The Story of Mahajanaka by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej: The Transmission and Creativity of Jataka Literature in Contemporary Thai Society

Abstract

The Story of Mahajanaka is a literary work composed in 1996 by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, King Rama IX of Thailand. This paper aims at studying this text as a narrative of Thotsachat Jatakas in contemporary Thai society in terms of transmission and creativity of content, concept, storytelling technique, and presentation format. The study reveals that not only was The Story of Mahajanaka transmitted in both content and concept from Jataka, Buddhist and didactic literature, but also some literary conventions were adapted to suit Thai readers in contemporary Thai society. Moreover, the creative aspects that can be found in this text are presented through various storytelling techniques: the adaptation and changing of the ending and the presentation in illustrated book format. According to its significance in many aspects, the text can firmly establish itself as the Jataka of King Rama IX’s reign and also as a narrative of Thotsachat Jatakas in contemporary Thai Society which illustrates the existence of the process of transmission and creativity of Jataka literature in Thai Thotsachat Jatakas culture up to the present day.