Upaguptha-The Buddhist Monk

Upaguptha

Upaguptha was a Buddhist Monk. He belongs to 3rd Century BC. According to some sacred texts he was the spiritual teacher of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka. Upagupta was student of Sanavasi who was a disciple of Ānanda, the Buddha's attendant. 

Upaguptha was greatly admired in South East Asian countries and Bangladesh. He is also known as Shin Upagutta in Myanmar. He has other names like Shin Upagot, Shin Upagote in Burma. He is one of the most popular Buddhist Monk in Burma, and every year a special festival is held in his honor.

Upagupta served as a spiritual adviser of the great emperor Ashoka. In the Lokapannatti Upagupta is sent by Ashoka to tame Mara during an enshrinement ceremony festival, after words he asks her to take the physical form (rupakaya) of Buddha so that everyone at the festival can see what Buddha looked like.

IN LITERATURE

 Legendary versions of his life were found in the Tibetan 3^rd and 4^th chapters of Taaranaatha's history of Buddhism in India and in the 47th chapter of the Mongolian Dublin.

India’s popular writer Rabindranath Tagore in his poem 'Abhisar' mentions Upagupta. In this story, in the month of Sraban, the monk was at sleep in Mathura, when Vasavdatta - the city's diva trips over and notices the monk. Vasavadatta fell in love with him at once and asked her maid to call the young monk to her house. But Upagupta tells her that he cannot go with her at this moment, when time comes, he will go. A few days later, a sculptor was murdered in the city. Vasavadatta was blamed as a murderer. She was beaten hardly by people. The city people had cast her out of the city's wall. The monk nurses Vasavadatta with care, telling her that the time for their togetherness has come. Rabindranath adopted the story with some changes from the “Vodhisattwavadanakalpalata” by Kshemendra, the 10th-11th century Kashmiri poet.

Upaguptha always used to say needy people “Come with me and listen to Lord Buddha, it will bring you peace and eternal happiness."