Our maiden war panegyric?

Title: Kustantheenu Hatana
Edited Rohini Paranawithana
Published by Godage and Bros.

by Padma Edirisinghe

Wars that kill precious human lives by 1000s are nothing to boast about but we have to acknowledge the fact that ever since human civilization began aggression and not peace is the norm of human behaviour that is characteristic of even the highest circles.

One only feels sorry for the founders of religions who always advocated Shanthi (peaceful bliss) along with messages like "Love thy neighbour". On the contrary 'The neighbour "turns out to be the bitterest foe.

Recently the reviewer read an interesting piece on the Mandalay theory that expounds the practice of hating the neighbouring state and loving the nation beyond that. Just to ensure the balance of power, that is and not for any Shanthi purpose.

Aggressive humans just began loving wars as time passed by and indulged in them profusely using various causes, significant or insignificant. The 'fabled jackal' waiting to pick a fight needs mention here.

He was hunting, not for food, but for something to be nasty about, with another of his tribe. Unable to find anything worthwhile he jumped on a passing jackal - brother, pointed at a stone and said. "This stone is mine."

The passing fox, a beautiful one not in a mood for a squabble very "shanthily" said, "If it is yours, take it, dear brother". Despite the dirty reputation they have earned down the ages foxen are beautiful animals and I even read a story the other day about a woman who had fallen in love with one.

But that is another tribe not the human tribe who have so far indulged in 1000s and 1000s of wars mainly for self-glorification and self-aggrandizement. We, the Lankans, being occupants of an island in the centre of a vast ocean along which ships plied East and West from ancient days have had umpteen foreign visitors. They came, they saw but did not stoop to conquer except for some cruel invaders like Magha. But the Europeans were all for land grabbing and illegal trespass.

The firearms were the biggest asset of the invaders which began to be imitatively manufactured by islands like Lanka very soon. Rajasinghe I or Tikiri Kumaru Rajasinghe was our first king to use these against the Western trespassers.

Naturally via Sitawaka Hatana, he earned our first War panegyric or Prashasthi eulogizing him and his valour displayed on the battlefield. In fact this book of verses can be called our maiden war panegyric.

Next comes Kusthantheenu Hatana. Believe it or not, this is a panegyric or Prashasthi that eulogises the foreign invader who becomes a victor against the local king.

Treacherous? Down to the very core. But humans are humans, and greediness is one of their main assets other than the propensity for quarrelling. Greed for status, for a higher post, for State recognition no doubt propelled the author to undertake this work, now edited by one of our well-known scholars, Prof. Rohini Paranavithana.

Constantine da Saa, the Portuguese General who ruled the littoral in the years, 1618-1620 and again in the years 1623-1630 is the hero of this work who won his battle against King Senarat of Kandy and his sons.

According to the editor though wars have been described in detail in our ancient and medieval texts war literature as a separate component sprouted during the Portuguese era. The famous poet Alagiyawanna is surmised to be its author who it is assumed was subject to conversion.

Hence the book is very innovative in that while using techniques of eulogy rampant in earlier books as Sitawaka Hatana and Parakumba Siritha the author begins his panegyric by paying homage to Jesus Christ (just as was done to Buddha) and then in the act of describing the war goes on often to eulogise the war hero, Constantine Da Saa inundating him with praise for killing and defeating his own country men. (Da Saa however gets killed later at Radeniwela by Rajasinghe II).

Anyway the main message in this book review that such a book (which some present day anti-conversion fanatics would have consumed to fire straight away if they got hold of it) had been preserved down the ages in our own temples.

For despite the treachery of the poet the book is of outstanding poetic excellence having been penned by a brilliant poet named Alagiyawanna Mukaweti who produced works like Kusa Jathaka Kavya, Daham Soda Kavya, Subhashithaya and Savul Sandeshaya.

In fact in an era when Sinhala literature had plummeted to its lowest depths it was he and his father, Pundit Dharmadvaja both denizening the village of Hissella in Siyane Korale who had kept the torch of learning afloat.

It is not too far fetched to surmise that they embraced the new religion for their own survival and progress in the literary renaissance they had launched if not for which the flow of Sinhala language and literature may have seen a total eclipse. (Descendants of this family still living in Gampaha and surrounding areas now seem to have reverted back to Buddhism).

From the introduction to the book written by the editor it is clear that the author had exerted herself much to go through earlier editions. Scholar, Louis de Soyza had been instrumental in finding it from a library belonging to Ellawala Rate Mahathmaya.

In 1894 Mudaliyar F. W. de Silva had enlightened academics and "non-academics" of the Royal Asiatic Society on the existence of this work Kusthanteenu Hatana which not only gives a very extensive account of the waged war but throws light on the routes taken by the armies during this time - Malwana, Mapitigama, Kananpella, Kaluaggala, Kosgama, Bope, Sitawaka, Teppanawa in Uva province, Kohompitiya, Pollamure, Balangoda, Maddegama, Imbulpe, Lellopitiya where the Sinhala army is defeated in a fierce battle Da Saa, Phillip Da Livera and Louis Tissera end up heroes.

But the most interesting fact about this book that can be reckoned as the optimum evidence of the amazing Buddhist tolerance is that an edition of this work published by the Catholic Press in Colombo and edited by Fr. S. G. Perera has been recommended as a school text. No, not by a colonial govt.stooging to the religion of Christ but by three Buddhist scholars, all Buddhists, Munidasa Cumaranatunga, Edwin Ranawaka and P. Wijesekera. Only pages 116 to 112 have been excluded, not because of vituperations poured against Buddhists but due to undue obsession with large breasts of women! How far ahead Sri Lankan scholars seem to stand before Western counterparts in this respect!

They were not involved with racial and religious prejudices but only with the high literary aspect of the work.

Journey to Netronic

First Edition - May 2007

This is a science fiction book written by a 15 year old boy, Yashod Savithru Jayasinghe who is a Grade II student of Royal College, Colombo.

The story is an adventure of a group of school boys, which links our world, a parallel world of a different time, and the world of virtual reality. The author is trying to peep in to the future using technology in day to day life by referring to a parallel time.

Being a school boy himself, the book suggests many novel options using technology to relieve burdens faced by students and people of our age.

His scientific predictions extend to a variety of fields from transport, communication, education, to the currencies of tomorrow. It’s worthwhile taking this journey to Netronic...a parallel world.....