การศึกษาวิเคราะห์วรรณกรรม เรื่อง “พระดาวเรือง” ฉบับวัดทุ่งลาดหญ้า จังหวัดกาญจนบุรี (An Analytical Study of Watthunglatya Kanchanaburi Literary Work, Phra Dao Rueng)

Abstract

This study aimed to conduct the literary analysis on "Phra Dao Rueng" version of Wat Thung Lat Ya, Kanchanaburi. The manuscript was obtained by the researcher from Wat Thung Lat Ya, Lat Ya Subdistrict, Mueang District, Kanchanaburi Province.  The manuscript was written in Thai script in the Rattanakosin period, recorded on a white paper folding book or samut-thai khao, 6 lines per page, 160 pages in total. Interestingly, this "Phra Dao Rueng" literature is a single lengthy book that was discovered in the western region at Wat Thung Lat Ya, Lat Ya Sub-district, Mueang District, Kanchanaburi Province. It has a complete condition with no tears, complete content on both the beginning and the end. As a result, the researcher examined the characteristics of characters based on the story of  “Phra Dao Rueng” in order to share knowledge and conduct research on literature and society.

From the literary study of Phra Dao Rueng, it was found that Phra Dao Rueng was a semi-teaching, semi-fiction literature. In the content, there were things that were teachings inserted and entertaining.  It was composed by imitating the characteristics of Jataka literature. The poet made the protagonist of the story a Bodhisattva who descended from the heavens to the earth and had to experience various hardships as a way of accumulating prestige in order to attain enlightenment in the future.

In terms of social studies, it was found that Phra Dao Rueng's literature reflected the society in the rural central region of Thailand very well both in the belief that Thai people believe in merit, karma and bad karma, which were important beliefs in Thai society.