Long, long ago, when the earth was as young
as a newborn babe, it looked so irresistible from a far that the
Khunphes and Nangphes of Maung Sang themselves were tempted to leave
their home in order to feast upon the earth. They flew down past the six
heavens and wandered around for days, eating the fruits of the soft
earth and inhaling its sweet fragrance. Having done that, they grew
heavy and lost a great deal of their godliness. Try as they might, they
could not lift themselves off the ground and therefore became
earthbound. They could not even see the first heaven from where they now
stood. By and by the memory of their lost home grew dimmer and dimmer
untill all was forgotten. From being mighty Gods they became earthlings.
Chow Khunsang the chief God was the sole exception, for he was able to
fly but only to a certain limit. He flew as far as Maung Phe or
Paradise, which was one level short of his home. Chow Khunsang could do
little else but acclimatize himself to his new surroundings. He learnt
the language and customs of Maung Phe and his sharp intellect and hard
work propelled him to great heights and he became a respected member of
society. Jealous over his popularity, the Gods married him off to the
sister of Chow Khunkiew, the God of misfortune, misery and disease. In
due course, Chow Khunsang and his wife had four daughters, the celestial
maidens named Kholaka, Maholaka, Nandalak and Tat-Thilaka. Chow Kesey,
the king of Maung Phe and the other members of the royal council
considered Chow Khunsang a threat, for he overshadowed them with his
brilliance. It was no secret the Chow Khunsang, being from the highest
realm, had super intelligence and could solve all problems no matter how
complicated. There was no one equal to him where knowledge was
concerned. Chow Kesey took Chow Khunkiew into confidence aid asked him
to help in killing Chow Khunsang Bound by loyalty to his king, Chow
Khunkiew tried his best to kill his brother-in-law by showering him with
misfortune, misery and disease but to no avail. Chow Khunsang was
proving to be a tough adversary. One day, while Chow Khunsang was
present at the king’s court, a discussion was going on regarding the
functioning of the universe. “The earth is stationary. It is the sun
that moves around the earth. That is the universal truth,” Chow Kesey
declared. Although Chow Khunsang was not invited to participate in any
of their discussions, he could not remain silent on something he knew
for certain was untrue. “It is the earth that spins and moves around the
sun and not vice versa,” he interrupted. The king and his council were
taken aback. How dare an outsider correct them on’ things they had taken
for granted all along? They argued with Chow Khunsang, but he stood
firm by his statement. “Why not witness the movement of the stars with
our own eyes Instead of arguing amongst ourselves?” Chow Kesey said. It
was creed upon that they would meet at a special place from where the
entire universe would be visible to them. Not wanting to take any
chances, Chow Kesey summoned the stars. “I command you to move when I
give you the signal,” he ordered. The stars knew it was futile for them
to disagree with the Gods although it was against their very nature.
When the time approached, all the Gods gathered to witness the working
of the universe. Chow Kesey gave the signal as planned and the sun and
stars moved, much to the amazement of Chow Khunsang and the delight of
Chow Kesey and the other Gods of Maung Phe. Chow Khunsang realized It
was a plot to humiliate him, for he alone knew the truth. However, being
an outsider and with the entire council opposing him, he remained
silent. Ailbough Chow Kesey had won the first round, he still harboured a
grudge against Chow Khunsang and wanted to get rid of him. He knew that
it would not be an easy task for him to do so, for Chow Khunsang was
all-powerful and indestructible. The combined efforts of Chow Kesey and
Chow Khunkiew to kill Chow Khunsang having come to naught, they decided
to resort to treachery. Chow Khunkiew asked his nieces to find out the
secret behind their father’s supremacy. “My hair is unique,” Chow
Khunsang had once told his daughters. “One single strand if tied to the
Khanchak will be sufficient to kill me. Nothing else will.” The four
maidens had known the secret for a long time and saw no harm in
revealing it to their uncle They even supplied their uncle with a strand
of their father’s hair, not knowing the consequences of their action.
Chow Kesey now waited for a chance to get into an argument with Chow
Khunsang. He invited him to sit in the council and air his views
regarding the astrological method for predicting rain. When Chow
Khunsang had spoken at length on the subject, Chow Kesey interrupted him
and said his calculations were wrong. Chow Khunsang insisted he was
right. Neither of them was willing to concede to the other, so they both
came to an agreement that the matter could only be resolved by a third
party. Chow Kesey thought it was a good opportunity to settle a score
and so he said, “We’ll go down to earth and ask the wise Chow Pingya for
his opinion. The one whose prediction is proved wrong will lose his
head.” Chow Khunsang agreed to the proposal. They both came down to
earth and found Chow Pingya busy ploughing his field. Introducing
themselves, the two Gods explained the purpose of their visit and asked
Chow Pingya to be the judge. Chow Pingya through his own calculations
came to the conclusion that Chow Kesey was right. Chow Khunsang had to
admit defeat and accordingly had to forfeit his head. Armed with the
secret knowledge that the daughters of Chow Khunsang had given him, Chow
Kesey was able to behead Chow Khunsang with the celestial axe
‘Khanchak’ tied with a strand of his own hair. When the severed head
fell on the ground, it radiated extreme heat and energy, causing a fire
so great that it consumed everything in its vicinity. The fire raged
Uncontrolled till the Gods of Maungsang had to be called to put out the
blaze. The Gods kept the severed head Suspended in the air, but the
intense near from it evaporated on the clouds and there was drought.
They then immersed it the ocean thinking the waters would cool it, but
the heat evaporated the entire ocean and e land was parched and the
fishes and all the sea creatures were burnt to a crisp. Nothing the Gods
did could contain the destructive nature of Chow Khunsang’s head. The
only ones who could withstand the intensity of heat emitted from the
head were his daughters, for they were of his blood. The king of
Maungsang ordered the four errant daughters of Chow Khunsang to take the
responsibility of holding their father’s head in their hands, so as to
save the world from destruction and also to atone for their sin. They
attached the head of an elephant named Elawon on the body of Chow
Khunsang and gave him a new lease of life. Meanwhile, the severed head
being the origin of heat radiated such tremendous heat that none of his
daughters could hold it for more than a day. When each day ended, the
head was passed on to the next daughter. This continued for an eternity
and since one heavenly day is equal to one earth year, as soon as the
head of Chow Khunsang is passed from one daughter to another, a new year
is born. Chow Khunkiew on his part resented the fact that the Gods of
Maungsang had resurrected his archrival and brother-in-law Chow
Khunsang. He sought to kill the elephant headed God by spreading
misfortune and disease through all the realms. So committed is he to his
mission that Chow Khunkiew is to this day tirelessly working towards
his goal. Because of his constant threat to mankind, the Theravada
Buddhist community seek the protection of the Lord every New Year. On
this day, the statues of the Buddha are taken out of the temples and
placed in a specially constructed shrine where they are showered with
scented water with the help the ‘lungkong’ or water fountain. Scented
water is also poured over the Bodhi tree, the ropes of holy manuscripts,
and the hands of monks, the hands and feet of elderly people and over
one another. This festival is called ‘Sangken’ and is celebrated on the
New Year day to invoke the blessings of the Buddha for peace, harmony,
good luck, good health and protection from the evil influences of Chow
Khunkiew.
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