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| Sunday, 9 January 2005 |
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Princess Devi's great sacrifice Sunday parable by Sunanda Mahendra A King named Kavantissa was reigning in the region of Ruhuna when the King named Yatalatissa or Kelanitissa was reigning at Kelaniya. His daughter was one Devi, who was known to be quite brave and kindhearted as she had helped people of her father's regime to live happily and piously.
So Prince Uttiya, it is said, went to the hill country and lived a life of an ascetic. The Prince sent a man dressed as a monk to the palace of the King of Kelaniya. This was done in secrecy, as there was a certain pious monk, who used to visit the palace and partake in royal alms offered by Princess Devi and King Kelanitissa. It so happened that the Prince, who sent a message written in the form of a love letter was mistakenly dropped by the messenger, who came disguised as a monk. When the King found the letter addressed to the Princess, he misunderstood the pious monk, who used to frequent the royal palace. What did the King do? He was so angry that he ordered the palace men to kill the monk by immersing him in a cauldron boiling of oil. What happened or followed this killing was amazing, as the sea rose with a roaring sound and brought incessant tidal waves sweeping and devastating a great part of the land in the kingdom. Sages and soothsayers in the kingdom said that the god of the ocean was enraged, denoted by the term 'devakopaya' over the punishment imposed on a pious monk. The flood was caused according to popular belief, as a result of a great elder or a monk being killed for no apparent reason. The gods of the sea had become angry as the corpse of the monk was thrown into the sea. The great flood that brought about the disaster was seen to be untamable and rough. The sages in the kingdom said that the gods were angry with the foolish and shortsighted ruler. The only thing that one could do at a time like this, according to the sages, was to make a human sacrifice. Who was going to face this sacrifice? Was there any person, who wished to come forward to sacrifice himself or herself to recover the loss and calamity? "I don't mind," said Princess Devi in an unshaken mood approaching her father, the King of the country, who never expected such an expression from his daughter. "I know that there is a grave misunderstanding for which I should perform an act of truth or 'satyakriya' to dispel it in good faith. I wish to undertake this ordeal of the sacrifice on behalf of the whole country. So let me be flung into the roaring ocean." At this point, King Kelanitissa was simply surprised but gradually understood her pious nature and allowed her to be the subject of sacrifice by floating her in one of the ships made especially for the great ritual of human sacrifice. It was a golden ship, and the Princess was made to sit in a posture of meditation according to her wish. The King fastened an inscription on the ship, which read as follows. 'Devi the daughter of King Kelanitissa, given as an offering to the ocean'. Then he sent the ship out to the ocean. She closed her eyes and meditated that the blessings of her spiritual nature may calm ocean and let the gods of the ocean bless the country in order to rebuild it. The sounds of 'sadhu sadhu' reverberated, while some people lamented at the impending disaster to the good Princess Devi. Meanwhile, the King made up his mind to visit the scene of destruction himself. Mounting his state elephant, and followed by his royal courtiers he rode out in the direction of the village now known as Wattala, till he reached a place almost midway between Wattala and Hendala. There, as a result of an earthquake, or some other natural cause, the earth suddenly gaped open just beneath the elephant's feet. The people saw how the king and the elephant were swallowed up in the pit, over which the turbulent waters soon flowed rapidly on. The King and his elephant disappeared from view without leaving a trace and his death marked the end of the Kelaniya kingdom. When the floods eventually subsided, the place where the King disappeared, was indicated by a huge pit, which afterwards was filled up. This place was later known as 'etubuvala' meaning the hole where the elephant was swallowed up. The ship in which the good Princess Devi was seated, floated into the sea from the coastal area of Kelaniya and floated further down towards the South. In the end, she reached the shores of Ruhuna safely. Nearer to the sea was a temple known as Lanka Viharaya, where she was seen by villagers, who brought the news to the king of the region, who was named Kavantissa. This king was attracted by the charming qualities of Princess Devi and came to know all about her and the royal lineage. King Kavantissa was also a pious person, who treated the order of the monks by supplying food and shelter. Before long the King married Princess Devi. From there onwards as she was first seen on the shores of Lanka Viharaya and concentrated on religious activities and was honoured and given the title of Vihara Maha Devi. (I am indebted to two sources the Sinhala and Pali Mahavamsa 22 chapter and John M Seneviratne's book titled Dutugemunu.) |
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She was also known to be one of the devoted laywomen in the palace and
spent time on the welfare of religious activities. The younger brother of
the King was fond of this Princess Devi, who had good manners. But the
King disliked this relationship. The King got some of his courtiers to
warn the younger brother, who was known as Uttiya. The King having come to
know that Prince Uttiya had a liking towards Princess Devi, felt unhappy
and made him go to a distant place and live.
