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This
article is part of a continuing series on the ‘Mahavamsa’,
the recorded chronicle of Sri Lankan history
King Valagamba goes into hiding again
- The
king was greatly disturbed over the killing of Thanasiva. He knew
it was quite foolish to live there anymore. He instructed the
queen and the princes to bundle up whatever possessions they had
and that very night they fled. Rev. Maha-Tissa was in Anuradhapura
at this time. It was his habit to visit Anuradhapura, once or
twice a month to gather information from there, and report matters
to the king.
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Rev. Maha-Tissa returned from Anuradhapura. Without any delay,
he went to meet the king. It was shocking for him to meet the
king and his party on the road that ran through the forest. Rev.
Maha-Tissa was ignorant of the Thanasiva incident. The king fell
at the feet of the priest and told him all that had happened.
The priest thought for a while.
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In the meantime, Prince Mahatissa, worshipped at the feet of the
monk and begged pardon for the offence he had committed. The priest
felt sorry for the prince and stroked his head caringly. Queen
Anula and Prince Mahanaga too worshipped at the feet of the priest.
The priest did not utter a word about the killing but called the
king to a side. Before the priest could start the conversation,
the king said thus.
- “Rev.
Sir, this is a very bad period for us. I’ve been spending
these few days in agony. I admit that this prince did something
that he should not have done. I’m sorry about the death
of Thanasiva. He was foolish to have listened to his wife and
get worked up to such a degree. He could not think straight. I
feel sad this innocent man had to die”. The priest then
said, “Do not be disturbed. What has happened is history
now. You cannot change it”.
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The king was worried that his campaign would suffer a setback,
as a result of all this. The priest consoled the king saying,
“Let us forget it. We shall work more sensibly in future”.
The king then asked the priest what news he had brought from Anuradhapura.
The priest’s reply was, “Time are not so bad for us.
Commander Dathiya, who has killed Pilayamara is now the ruler”.
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The king’s instant reply was, “These are a strange
set of people. They are killing each other”. The priest
added, “Dathiya is the last of the commanders. He is a foolish
man. He is living in blissful ignorance, thinking that he has
no enemies now”. The king was happy to hear all this. He
thought that luck was in his favour now. The priest remarked that
the Tamil commanders behaved in such a bad manner that they have
neglected the proper administration of the country, and brought
about ruin.
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The king then remarked, “Injustice won’t last long.
Maha-Tissa said that not only the people of Anuradhapura but their
own soldiers also are disgusted now. They too are fighting among
themselves. The king said, “Let us get started now. There
is no reason to delay. We’ll strengthen our forces”.
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The king remarked that it was difficult to execute his programme
like this, when he was in disguise. Rev. Maha-Tissa accepted what
the king said and added, “You are right. You cannot go on
in disguise. Now the people do not know you. They don’t
respect you enough. They will be thrilled to hear that you are
King Valagamba. They’ll flock around you and give you all
the support and assistance. You can be assured of it”.
By Halaliye Karunathilake
Edited and translated by Kamala Silva
Illustrated by
Saman Kalubowila
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