English
" Then that man said, "Having driven away the former king, a king named Goṭhābhaya, having established himself on the throne, is having a drum paraded in the city, saying, 'Whoever brings the head of King Sirisaṅghabodhi, to him a thousand will be given as a reward.'" Immediately upon hearing his words, with a heart filled with joy and delight, "Now, by giving a head worth a thousand, a return will have been made to him. Because of the internal gift, the perfection of giving will have reached its peak. And this body— Not even a rotten areca nut, Are heads of those who crave life worth; But my head is fit for enlightenment, And for the gain of wealth for the needy. Moreover, Like a reed stalk, causing pain, Of a rotten, decaying body; Having endured suffering, constant care, I will make it fruitful by applying it to a worthy purpose"— Thinking thus, having made a firm resolve, he said, "Good sir, I am King Sirisaṅghabodhi. Take my head and go and show it to the king." Hearing that, he said, "O king, I will not commit such a great sin; I am afraid." 95. Then the king said, "Do not fear; for the sake of gaining a thousand coins, I myself will assist you. Only follow the procedure I tell you." Having said this, and since he could not obtain a weapon to cut off his head, due to the greed for a thousand coins, he thought, "By the power of my determination to Dhamma, I will separate my head from the body and show it." Having firmly tied himself to the couch, and having made a joyful wish, "May this giving of my head be a condition for the attainment of omniscience," he summoned that man to his presence. That additional man, thinking, "Having taken a head given in a deed never seen or heard before, difficult to do, and having gone to Anuradhapura, to whom shall I show it? Who will believe it?" Then Goṭhābhaya, having instructed him on the procedure, "If he believes it, I will be a witness and give you a thousand. You must do this there," and having said, "Come, good man, stand near me," and having joined his palms in reverence, uniting both sides, and having stretched out his arms, and having properly placed the stalks of blue lotuses resembling sapphires on both sides, straightening them, and having marked the joint of the head with a line of water using a water strainer, and having firmly grasped the topknot with his own right fist, resolving, "Until I take my head and place it in the hand of the additional man, may the force of my mental action and the element of air flow uninterrupted," he lifted the topknot upwards. At that very moment, the bond of the head became loose, and with the stream of blood flowing, it fell into the palm of the additional man, still held by his right fist. At that very moment, the deities dwelling in the forest, filled with cries of "Sadhu!" caused a rain of flowers to fall and took charge of the protection of the head. 96. In the field of the additional man's hand, mixed with a mass of blood, Born of a noble seed, the head; May this perfection of giving, Ripen into omniscience, delighting all beings. 97. Then that merchant adorned the head with fragrant forest flowers, placed it in a casket of pugakuhulikā, and went with swift speed to Anuradhapura to show it to Goṭhābhaya, who, seeing it, was unable to recognize it and stood in doubt. Then the merchant, remembering the procedure spoken by the king, took the head, threw it into the air, and, raising his joined hands, looking up to the sky, entreated, "Lord! King Sirisaṅghabodhi! Be thou my witness here!" Then that head, possessed by deities, having found a footing in the unsupported sky, faced Goṭhābhaya. 98. "I, King Sirisaṅghabodhi, a true friend, Am with generous mind by the giving of my head; May you, O King, with royal fortune and happiness, Receive a thousandfold merit for this act," it said. 99. Hearing that, Goṭhābhaya, with his ministers, his heart trembling, prepared a lion throne, had a white umbrella raised above it, and entreated, "Come down here, O Lord!" Having worshiped with various offerings the head that descended there, and having apologized with reverence, he had the cremation performed with great pomp, rewarded the undertaker with a thousand kahāpaṇas, and sent him away. Thus ends the eighth chapter on the giving of oneself. 100. Queen Mahesī of King Sirisaṅghabodhi, knowing of the king's flight, thinking, "I too will follow him," left through the southern gate in disguise, and, not knowing the way, abandoning the direct path, entering various villages, and not seeing her husband, unable to cook due to fear and weariness, thinking, "I will go to the Malaya country," going by a winding path, unable to go quickly due to her delicacy, spending time, hearing of the king's giving of his head in a village near that forest hermitage, "Wretched me, I did not even get to see him!" her heart filled with sorrow, she went to that very place. Climbing the forest thicket, searching for her husband's body, asking the people in nearby villages, wandering here and there, because the agreed signal was not given, nearby villagers, children, cowherds, wood gatherers, and women, hearing her lament, with trembling hearts, wandering with her. She, like one struck by lightning, seeing on the ground a well-flowered, spotless sandy thicket, falling there, rolling on the ground, made a most piteous lament, that place is still called "the widow's wail." Spending that night there in great weeping and lamentation, again, during the day, wandering here and there, being burned by the great fire of sorrow, unable to endure the torment, falling into a small pond, and sinking down, in a swoon, for two or three moments, regaining consciousness, she quenched her burning pain, that place even now has obtained the name "Nibbana Pond." Rising up from there, searching every piece of ground, every tree, every rock surface, near a tavern, seeing the dry, headless trunk lying, untouched by jackals and other creatures, due to the power of the deity, with a heart broken by the force of grief, embracing it very tightly, she lay down, then, due to weakness, the difficulty of the journey, and the blows to the body from falling here and there, her form fading, at the same moment, she died. The villagers nearby, gathering together, "The bodies of the king, who was consecrated by sprinkling on the head, and the queen, are not fit for us to touch, nor is it proper to perform the cremation rites without informing the present king," agreeing thus, to protect from rain and sun, they made a hut, and to prevent the entry of animals, they made a fence, and departed. Goṭhābhaya, remembering the extraordinary qualities of Sirisaṅghabodhi, the king, from his youth onward, his devotion to the Three Jewels, his constant observance of morality, his discernment of the Buddha's teachings, his skill in all the arts, Whose kingdom was made worthless, Whose generosity was like a torrent, Who subdued ogres and performed difficult deeds. His name does not bring joy to a conscious mind, Especially, "To give one's head with one's own hand For the sake of a poor beggar's thousand coins, To lift the head from the throat, To keep the head suspended in empty space, And to announce this intention with clear and meaningful words Is amazing, wonderful, unprecedented, and unheard of. Such pure conduct will not long endure With my great crime-stained self. Alas, I will be condemned by the virtuous With such a long-lasting, infamous reputation. Especially, having seized the kingdom And ordered the execution Of such a great and faultless man, Who was always a true friend, I will surely be enveloped by the treachery of friends." Thinking thus, terrified by fear, Sweating profusely, trembling, He pondered how he could escape such great evil. 105. Then it occurred to him That a great and excellent meritorious deed Should be done as atonement for that punishment. Then, having convened his ministers And consulted with them, Having made a decision, And being instructed by the great Saṅgha, He went with a large army And had a camp established not far from that forest retreat. Then, going himself to the meritorious place That had witnessed the difficult giving of that great man, And discerning a suitable place near the charnel ground, Displaying his royal power, He had a pyre site decorated like a city of the gods. Having built a tall pyre Entirely of great sandalwood, And having artisans fashion a head-shaped likeness Of the king's head, complete with throat, From gold of the Jambū River, And having assembled it in the form of a headless torso, Having adorned it with a golden crown Resplendent with various jewels, And having adorned the queen in the same way, He covered them both With costly cloths like bark garments, And with various jewels. Having placed him on a golden bed adorned with jewels, And placing sandalwood paste on his head, And lighting a pure flame, Surrounded by many princes, He himself stood there, Sprinkling with hundreds of pots of ghee, He made a great cremation festival. 106. Likewise, on the second day, Having extinguished the cremation with a great crowd, Thinking that it is fitting to build a shrine in a circular shape in that place, And addressing the ministers, "Now, building a very large, multi-storied, golden circular house Is not feasible due to lack of income and concessions, And robbers also destroy it out of greed for gold, Therefore, it is proper to quickly build a circular house and a shrine That is not made of metal, easy to maintain, and of appropriate size," And consulting, having appointed a large army, According to the stated rule, having built a two-storied circular building, And inside it, having built a shrine worthy of worship, containing relics of the Buddha, On a festive day, showing it to the great Sangha, "Venerable sirs, this King Sirisanghabodhi Formerly ruled the island of Lanka under one umbrella,