The Cosmological Conceptualization of Southern Thais: A Literary Exploration into Pra Bhumi Chants

Abstract

The Pra Bhumi chants that reflect the Southern-Thai cosmological concept are influenced by the Brahmanism religion and the Shaivism tradition, which believe that Shiva as created the earth from Parvati’s or Uma Phakhawati’s substance. The concept explains metaphysical questions by supporting theistic theories that god is the absolute creator of the earth based on the belief that Shiva is the mightiest above all gods with the following characteristics: 1. he came to existence before all origins, 2. he is perfect, 3. he is eternal, and 4. he controls human ethics. The concept further describes ontological questions through a concept that the earth and all things emerged from the substance of Shiva, which is a form of grand soul, a creator, and a controller of the earth and the universe. However, his creations possess limited matters and minds. The Southern-Thai concept of how the earth was created differs from many theistic theories as it was embedded with the influences of Shivaism and Shaktism, where Parvati is honored as the grand goddess who co-founded the earth with Shiva.

The findings revealed that chanting to Pra Bhumi, a ritual that is local to Southern Thailand, preserves conventional religious beliefs, although the religion itself has long faded from the region. Moreover, the concept also reflects many wisdom heritages derived from southern ancestors. The establishment of local ethics which fosters gratitude towards god’s grace of the gods (e.g., worshiping in auspicious ceremonies, Baci decorations, arrangements of oblations, and regular name-calling of the two gods, The cultivation of a resource-economizing way of life that promotes abstinence from resource wasting and eradication as all are created from the substance of Parvati, and  The harmonization of human coexistence, which is portrayed by these chants, that different religious beliefs could be blended in harmony and that southern ancestors employed this wisdom to maintain peaceful coexistence