Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

26 September  2019

Truth to Truth; Elephant to Elephant

On 15 August I wrote as follows, under the heading - ‘UNP Blessed in Northern Sri Lanka’

[I was happy that I was able to find a place in the front row to mentally participate in the poojah/altar ceremony at Nallur temple, in Northern Sri Lanka. All priests were in black veshti with gold border. Nallur Murugan is known as Alangkara (decorative) Kanthan. We had to make way for the vehicles carrying the Lord. Each day there is a different vehicle. When I noted yesterday's  my mind said ‘Oh! Yaanai/Elephant’ . I really melted because I was happy that UNP Government ministers were in Jaffna in support of Development work. To me it was no coincidence that they were staying at the same hotel as I – North Gate by Jetwing. This happened in February this year also.

Yesterday was more special because it was elephant vehicle. As per my realization the vehicles are the opposite of divine qualities personified inside the altar.  Lord Murugan personifies beauty without any ego. His usual vehicle – the Peacock personifies pride  - as in proud as a peacock. Yesterday the elephant – the most intellectual of all animals – became the vehicle of Lord Muruga who preached to His father at Swami Malai/Hill. The symbol of United National Party (UNP) is also the elephant. It could not have been planned and to me – a believer in both – Nallur Murugan and true Good Governance – it was no coincidence but auspicious commonness.

…… It was also full moon Poya day where in Kandy – Buddhists were celebrating Randoli Perehera which is presented by Wikipedia as follows:

[The Randoli Perahera begins after five nights of the Kumbal Perahera. Randoli refers to palanquins on which the Queens of the ruling Kings traditionally traveled]]

This morning I read at ndtv.com the article headed ‘This Elephant Has 24X7 Security Escort When He Moves’.

If we believe in the divinity of another – including an animal – they give us messages from within. To Hindus – the elephant is part of Lord Ganesh – the elephant faced deity. I did not learn Hinduism in any school. But through my family heritage – especially my father – I believed. I was blessed by Saint Yoga Swami when I was born in Jaffna. Such heritage became stronger when I practised with faith. But from time to time I did not know whether that was true or not. My time I was at the University of NSW was one such time. But that was also when I started having realisations during the early hours of the morning. Now I realise that I needed that deep pain to feel the common problem of my environment. In Australia it was racial discrimination as per my belief and I needed to experience the depth of it as if I were causing it and I were the victim. That is when Transformation happens. When expressed by the owner / discoverer it becomes a structured solution to all true seekers.

Back then not many academics came forward to express support. But many indirectly expressed identity with my pain and my  courage in pursuing the non-violent pathway. Later I realized that this true identity – merged within me to empower me. To me that is a true vote. The external vote would help us win position in democracy. But it is the inner vote that renders soul power – which works to deliver the outcomes we seek and have earned through our belief.

One of the ‘realizations’ was the reason why different animal forms were in front of the deities – outside the altar. They were the opposites by gunas / characteristics of the deities inside the altar. The one outside Ganesh shrine is the mouse. The elephant is the most intellectual of all animals. The mouse is the least and therefore does as it is ‘told’ . I concluded that the Ganesh-mouse is the parallel of today’s computer-mouse relationship.

As indicated by the headlines in relation to Raja – the king/ruler - needs armed power to protect. The article ends as follows:

[Many rich Sri Lankans keep elephants as pets, but there have been numerous complaints of ill-treatment and cruelty. ]

This was highlighted in the article as follows:

[However, animal rights campaigners say captive elephants are often maltreated.

On Tuesday an emaciated 70-year-old elephant called Tikiri died, weeks after attending the Esala festival.]

It is to keep such ill-treatments to a minimum that Hindus have included animals in their ceremonials in worshipping god. On 28 November 2015, Economy Next reported as follows in relation to Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa:

[In January 2012, three rings flew off when he tried to garland a bull at Temple Trees to mark the Mattu Pongal festival. ]

Maattu Pongal is thanksgiving to the cow and is celebrated on the day after the harvest festival as thanksgiving to the Sun.

Given that majority Tamils are Hindus, the cow would reject a ruler who failed to include Hindus in himself when disciplining the wrong-doers. Instead they were treated as heirs of ‘foreign’ invaders. One who lacks belief in the other – does not have the moral authority to punish.

It is for this reason that I am very particular with junior castes who disrespect me. If I hurt – they hurt themselves. Due processes set by me – are to be strictly followed if they are to be empowered naturally by my truth. I may include them in the belief of their sovereignty but if they try to ‘possess’ and claim ownership – as some tend to do when they think I am not watching – the outcome drops to their standards.

The warning for the UNP – that carries the Elephant as its symbol – is whether it is used as a vehicle outside the altar or as the intellectual power inside the altar. Hence the question Raja the King or Gaja the Intellectual leader?

Storyful.com reported as follows on the warning came on 09 September 2019:

[At least 17 people were injured when two elephants went on a rampage during the annual Kotte Perahera parade in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Sri Lanka, on Saturday, September 7, according to Sri Lanka’s Hiru News.

Video shared on social media shows the elephants, festooned in parade regalia, escaping from their handlers and racing through the streets.

The parade is held in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte every year to honour the Sacred Relic of the tooth of the Buddha, and was first held in 1415, according to The Island Online.]

According to the Island article :

[The Dalada Perahera has a long history. It dates back to the time it was brought to Sri Lanka during the reign of King Kithsiri Mewan also known as Kirthi Sri Meghawanna (303-331) who is the grandson of Gotabhaya and son of Mahasen the builder of the Minneriya tank who is worshipped as "Minneriya Deiyo."]

Mr Gotabhaya Rajapaksa – if he becomes President would be heir of the King Gotabhaya whose special characters are highlighted as follows:

[King Sirisangabo - 242 AD - 244 AD

Then a great king became a ruler of the country named Sirisangabo. He flew away to the forest after the arrival of king "Gotabhaya" (244 AD - 257 AD). King Gotabhaya took the crown from king Sirisangabo and he ordered to take the head of king Sirisangabo who was living in the forest, to verify that he is dead. Then people began to cut off so many heads and take them to the king pretending as the head of Sirisangabo. After hearing this, king Sirisangabo cut his own neck and told a farmer to take it to the king Gotabhaya. He is considered as the future Buddha and he full filed the "Dana Paramitha" by this . Then king Gotabhaya built a temple at this place and it is Aththanagalla Viharaya.] https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/sri-lanka/history-anuradhapura.htm

The article continues to confirm as to how Theravada Buddhism – the Buddhism that is practiced in Sri Lanka – was overridden by Mahayana Buddhism during King Gotabhaya’s reign:

[King Gotabhayas two sons "Detutissa" and "Mahasen" had a Mahayana monk called "Sangamithra" as their teacher and that monk was against Theravada Buddhism. Therefore he taught Mahayana Buddhism to little princes against Theravada Buddhism. After king Gotabhayas death, his elder son "Detutissa" (257 AD - 276 AD) and during his reign monk Sangamithra left Sri Lanka and lived in India hoping to come back in prince Mahasens reign.]

The day before the elephants protested in the parade – Mr Gotabhaya Rajapaksa delivered his ‘Economic Plans’ at the Viyathmaga Annual Convention-2019 was held at the Shangri-La hotel in Colombo .

As per the Island article mentioned above:

[The Sacred Tooth Relic is intimately woven with the history of Sri Lanka. It is said that when there was a drought during King Upatissa’s reign in 370 A.D. he led a procession with a gold image of Lord Buddha, the bowl relics and the Sacred Tooth Relic and that it brought rain ending a severe drought.]

In contrast – the thirdpole.net reported as follows last year about China’s takeover of Hambantota port:

[“According to the records of the Department of Wildlife Conservation there are more than 400 elephants roaming in the Managed Elephant Range and those moving between the parks also use this area on a regular basis,” the report states adding that animals roam as much as 25 kilometres a day. Between 15-20% of the island’s elephant population could live in the project area, the department estimates.

The airport was also built on elephant habitat, and wildlife officials in Hambantota are frequently called up to chase the pachyderms off the runway………………….

Four of the locations have already experienced landslides along with one other location that was not identified as being in danger. In May 2017, large areas of the highway were flooded during high monsoon rains. One of the lasting images of the floods was the southern exit of the highway with its semi-circular arch half submerged.

“We have never experienced any such thing in this area. The flood waters used to flow downstream to the west in the past. The highway looked as if it was blocking the waters,” said Indrarathne Abeysinghe, who lives near the exit point.]

Then there was also the following Daily Mirror report about the warning in Hambantota:

[A straw thatched hut built at the dancing zone of the Hambantota Resort and Spa owned by Shangri-La’s Five Star Hotel Company caught fire during a firework event after it was opened by President Maithripala Sirisena today.]

These clearly confirm that the ancestral powers of the throne are currently upset with Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The powers of the Tooth Relic would work only for a true leader who values her/his ancestral heritage.

Those who are intellectually driven contribute to leadership power each time they discover the truth in higher common form. The Constitution in essence represents this contribution by law makers. In a Constitution that carries ‘Buddhism Foremost’ clause – Hinduism is a junior as per that intelligence of majority law-makers. To balance it – Hindus, Christians and Muslims need to make the law in the provinces where they are in majority. That would save Sri Lanka from dividing itself further and further. SLFP and SLPP under the Rajapaksas divided for this reason. UNP was saved by the power of their ancestors. If UNP looks for quick and easy outcomes without paying respects to their elders – UNP also would divide and Sri Lanka would become a multicultural jungle where each tribe controls power.

If Buddhists do not have the courage to repeal Buddhism foremost clause – they have to devolve that part of the power – so that each state would make its own parallel. It’s a pity that Mr Wigneswaran who had that opportunity did not do that in Northern Province. To chant Hindu mantras to Common Tamils is the parallel of Buddhist priests chanting Pirith in Colombo Parliament. To diffuse the power of ‘Buddhism Foremost’ ‘Hinduism Foremost’ needs to prevail as a parallel but not activated. It must confirm the intellectual power of the group that discovered that Equal power Equation.

Tamil Politicians declared their Equal Rights to self-determination through Vaddukoddai Resolution and this was followed by the 1977 Equal status in National Parliament – due to the above Equation. Then the armed militants wanted to ‘possess’ and ruined it all.

If Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa becomes president – he – like Raja the elephant  will need armed protection. If  Sajith Premadasa becomes president – AND he respects the contribution to UNP – starting with the Hon D S Senanayake – Gaja (meaning elephant) will carry wisdom through intellectual pathway as the Leadership power. Those who believe in that pathway will not fear the elephant nor hurt the elephant. They would respect and facilitate intellectual leadership. Whoever truly believes that Jaffna is part of their home – will be blessed by such power. Then any decision made by such a leader would also be the solution Tamils need.

The power of Belief is Absolute and is above majority power. It would invoke ancestral powers to diffuse majority power.