This article is part of a continuing series on the ‘Mahavamsa’, the recorded chronicle of Sri Lankan history.

The battle of the brothers

1. Prince Gemunu partook of his meal, rested a while and left for Magama. He collected men for the army and when the number reached sixty-thousand, he marched with the army to meet his brother Tissa. Tissa, too was well prepared for the battle.
   The two armies met. When Dutugemunu realized the physical strength of Tissa’s army, he began to contemplate.
2. “This huge army is fit to fight the enemy. It is pointless our fighting here. We will only lose our military strength, which could be put to better use”, thought Gemunu. He called one of his men and said, “Go to Tissa and tell him that the fight is only between both of us. No one else should shed blood in this battle. Let him advance”. The message was conveyed.
3. Tissa rode on the elephant Kandula, with spear in hand and advanced towards Gemunu. Gemunu had to act wisely. He rode on the mare, Dighathunika and marched forward. The two brothers met. At once Tissa gave a blow with his spear. Gemunu managed to dodge it.
4. Prince Gemunu made the mare leap over the elephant and while doing so, he shot a dart over his brother, wounding only the skin of the elephant. Noticing this, Tissa’s army began to retreat.
   They ran berserk. The elephant Kandula too, was disturbed over the fact that a female jumped over him. In anger, he ran to and fro. Tissa, who got terribly frightened, hung on to the branch of a tree.
5. When Tissa realized that his brother noticed this, he soon climbed down and ran for his life. Dutugemunu told his soldiers to give chase and bring Tissa alive. Tissa saw a temple and went inside. He fell at the feet of the priest and pleaded with him to save him as his brother was chasing to kill him. The priest asked Tissa to creep under the bed. When Tissa did so, he covered the bed with a robe, in such a way that Tissa was fully hidden. He sat beside it to watch what would happen next.
6. Gemunu asked the soldiers to stay at the entrance to the temple and he went in. He worshipped the priest and asked where Tissa was. “O’ King, Tissa is not in bed”, said the priest. Gemunu understood what was happening. He thought for a while and decided that he could not in any way hurt the feelings of the Sangha, whom he respected so much. He worshipped at his feet and left the temple.
7. Prince Gemunu came as far as the entrance and stood guard there. He got the soldiers to guard the temple, right round. Now, the priest wanted to send Tissa out of the temple. He made Tissa lie down on a bed, covered him with a robe and asked the novice monks to carry him out, as if they were carrying a dead body. The plan worked. The novice monks did as they were told.
8. Gemunu, who stood guard at the entrance, at once knew it was Tissa who was being carried by the young monks. He shouted out saying, “Hey Tissa, is it proper for you to be carried by priests?” The novice monks did not stop.
   Gemunu then said, “I can take you by force. But as I do respect the ‘Triple Gem’, I do not like to cause disrespect to my religion by snatching you from the priests”
   Gemunu then marched to Magama, accompanied by his army.

By Halaliya Karunathilake
Edited and translated by Kamala Silva
Illustrated by
Saman Kalubowila

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