The story of Mahajanaka by His Majesty the Late King BhumibolAdulyadej is a well-known literary work of Thailand. The characteristics and actions of Prince Mahajanaka, the main character, share many similarities with those of His Majesty the Late King BhumibolAdulyadej. The study aims at analyzing the story of Mahajanaka as a literary work that honors the benevolence and virtue of the late King. This documentary research employs the official Thai administrative framework of honoring a king as a Bodhisattva, the literary frameworks of using Buddhist literary works to honor a king, and the role of the Jataka literary works to depict a king as a Bodhisattva. It was found that the story of Mahajanaka is a Thai literary work that cleverly honors the life and deeds of our late King through the attributes, roles, and ways of life of Prince Mahajanaka. The story portrays the King as having the same status as Prince Mahajanaka Bodhisattva. The similarities between Prince Mahajanaka and the late King can be found in the word “Mahajanaka” itself, both of their fathers passing away when they were young, being away from their homeland, returning their homeland after growing up, having so much perseverance, that they were protected from danger, successfully carrying out their duties, their family lives, developing agriculture, and leaving the monkhood so that they can help those who suffer. The story of Mahajanaka emphasizes the role of contemporary Buddhist literary works in honoring kings. This has long been a practice since the Sukhothai period. The Story of Mahajanaka also has a characteristic of the Jatakas, which is to honor kings as Bodhisattvas, comparable to Mahachat Kham Luang in the early Ayutthaya period.

Credit : คณิตา หอมทรัพย์

https://so05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/irdssru/article/view/214292