologists believed, meaning is more prescient in our perception than the viewing of mere objects—it is layers of meaning that direct our action within the world which we see when we perceive reality. By realizing that the myths of a culture arise from their collective unconscious, as they represent a collective dream, the analysis of a people’s behavior can reach a depth of insight that is unparalleled. The inability to comprehend, or at a minimum attempt to comprehend, the ways in which different peoples perceive the meaning of the world through the myths of their culture—and the values that arise from it—can result in a lack of meaningful analysis, collective understanding, and an inability to communicate with them effectively.
Unfortunately, the analysis and understanding of the Mahavamsa among the masses of Eelam are either shallow or nonexistent. This central myth of Sinhala-Buddhism is fundamental to comprehending the beliefs, values, and behaviors of the Sinhala nation—offering a gateway to the psychology of the people. While this is not true in entirety, as there are individual differences and a soul that define each person, it does serve as a key to understanding the culture of a group and the ways in which that influences both individual and collective behavior.
The Mahavamsa is a text that was created in the 6th century AD, combining mythology and history to document a narrative of the Sinhala people since the perceived arrival of Prince Vijaya in the 6th century BC. While the historical accuracy of there being a Prince Vijaya and the exact arrival date of the ancestors of the Sinhala on the island are highly disputed, a debate over the historicity of the story undercuts the psychological and religious significance of the myth within the psyche of the Sinhala nation. The Mahavamsa views the Sinhala as arriving prior to the Tamils and having to battle with them as invaders to the Sinhala-Buddhist nation. Additionally, the importance of the Buddha cannot be overemphasized; the Mahavamsa depicts the Buddha as having visited the island three times—introducing the island to Buddhism and leading to the identification of the Sinhala nation with the religion.
As is noticeable, this myth has influenced the behavior of the Sinhalese in nearly every aspect of their culture; it pervades Buddhist architecture, monasteries, temples, stupas, pagodas, holy relics, bhikkus, arts, music, holidays, and—as is most evident to Tamils—politics. The political dimension of the religious fervor of this myth led to the dismantling of a shared Sinhala-Tamil state based upon equal rights and secularism; instead, Sinhalese politicians stoked and stirred the fears, disgust, and enmity their people held against the Tamils. Without a collective understanding and dialogue of the ways in which this myth—as ahistorical as it may be—fuels the culture and behavior of the Sinhala political realm, Tamils will be unprepared to argue against this narrative and present a counternarrative within the island and internationally. This is of the utmost importance. By presenting a compelling counternarrative, Tamils can present their case and story to the world without relying too heavily on a factual or legal account of the history—although those are a necessity.