|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 8 September 2002 |
 |
|
 |
Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Sel Lipi: Festival of Light Swasthi Shree! Thus says his sacred Majesty, the gracious Great King, glorious Chakravarthi, King of the Kings of Maya, Pihiti and Ruhuna, Mahoora of the Vanniala-aeththo and ruler of all lands from Yapapatuna to Sampanthota, including the great emporium of Colomb-thota: It has come to the notice of the Maha Vasala that the Gramani of Colomb-thota made a proclamation, that all the devas in the heavens were to be propitiated by a huge night-long 'aloka pooja' (sacrificial offering of light). With this pious intention, he called upon all the denizens of that metropolis to come and participate in this holy ritual, and the assembly hall of the fair city was duly illumined by a myriad lamps, like a Vesak Pandol. Unfortunately, while this Festival of Light was taking place in the very centre of Colomb-thota, it seems that the yakkos who were driven out by the brilliance appear to have decided to take up residence in the rest of the island. Hence, a great stygian murk fell over the rest of the country, including other parts of Colomb-thota. It has come to the notice of the Maha Vasala that the citizenry affected by this immense pall of darkness were under the impression that the dark ages had returned. Apparently they were of the opinion that the Great Asian Brown Cloud, summoned up by the wrath of the devas at the destruction of the environment, had so increased the effects of the ongoing drought that the yakkos were able to cut the light again. And this, just months after Jayasooriya Manthri had vowed to banish the forces of darkness from the shores of this island for ever. Luckily, the patient, pious and peace-loving inhabitants of this fair land are not given to exhibitions of anger and hysteria. They did nothing more than intone slokas against the yakkos who had brought about their plight, both then and now. They did not take up cudgels and manna knives or take part in arcane rituals to destroy the yakkos. For it has come to the notice of the Maha Vasala that in the neighbouring realm of Malala-rata, from which come the Keralites, the people do not have such equanimity in the face of demons of light-deprivation. It is of course well known that Malala-rata is endowed with the ancient occultist rituals of Malayalee 'gurukam' (sorcery). The inhabitants of Malala-rata were informed by the light-depriving yakkos that they would have to make greater sacrifices, or their lamps would dim or go out entirely. The Malalas turned to their shamans and sorcerers, led by the dreaded 'ceepee-eye-em' gurunnanses, to exorcise these demons. By incantation of charms and performance of the arcane rites of 'hartal' and 'gherao', they imprisoned their tormentors within the latter's very dens. The ritualists could not be dislodged, even when the murakaara hevayas charged them, beat them with muguras and shot the dreaded 'rubber moonissam' at them. The light-depriving demons, cowed by the strength of the sorcery directed at them, reduced the sacrifices they demanded. The Maha Wasala is indeed pleased that the inhabitants of this fair island do not resort to such practices. In this dharma-dveepa, the people face their karma with stoicism; many are the palls of darkness that the citizenry have borne with fortitude in the past and many will they face in the future. Swasthi Shree! This rock edict is made on this day of Ravi of the month of Binara of the Year of the Saka Era 1929. - Gotabhaya. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
