The Burmese Empire
a hundred years ago
As described by Father Vincenzo Sangermano
Edited and with notes by U Kyaw Tun, M.S. (I.P.S.T., U.S.A.). Set in html by UKT
and staff of TIL Computing and
Language Center, Yangon, for students and staff of TIL. Not for sale.
Burmese Cosmography
Chapter 01
Of the measures and division of time commonly used in the sacred Burmese book fn002-01
According to these books there are five species of atoms. The first consists of that fluid by which all bodies are penetrated, and which, though invisible to man, is yet visible to the Nat, fn002-02 superior genii of whom we shall speak hereafter. The second species is that very fine dust which is seen dancing in the air when the sun's rays penetrate through any aperture into a chamber. The third species consists of the dust raised from the earth by the motion of animals or vehicles. The fourth comprises those grosser particles which, unable to rise in the air on account of their natural gravity, remain fixed to the ground. Lastly, the fifth species consists of those little particles which fall when writing with an iron pen upon a
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fn002-01 For a full account of measures and the divisions of time the reader is referred to The Burman, his Life and Notions, by Shway Yoe, London, 1882, C. 30. The scales in common use differ from those of the books. 'For astronomical purposes, such as the casting of the horoscope, and the calculations for fortunate days and the like, an exceedingly elaborate scale exists, but it is never made use of in ordinary life.' There are twelve months with an intercalation every third year; and, as among the Hindus, the month is divided into the dark and bright halves. The year begins in April. The seven days of the week are named after the planets. The people define time and distance by terms like the following: -- When the sun was as high as a toddy palm, when monks go a-begging, children's go-to-bed time, the time it takes to boil a pot of rice, a stone's throw, a musket's sound. fn002-01b
UKT: monks go a-begging -- Westerns like J. Jardine of the 19the and early 20th century were under the impression that Buddhist monks <beg> for their living, and thus their use of words like <begging bowl>. In reality it is the lay-men who "beg" the monks to come to their house to accept alms.
fn002-02 These Nats
{nat} are the Dewas
{dé-wa.} of the six
lower heavens. In Burmah the belief in
good and bad demons, also called Nats, existed before the spread of Buddhism.
They are still as numerous as the fairies and elves were among the Saxons of
old, every tree, stream, and town having its guardian Nat. Of the evil Nats,
Burmans and other tribes have an extreme dread. -- Bigandet's Legend of the
Burmese Buddha, i. I8, 77; ii. 324. fn002-02b
UKT: pen The word should have been "stylus"
{ka.ņis}. When you write on palm-leaf
{pé-rwak}, you write (scratch) with a stylus without having to dip it in ink. Writing with a pen involves ink.
palm-leaf. Thirty-six atoms of the first class make one atom of the second,
thirty-six of the second make one of the third, and so in progression. Seven
atoms of the fifth and last species are equal in size to the head of a louse;
seven such heads equal a grain of rice; seven grains of rice make an inch,
twelve inches a palm, and two palms a cubit; seven cubits give one ta, twenty
ta
one ussabā , eighty ussabā one gaut , and four gaut a
juzenā [yojana]
{yu-za.na}. Finally, a
juzenā, contains about six Burmese leagues, or 28,000 cubits.
Again, twelve hairs are equal to the size of a grain of rice, four grains of rice make a finger, twelve fingers a foot; the ordinary stature of a man is seven feet.
The following is the measure of time: that instant in which the fore or the middle finger withheld by the thumb darts from it to give a fillip is called a carasi : ten carasi make a pian, and six pian a bizanā . A quarter of an hour is composed of fifteen bizanā ; four quarters make an hour, the day consists of sixty hours, the month contains thirty days, and twelve months form a year.
UKT: Measure of time What is intriguing to me is how a day was divided:
1 day = 60 hours
1 hour = 60 bizanā
1 bizanā = 60 carasi
The division into 60 parts is so similar to the way we measure angles in terms of degrees, minutes and seconds. It is probable that time is based on a day or the passage of the Sun across the celestial sphere which is usually measured in degrees of arc. It is also highly probable that sun-dials were used as clocks in the monasteries to give a measure of time for the daily routine of the monks: monks are prohibited from eating after mid-day.