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Miracle on Vesak Night !(Star Night of the "Visakam")
DUTUGEMUNU’S
STATUE SPEAKS !
A miraculous happening occurred at the holy city of Anuradhapura last Vesak night. Nearly twenty-five witnesses who were present and who were stunned by what happened decided to hush it up. They took an oath that it should never be known to the rest of the country. However, one of them who happened to be carrying a tape recorder in his closed bag found to his amazement when he reached home that every word of what happened had been recorded in it without his knowledge. He was so awe-struck that he decided to hand over the entire tape to Daily Liar. The identity of our source will not be revealed for reasons of confidentiality. But we present to our readers the entire transcript.
Read on…
It all happened when about two hundred Sinhala Buddhist patriots under the leadership of Ven.Elle Gunawansa Thera decided to take an oath on Vesak night 2002 in front of the statue of the warrior king Dutugemunu at Anuradhapura. Having assembled at the holy city, they first held an “Adhistana Pooja” and then marched from the Sinha Kuluna (Lion Tower) to the Sri Maha Bodhi and Ruwanveli Seya. The Vesak Full Moon seemed to shine with extraordinary splendour that night as the party stood in respectful silence before the statue.
It was the Ven.Gunawansa Thera who addressed the statue. “Oh dear Prince Dutta Gamini, warrior-king, saviour of the Sinhala race, vanquisher of the Damilas , we the two hundred full-blooded Sinhala Buddhists assembled here before you have come here so that you, our dear Sinhala saviour, may witness the sacred oath we are about to take. We the two hundred who represent the millions of Sinhala patriots in this country do hereby resolve that we shall leave no stone unturned until –
1. The Sinhala race is protected from alien elements such as the Damila Tigers and the Norwegians.
2. Jaffna and the entire north is reoccupied by Sinhala men and women
3. The unitary constitution that the British rulers gave us in 1833 is preserved
4. Prabhakaran and his hordes are wiped out in battle.
5. Buddhism reigns supreme all over this land hallowed by the visit of the
Buddha.
These Oh King, is our Pancha Sheela. We beseech you to bless us and give us courage.
Tired by the long march, about twenty five of them decided to lie down there itself and go to sleep under the soothing light of the full moon. Ven.Gunawansa Thera and the rest had meanwhile left. It was some eerie sound that first startled those who were sleeping. It was close on midnight. The earth beneath them appeared to be shaking. Surely it could not be an earthquake? Sri Lanka had never known one in 2500 years? They then heard a voice, a strange voice. It seemed to be coming from nowhere. Astonished, they all sat up. There was no mistaking it, it was Dutugemunu’s statue that spoke!!! Miracle of miracles!! They stood up in utter disbelief, unable to believe their ears….
“My dear children”, said the statue, “it is two thousand years since I left this ground where you stand now. Haven’t you learnt anything at all these two thousand years? Are you such poor learners? “Dutta” means wicked. Who named me Dutta Gamini? Not the Damilas. You Sinhala Buddhists did. Of course you were right. I was wicked. My father was known as Kakkavanna Tissa, because he was as dark-skinned as the colour of a crow –( Kakka-Crow, Vanna-Colour) but he was a wise man, a man of Peace. He never wanted to grab another man’s land. When he told me:” Son, don’t go to fight the Damilas. The region on this side of the river (Mahaveli) is enough”. Do you remember what I did? Have you forgotten the Mahavamsa? The trouble with you, my children, is that you have a genius for forgetting the few good things said in the Mahavamsa and hang on to the many stupid things that are written there. What did I do to my father who gave me good advice? Thrice he forbade me, and thrice I stood my ground. Not only did I disobey him, but I also insulted him. I said: “If my father were a man, he would not speak thus: therefore shall he put this on”. And therewith I sent him a woman’s ornament. Wasn’t that wicked? That is why your Sinhala forefathers named me Dutthagamani.
“In your feelings of hatred for the Damilas, you had forgotten what your own Mahavamsa said about the Damila king Ellalan, whom you called Elara .Did he not rule the whole country for “forty four years, with even justice toward friend and foe, on occasions of disputes of law”? It was against this noble, just ruler that I went to war in order to pursue my grand ambition. I made the rivers turn red with the blood of thousands and thousands of human beings. I, a virile young man, challenged the aged Elara to single combat. How old was he then, seventy? Was that an act of courage? But I slew him. But, children, in the hour of victory, I became repentant. I myself organised the funeral rites of that great ruler. On the spot where Elara’s body was fallen, I had it placed in a catafalque, a decorated bier, and I lit the fire. And there did I build a monument and ordained worship. For nearly these two thousand years princes or people, passed this way in complete silence. But what did your recent foolish politicians and archaelogists do. In the hatred in their hearts they obliterated all signs of this monument, the very monument, I, Dutugemunu caused to be built. Having defied me, why do you keep invoking my name for your own politics of hatred? Two thousand years after my death, today, I am not the same Dutugemunu you think I am. You are in for a big surprise, my children. A very big surprise!
The twenty five witnesses to these miraculous words held their breath and stood in dazed silence. Were they dreaming? It cannot be. The Vesak moon continued to bathe the statue in a strange ethereal light. The statue continued to speak –
“A man’s life, dear children, is only a single footprint on the sands of time. Once he is released from a corporeal world, he moves on to another. In our Buddhist belief of samsara, only a few can become arahats and be released from future births. Sinners like me who caused the “destruction of millions (of beings”) as your Mahavamsa says, and helped to promote hatred against the Damilas are destined to be born and born again and again. Within these two thousand years I have gone through repeated births and deaths, as humans, as animals, as vermin,…… Now I have taken human birth again. Do you know, my children, I am now living among you…..
At this, an overpowering sense of shock seized many of the listeners, and some of them lost consciousness. The few who were able to keep their senses continued to listen.
“It does not surprise me that some of you are unable to contain your emotions. You, who call yourselves true Buddhists and Sinhala patriots are mistaken in your beliefs. You do not understand Buddhism and you do not even realise that Tamil blood flows in your veins. Does that surprise you? You have been living in a state of self-deception, my dear children. I am born here now for the purpose of taking the blinkers off your eyes…You may see in me only a statue, but do you know that I am now a human being living in this Dhammadeepa of yours and whose name is known to all of you….
Hearing these words, one of the listeners could not contain himself any longer. “Oh dear king, tell us, tell us who you are”, he shouted at the statue.
“Be patient, dear son. I have been living here in your Sri Lanka for two score and eight years now. You know me, of course you know me. My name is Prabhakaran. Velupillai Prabhakaran……..
The next morning, some tourists who happened to be visiting Anuradhapura saw a strange sight. About twenty-five men looking dazed, lay stretched at the foot of Dutugemunu’s statue. All of them seemed to have lost their power of speech. Fist aid was quickly summoned, but no sooner they were revived they hurried away from the spot and were seen getting into an excited huddle. One of them was seen carrying a travel bag which contained a tape recorder …
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