Hard times of a monarch

Even King Dutugemunu did not build Ruvaweliseya in one day. For he could not witness the glamour of the giant creation he initiated with unsurpassed piety. As the famous legend has it Prince Tissa had covered up the Ruvanveliseya for his dying brother king. It was sight for sore eyes, but King Dutugemunu’s mind’s eye was elsewhere.

The king maintained a book of merits where he recorded all his virtuous activities. It contained luxurious times when he initiated the Ruvanveliseya project as well as hard times when he braved the odds.

Dutugemunu was fleeing back from Chulanganiyapatti loosing the battle for his brother Tissa. He was journeying to Mahagama with two close associates: minister Tissa (not his brother) and mare Dighathunika. They were starving over the noon, and the minister offered food for Dutugemunu first. Dutugemunu placed food in a golden vessel. He needed to give the first portion to an Arhath. And he was determined to see an Arhath to share his portion with the Sangha order.

Arhath Thera Gothama sensed the king’s determination through his divine faculties. He approached the king to partake the meal. When the King put the first portion into Thera’s bowl, minister did not want to have his portion. Neither did the beast. They both gave up food. The Arhath shared the whole meal with the Sangha order in chunks. For a run-of-the-mill person this may look stupid. But the threesome were happy and felt fulfilled.

Dutugemunu did not let his virtue slip by even at hard times. His virtue is such. Read Mahawamsa’s chapter 25 to take a glimpse of the monarch’s inner beauty.

“When he [king] had bidden them farewell and had given them leave to depart he lay down again and thought: `Without the brotherhood you shall never take a meal,’ thus our mother and father have caused to swear us in our boyhood at the meal. Have I ever eaten anything whatsoever without giving to the brotherhood of bhikkhus?’ Then he saw that he had, all unthinkingly, eaten pepper in the pod, at the morning meal, leaving none for the brotherhood; and he thought: `For this I must do penance.’”

The Chulangani story wraps up the complex yet sensitive relationship of Dutugemunu-Tissa siblings. Soon after King Kavantissa’s death, Dutugemunu and Tissa were on the warpath for the throne. The war that took place at Chulanganiyapatti killed a good number of Dutugemunu’s troops. Dutugemunu had to flee to Mahagama where he mustered enough support for another battle which made things worse for his brother. However the brothers were reunited later on with Tissa becoming part and parcel of King Dutugemunu’s entourage.

Dutugemunu as a monarch actually deserves respect historically although some may not agree so. Some look down on Dutugemunu primarily for his brutal military activities against the Tamils. But his intention was to regain the invaded territories and unite the country. He identified Elara, his Tamil counterpart in North, as a virtuous ruler and made a tomb for everybody to pay homage.

Mahawamsa’s chapter 25 goes on to say:

“Should a man think on the hosts of human beings murdered for greed in countless myriads, and should he carefully keep in mind the evil (arising from that), and should he also very carefully keep in mind the mortality as being the murderer of all, then will he, in this way, shortly win freedom from suffering and a happy condition.”

We shall rediscover King Dutugemunu, the man behind Ruvanweliseya!