History of the Pallavas of Kanchi c17: Appendix B. The Mahavamsa, Ch. XLVII
History of the Pallavas of Kanchi c17
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Appendix B. The Mahavamsa, Ch. XLVII
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AND when that King Hattha-daṭha II was dead Māṇavamma became king. (Who is this Māṇavamma?), what family came he from, and whose son was he, and how did he take possession of the kingdom? He was sprung from the race of Mahasammata, and inherited the great virtues of that line of princes. He was the son of Kassapa, who destroyed the Thuparama. And his queen was Sangha, the daughter of the Raja of Malaya. After he had obtained the hand of this princess in marriage he lived secretly with her in the northern country until it came to the ears of Hattha-daṭha, whereupon he went over to India and having made himself known to King Narasiha, he entered his service and with much labour found favour in the sight of that king. And when he saw that the king's friendship was unfeigned, he brought his wife also to India and lived there with her, ministering to the king by day and night and another king, Kaṇḍuveṭhi, with whom also he had found favour gave him such great possessions that it seemed as if the whole of that king's dominions had been granted to him; and while he was living in this way his wife Sangha bore him four sons and four daughters.
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And it happened one day as the king, Narasiha, was out on his elephant on pleasure attended by Māṇavamma, he became thirsty and drank of the water of a tender cocoanut sitting on his elephant and gave the nut (of which he had drunk with the water that was left therein) to Māṇavamma thinking him to be some other attendant. And Māṇavamma took the nut that was offered to him and communed thus with himself: ‘This king is a friend to me and, considered in its true light, what is there mean or degrading in eating the remnants of that which another had partaken? It can in no wise harm me, therefore, to drink this.’ Then he drank off the nut. Yes, so great are the efforts of exceeding prudent men who are resolved to overcome difficulties! And the king (happening at that moment to turn round) perceived the error he had made, and fearing (lest what he had done should grieve his friend, and desiring also to repair the wrong he had unwittingly done to him) seized the nut and himself drank off what had been left in it by his friend. In such manner do honourable men always conduct themselves.
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Thenceforth the king Narasiha placed Māṇavamma on an equal footing with himself, regarding food, and lodging, and honour and equipage.
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And while they were living there together, a king, Vallabha, came to make war against Narasiha. And the king Narasiha reflected within himself in this wise: ‘This man (Māṇavamma) has served me diligently by day and night, so that with my help he might obtain the kingdom which is his birthright. Wherefore if he should now follow me to the place of battle and lose his life in the field, his purpose, and my desire also to help him, would be of no avail.’ Therefore the king left Māṇavamma in the city, and went alone to the place of battle, and began to prepare for war against Vallabha. And (after his departure) Māṇavamma thought to himself: ‘It would advantage me no wise to survive the king if he should be slain in battle (as I would then be left without a friend and with none to help me). If such an event should happen, my friendship should have been formed in vain. For what purpose, besides, has the king treated me as an equal (unless he expected that I might be of service to him in difficulties)? Wherefore it is meet that I should follow the king to the place of battle, and join him in the field, and share either of defeat or victory, of life or of death, with my friend the king.’ And for this end he raised a large army, and having equipped it fully, he mounted on a noble elephant and set out for the place of battle, and showed himself before Narasiha. And king Narasiha was greatly delighted at the sight, and exclaimed with great emotion, ‘Surely, now know I the trust I had placed on him has been rightly placed,’
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And afterwards the forces of Māna as well as those of the king joined together, and crushed the army of Vallabha.
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And Māṇavamma displayed great valour in the field of battle, beating down the enemy on all sides like unto Narayana in the battle of the gods. And Narasiha was greatly pleased with the valour of Māṇavamma, and embraced him fondly, and exclaimed, ‘Of a truth thou hast been to me the giver of victory!’ And he returned thence to his own city and held a feast in honour of his victory, and rewarded the army of Māṇavamma with all the honours that were due. And in course of time the king thought thus within himself: ‘This my friend has left naught undone to prove his love for me; he is no longer my debtor. My debt to him must I now repay by what it is my duty to do, even though grateful men are hardly found who know the value of services done for them.’ He then assembled his officers together and spake to them in this wise: ‘You yourselves are witnesses of the deeds of valour done by my friend here. And now it is my duty to do for him that which will be a benefit unto him, remembering that to give help unto one who had given help in the past, is the duty of the righteous man.’ And when these words were said, all the ministers replied, ‘Whatsoever your majesty desireth, even that is our desire also.’
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And the king then granted unto Māṇavamma an army with all the equipage and material and all kinds of artificers, and gave him leave to proceed (to his country and gain for himself the sovereignty thereof). And when Māṇavamma was leaving the country together with his army, the king wept sore as if he had been separated from his own son.
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Māṇavamma then took ship and crossed the sea (with his army), and having made a fast voyage, landed at Lanka with his forces, and began to subdue the country (around).
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And when Dathopatissa heard of this invasion, he fled (from the capital); and Māṇavamma entered the city and took it, and tarried not to be crowned, but straightway closely pursued the fugitive king (taking with him only a small force). (But he was soon compelled to give up the pursuit, for) that portion of his Tamil army that he had left in the city deserted from him when false tidings were brought that he had been stricken with a serious illness. And Dathopatissa also, when he heard of this defection, raised a large army and prepared for war against Māṇavamma, who, when he saw that (save a few followers) his whole army had deserted from him, and that (if he should carry on the war with so small a force) his enemy might get a chance to triumph over his defeat and his death, resolved to return to India and persuade his friend to help him yet another time, by giving him an army to conquer the kingdom. Accordingly he returned to India, and showed himself again to his friend, Narasiha, and entered his service a second time, and having regained his favour, dwelt at her court until four kings had reigned in this island.
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And Narasiha thus thought within himself: ‘This my friend, who seeketh most resolutely after fame, hath now spent many years of his life in my service that so he might get back his kingdom. And lo! he will soon have grown old. How then can I now reign (in comfort) and see him (thus miserable). Assuredly I shall this time restore to him his kingdom by sending my army thither. Else what advantageth my life to me?’ Thereupon the king gathered his army together, and having equipped it well, gave Māṇavamma all things that he desired to have, and himself accompanied the army to the sea-coast where a mighty array of ships of burden, gaily ornamented, had been prepared for them. And when the king reached the harbour he gave orders to all his officers that they should embark and accompany Māṇavamma; but they all showed unwillingness to do so (without their king).
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And Narasiha, having pondered well over the matter, resolved on this stratagem. Keeping himself so that his army might not see him, he gave over to Māṇavamma all his retinue and insignia of royalty together with the ornaments with which he adorned his person, and sent him (secretly) on board the ship, bidding him take the royal drum the koṭṭha with him, and sound it from the deck of the vessel. And Māṇavamma did as he was directed; and the soldiers thinking that it was
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Appendix B
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the king (who was sounding the call), embarked, leaving him alone on land. Then Māṇava began his voyage with the army and all the material of war, which, with the ships in which they were borne, was like unto a city floating down the sea. And in due time reached the port and disembarked with the army. And after the men had been made to rest there for a few days, he began to fight, and took the northern country and subdued the inhabitants thereof, and then put himself at the head of his invincible army and marched against the city. And Pottha-kuṭṭha, having heard thereof, went forth with a large army to meet the enemy. And the two armies encountered each other like unto two seas that had burst their bounds. And, Māṇavamma clad himself in his armour, and led his men, mounted on his elephant; and he broke through the forces of Pottha-kuṭṭha and the king (Hattha-daṭṭha), and scattered them on all sides. And Hattha-daṭṭha, the king, as he was fleeing from the field of battle, was seized by some country people. And they cut off his head and brought it to Māṇavamma.
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And Pottha-kuṭṭha, who escaped from the field of battle, took refuge in Merukandara. And the lord of that country (from whom he sought protection), when he saw him (under his roof), communed thus within himself, ‘Yea, now for a long time has this man been my friend : how can I reject him, nor yet how can I keep clear of offence to my lord the king and to this my friend?’ And so (as he could not escape from this portion by reason of its hardship, he resolved to kill himself, and) ate of some poisoned cakes, so that he died. And when Pottha-kuṭṭha heard what had befallen his friend, he ate also of one of the cakes and died. Thus did the island fall into the hands of Māṇavamma, freed from dangerous foes that are like unto thorns.
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And Māṇavamma then lifted his parasol of sovereignty over the island, as if he thereby sheltered the inhabitants thereof from the afflictions which had rained on them. And the good deeds that he did were many in number and of great value. Who can enumerate them all one by one? And this great and renowned man built these buildings: the terraced house called Kappagama, Sepaṇṇi, Siriat Padhanarakha Vihāra, and the beautiful terraced house at Siri Sanghabodhi Vihāra. He covered also the roof of the house at Thuparama. And he built a terraced house at the Thuparama and gave it to the Pansukulika monks. He repaired also the old canopy on the top of the Cetiya and many buildings there that had gone to decay.