| This
article is part of a continuing series on the ‘Mahavamsa’
, the recorded chronicle of Sri Lankan history.
The enmity between Thanasiva’s
wife and Queen Anula
 The
leader Thanasiva was a very wealthy person. His house was so spacious
that it was enough for two to three families to live in. Most
of the land in the area belonged to him. There was nothing the
family lacked and they lived amidst plenty. However wealthy he
was, Thanasiva remained humble. He was very generous and patronized
the religious dignitaries. He respected Ven. Maha-Tissa immensely.-
He would always accede to whatever request Ven. Maha-Tissa made.
As a result, the king and his party who needed shelter were taken
care of by Thanasiva. The party included the king, queen and the
two princes. The king, however, did not spend much time here.
Most of his time was spent at Matuvelanga. He was giving military
training to the youth, who had gathered there. Ven. Maha-Tissa
visited him often and supplied all his needs.
-
Thanasiva met the king very rarely and as a result did not get
a chance to talk to him. He did not go to chat with the queen
either. Through fear that Ven. Maha-Tissa would get offended,
if he were to inquire about them, he never tried to find out their
identity. But his wife was quite the opposite. From the very outset,
she did not like Queen Anula. She envied her for her beauty and
hated her for the noble manner in which she conducted herself.
-
Queen Anula knew that Thanasiva’s wife hated her. She made
a special attempt to be extra humble and conducted herself in
such a manner, so as not to annoy Thanasiva’s wife. Yet
she had no escape. As the queen’s conduct was noble and
quite unlike that of other ordinary women, Thanasiva’s wife
became very inquisitive to know more about her. Every time she
tried to get involved in a long conversation, Queen Anula used
to cut short and escape.
-
This conduct of the queen was misunderstood by Thanasiva’s
wife. She thought all that was due to pride. She criticized the
queen with her servants and even went to the extent of ridiculing
her saying, “though she hasn’t a proper place to live,
you should see how haughty she is”. The queen too heard
these utterances sometimes. But, she was careful not to say anything
in return. Thanasiva’s wife did not get the respect she
expected from the queen.
-
Both ladies did not show any signs of rivalry openly. One day,
both of them went into the forest to gather leaves and while doing
so, the queen got involved in a conversation. She took care to
utter only what was necessary. Her answers were short. She even
tried to evade and dodge her most of the time. Thanasiva’s
wife got really angry at this behaviour of the queen.
-
Thanasiva’s wife called the queen to where she was, and
showed her some mushrooms, which were growing on some creepers.
She said that those creepers were very strong and she could hang
on to them and get the mushrooms. The queen refused to do so,
saying, “Never in my life, have I ever climbed like that.
If I try to climb, I’m sure to fall”. Thanasiva’s
wife became furious and said, “Why? Are you so delicate?
Are you trying to behave like a princess or is it that your limbs
are not strong enough? Though you have your looks, there’s
nothing that you can do”.
-
Queen Anula was very hurt. She humbly replied saying, “I
did not say anything to arouse your anger. There are certain things
that one is unable to do. I said so because I cannot climb trees”.
The lady, who was even more offended said, “Why can’t
you climb? Are you a woman of such noble origin? Who do you think
I am? We have treated you far too well. If you need our help,
try to behave properly. Don’t try to show your greatness
to us”.
By
Halaliye Karunathilake
Edited and translated by
Kamala Silva
Illustrated by
Saman Kalubowila |
