Sansaaraaranyaye Dadayakkaraya

By Simon Mayagaththegama
Translated by Malinda Seneviratne

Chapter1 (Part 9)
Ancient stories

Six years later, the Hamuduruwo addressed the hunter thus: ‘You’ve lived with me all these years, attending to my needs with utmost loyalty. I wish to bequeath to you a certain gift. Look at this vast jungle. I’ve lived many years and beyond the lifetimes of many generations, consuming its countless blessings. I now bequeath it all to you.’

The Hamuduruwo led his acolyte to his den. Just above the mouth of this cave, inscribed upon the rock, were some distinct characters. The Hamuduruwo read it out aloud. Then he turned towards the acolyte.

‘This rocky mountain and all the caves it contains, the limits visible and unseen in all directions that the gaze travels from its highest point, have been gifted to the Sangha, those who came before and those who will later arrive. I am the last to find residence here. In the absence of the Sangha, the rights pass on to the upasakas and then the upasikas, the laity that once attended upon the Sangha. Among all those who arrived from the four directions you are the most senior upasaka, the most senior of the laity. You are also the most senior dayaka, the most senior of the attendents. Therefore and in accordance with worldly decree this moment I bequeath this rock and the jungle that surrounds it to you, from now until the sun and moon ceases to exist. Furthermore, the tree spirit resident in this Esatu Tree will bear witness to the matter of bequeathing this vast fortune that stretches beyond the wide arc of vision.

Golu Puncha failed to comprehend even an iota of what the Hamuduruwo said. Nevertheless, that night, instead of laying his head down to sleep, Golu Puncha kept his ears alert and open to the endless whines, cries of despair, joy and pain of all the many creatures, those who were hoofed and those that slithered, those visible and those hidden, all of whose lives he now held tenure over.

The monumental task of protecting all these lives had now devolved upon him. For a long, long time after being conferred authority over that great mass of wealth that lay hidden in the extremely mysterious and impenetrable dark density of jungle the hunter was shunned by restful sleep. It was as though he had acquired the attributes of his fellow jungle creatures, for he developed the faculty of being alert to all things under his newly conferred supervisory role, both in slumber and in his awakeful hours.

Golu Puncha began descending the rock once again sometime in the afternoon of the following day. He was surprised to find the tree spirit, having climbed down from his abode in the Esatu Tree, sitting by the pond. Beside him lay the Naga King and his consort, basking in the sun and whispering among themselves. The Naga Lady looked at him with some interest. The Naga King turned, to ascertain what the object of her gaze was. The tree spirit was heard saying something to the Naga King. Thereafter the two came up to Golu Puncha. The Tree Spirit spoke to him.

‘There is a certain secret that this Naga King has protected until this time. It is his wish to reveal it to you.’

The Tree Spirit then walked towards the rock. The Naga King followed him. Golu Puncha went after them, making his way, one heavy footstep after the other.

The two in the lead climbed upon a rocky ledge behind the cave temple. Carved on this rock was the sign of a crow’s foot. Carved too were seven arrow signs spreading out in seven directions from this crow-foot sign. The Tree Spirit stood on this spot and spake thus:

‘It was not out of some disappointment or disillusions about you O Giant that I disappeared immediately after performing the water-cutting ceremony mid-stream in the Mee Oya, that river marking the boundary of this jungle. That is my poor fate, nothing else. That was in fact our poor fate, yours and mine. And yet, you are a bigger creature than I. I am poorer than you. You, at least, were conferred the rights to this jungle and other material endowments by the Hamuduruwo.

If one day the Hamuduruwo obtains Enlightenment, that day I will even lose the abode I now possess upon the branches of the Esatu tree. This is why you, a human being, is bigger giant than I am. Don’t believe me. Go with the Naga King. I will wait here until you return. Unless you return I will have no future that I can say is mine and mine alone.’

The giant then turned his gaze upon the Naga King. He felt sorry for the Tree Spirit. He did not know what they should do nor what ought to be understood before doing anything. For this reason he cast his eyes upon the large opening in the rock into which the Naga King had disappeared and waited until he reappeared, bringing with him a creature belonging to an extremely strange looking species.

Someone came up to him, bowed low in veneration and spoke thus: ‘I am the Bahirawaya who protects the treasures hidden here and I bow low in respect to you O Giant. ‘ Puncha the Giant looked at him without comprehension or surprise. Fortunately he noticed the familiar Naga King near the Bahirawaya. For this reason he trusted the Bahirawaya.

The Bahirawaya continued: ‘I am the Bahirawaya who protects the treasures hidden behind the cave temple. This Naga King protect me, the Bahirawaya who protects the treasure.

Therefore, heeding the word of the Tree Spirit, please come with us so we can show you the treasure. This treasure now belongs to you and we who protect it are now beholden to you, since the Hamuduruwo bequeathed his inheritence to you with this Tree Spirit as witness.’