The document discusses the story of Angulimala from Sri Lankan author Michael Ondaatje's collection of short stories. It provides background on Ondaatje and then summarizes the plot of the legendary story of Angulimala, a notorious robber who is transformed by Buddha into a virtuous man through his teachings of non-violence and compassion.

1. ANGULIMALA
BY
MICHAEL ONDAATJE
MICHAEL ONDAATJI

2. ANGULIMALA
PHILIP MICHAEL ONDAATJE (OC) ---A BRIEF NOTE :-
HE WAS BORN IN COLOMBO, SRI LANKA ON SEPTEMBER 12, 1943.
THE 68 YEARS OLD SRI-LANKAN CANADIAN AUTHOR LEFT SRILANKA AND SETTLED
IN ENGLAND WITH HIS BROTHER ,SISTER AND MOTHER IN 1952 .HE WAS JUST 11 AT
THAT TIME. HE OBTAINED HIS B.A DEGREE FROM DULWICH COLLEGE UNDER THE
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO ,CANADA,IN 1965 AND THEN DID HIS M.A FROM QUEEN’S
UNIVERSITY IN 1967.PRESENTLY HE IS A CANADIAN CITIZEN.
HE BEGAN HIS LITERARY CAREER AS A POET AND HIS FIRST PUBLISHED POETRY
BOOK WAS ENTITLED ‘DAISY MONSTERS’. IT WAS PUBLISHED IN 1967. PRESENTLY HE IS
A CANADIAN CITIZEN.
HIS FIRST NOVEL WAS ‘ COMING THROUGH SLAUGHTER’ . IT WAS PUBLISHED IN 1970.

3. ANGULIMALA
 HE TAUGHT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO IN
LONDON.
 HE ALSO TAUGHT ENGLISH LITERATURE AT YOURK
UNIVERSITY AND GLENDON COLLEGE.

4. ANGULIMALA
 ONDAATJE’S WORK INCLUDES
POETRY,FICTION,AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND FILM-
SCRIPTS.
 HE HAS 13 PUBLISHED COLLECTION OF POETRY
BOOKS TO HIS CREDIT SO FAR.
 HE HAS WRITTEN MORE THAN A DOZEN NOVELS OF
EXQUISITE LITERARY MERITS.
 THE ENGLISH PATIENT,THE SKIN OF LION,COMING
THROUGH SLAUGHTER,ANIL’S GHOST, DIVISADERO
ARE HIS NOTABLE FICTIONS.

5. ANGULIMALA
ONDAATJE’S THREE FILMS INCLUDE:
 A DOCUMENTARY ON FELLOW POET B.P.NICHOL
 SONS OF CAPTAIN POETRY
 THE CLINTON SPECIAL—A FILM ABOUT THE FARM
SHOW
 IN 2002,ONDAATJI PUBLISHED A NON-FICTION BOOK
,THE CONVERSATIONS : WALTER MURCH AND THE
ART OF EDITING FILMS

6. ANGULIMALA
HONOURS AND ACHIEVEMENTS:-
 ANIL’S GHOST WAS THE WINNER OF THE 2000 GILLER
PRIZE,THE KIRIYAMA PACIFIC RIM BOOK PRIZE; THE 2001
IRISH TIMES INTERNATIONAL FICTION PRIZE;AND CANADA’S
GOVERNOR GENERAL’S AWARD.
 THE ENGLISH PATIENT GAVE HIM THE BOOKER PRIZE & THE
CANADA AUSTRALIAN PRIZE.
 THE MOTION PICTURE OF THIS BOOK WON THE ACADEMY
AWARD FOR BEST PICTURE.
 HE ALSO BAGGED RITZ PARIS HEMINGWAY AWARD,CANADA
READS COMPETITION IN 2002.
 HE WAS AWARDED THE ORDER OF CANADA (OC) IN 1988
 IN 2000,HE BECAME A FOREIGN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND LETTERS.

7. ANGULIMALA
 ONDAATJE SPEAKING AT TULANE
THE YOUNG ONDAATJE UNIVERSITY IN 2010

8. ANGULIMALA
The Monkey King and Other
Stories authored by
Ondaatje, Michael .
The anthology contains
stories like "The Vulture," and
"Anguli mala." It is edited by
Griffin Ondaatje. The book is
published by Toronto:
HarperCollins, in 1995.

9. ANGULIMALA
Context & theme of the Story of Angulimala:-
The story is an adaptation from an ancient epic named
‘Angulimala’. Angulimala means ‘a garland of fingers’.
Angulimala was a notorious robber in Savatthi. He killed
people for pleasure and used to wear a garland of the
‘angulies’ of his victims as a sign of his power and cruelty.
His very name became synonymous to death and
destruction. Lord Buddha transformed that notorious
criminal into a virtuous human-being. The story highlights
the Buddhist concept of Dharma and brings into focus the
significance of Kamrupaa.

10. ANGULIMALA
The Story in brief:-
Once upon a time there lived in the forest of Savatthi ,a notorious robber named
Angulimala. He was an incarnation of crime and inhumanity. His name was synonymous
to death, torture and destruction. Each and every man living there was afraid of his very
name. Even the monks were not spared. He used to wear a garland of the fingers of his
victims. He made families into non-families; villages into non-villages, turned tows into
non-towns. He regularly killed innocent people just for pleasure. The king and his
administration had nothing but to pay a deaf ear to the ravages committed by the brute.
He became the sign of a living terror.
Lord Buddha ,the preacher of Buddhism happened to be present there in one of his
religious mission. He heard about the atrocities caused by the Robber and decided to
convert him a real human-being. So,Oneday he sat out to face the robber in his forest
hide-out. Everyone requested him not to do that because of his life and safety. But the
holy-man proceeded fearlessly to encounter Angulimala.
Cont.----

11. ANGULIMALA
The robber saw him from a distance and felt surprised in seeing the fearless approach of
the Saint. He could not understand why the holy man was dauntless and least bothered
about Angulimala. He felt confounded because nobody was spared so far .People were
killed irrespective of their numbers or arms and ammunitions. He remembered how he
killed a teacher and four of his disciples shortly. So, he started following Buddha from a
distance. He decided to kill him too. But to his utter surprise he found that he could not
reach the Holy man despite advancing long steps. The saint always remained ahead of
him.
This made the robber to realize the superhuman power of Lord Buddha .He realized that
the holy man had strong and spiritual religious attainment which was far more
powerful than his strength and cruelty.
He surrendered to Buddha and asked him to show him the way to salvation.
Lord Buddha told him to shun crime, remain non-violent and undertake religious
prayers.
Angulimala followed the instructions of Lord Buddha and ultimately became a virtuous
man.
It is the story of the transformation of soul, a predicament on the part of Angulimala
,the notorious robber.

12. ANGULIMALA
Q.Who was Angulimala? Why was he called so?
Ans. Angulimala was a notorious robber mentioned in an
Indian legend. He used to live in the forest at the outskirt of
the ancient city of Savatthi. He was a terror in the locality.
His name terrified each and every one living in and around
that region. He was in the habit of killing all sorts of people
and snatch away whatever they had. Killing man was as if a
sport to him. He cut the fingers of the people after killing
them and wore a garland of those fingers. And for this
reason his name was Angulimala. Anguli means „finger‟ and
mala means „garland‟ in Indian Context.

13. ANGULIMALA
Q.Who is the Buddha mentioned in the story „Angulimala‟? What is
the meaning of the term „Buddha‟? Why did he come to Sivatthi?
Ans. The Buddha mentioned in the story is Lord Buddha, the founder
of Buddhism. His actual name was Gautam Buddha and his father was
king Suddhodan. He was the prince of Kapilabastu. After attaining
enlightenment, he started preaching of a religion whose inherent
message was to practice non-violence and love among all the creatures
of the world.
The very term „Buddha‟ means „an enlightened soul‟.
He went to Sivvathi for preaching and practicing the religious
doctrines of Buddhism among the people of Savatthi.

14. ANGULIMALA
Q. “Stand still. Will you”?
Who is the speaker and to whom did he utter the words? And in
what context ?
Ans. The notorious robber Angulimala is the speaker. He asked
the Buddha to stand still.
Angulimala chased the Buddha with bow and arrows and sword.
Unlike his earlier victims the holy man remained always ahead of
him. He could neither catch nor kill him.
He uttered the quoted words in this context.

15. ANGULIMALA
Q. How did the Buddha transformed the Robber Angulimala to a virtuous man?
Ans.Angulimala chased the holy man with bow and arrows and a sword. He chased
and chased but the holy man remained always ahead of him. Furiously he asked the
holy man to stop and face death. The holy man smiled and said , „I am standing still
but you are not.” Angulimala felt surprised and asked him arrogantly to clarify the
meaning of his statement. The holy man ,then, ,told him that he had given up all
sorts of evil feelings against all living things. He had forsaken using force against
any living creature and that was what he meant by the words „I am standing still'. He
then told Angulimala that he was in the habit of acting against the living beings
without any restrain. He was always racing after this and that .He was always in the
pursuit of making living things ghosts. He killed people even in his dreams. He
moved in a four times speed than that of the Earth and as such would die much
earlier than the world around him. The words of Buddha pierced the heart of the
vicious robber and he asked him to show him the true path of life .
Thus, Lord Buddha transformed the soul of the notorious robber Angulimala and
made him a virtuous man.

16. ANGULIMALA
Q. „He dug a pit and covered his sword and all other weapons‟.
--Who is „he‟ referred to here? Why did he did so? What did he
do afterword?
Ans. The notorious legendary robber and murderer Angulimala
is referred to here by the term „he‟.
The lessons of Buddha transformed the soul of Angulimala. He
realized the evils of his misdeeds. He also realized the
consequences of such brutal and heinous crimes. He felt
repentant and as such dug a pit and covered his sword and all
other weapons.
He then approached the holy man. He expressed his utmost
regret for his evil deeds and bowed low to him. He expressed his
earnest desire to be one of his disciples.

17. ANGULIMALA
Q. „Angulimala came in this way to understand the joy of freedom‟.---
How did Angulimala come to understand the joy of freedom? What
did come to him?
Ans. Angulimala was very badly treated by the city men. Somehow, he
managed to return to his forest dwelling bleeding and injured. When
he saw the Buddha, he approached half crept towards him in pain and
humiliation. He sat some yards away from him facing his master. The
Buddha glanced at him and then smilingly chuckled with him. Then he
advised him to bear with his pains .This suffering would surely purge
him from his past evils. Angulimala and the holy man, then began
walking and reached the bank of a river. Buddha bathed Angulimala
and then gave him his own robe, his own begging bowl and told him to
live thus. The Buddha then departed leaving him there.
Cont.---

18. ANGULIMALA
Angulimala realized the joy of freedom. Then some verses
came to him spontaneously. These verses meant---
The fletcher trims arrows shaft.
Water carrier guide a river.
The Wiseman tames the self.
------I was violent one,
----- I was notorious as Angulimala.
I was tamed by Buddha.
Now I move in the freedom of spiritual carefulness.

19. ANGULIMALA
Acknowledgement ,Credits and References:-
1.A Companion to B.A.English (Prose) 1st Semester[GU]
2.Biographical article on Michael Ondaatje from
www.wikipedea.org [The free encyclopedia]
3.Photographs are taken from wikipedea .
These are legally permitted to be used by anybody for academic
purposes.
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20. ANGULIMALA
A presentation from:-
INDRANIL SARKAR
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
DEPT. OF ENGLISH
SAPATGRAM COLLEGE,SAPATGRAM,ASSAM
INDIA
NB.THE PRESENTATION IS INTENDED FOR THE T.D.C.1ST YR,[1ST SEMESTER
] STUDENTS OF GAUHATI UNIVERSITY,ASSAM
*******