Myths & Samsara

005 | The Coming of Vijaya

We're back to Vijaya this week. Listen to the chronicle written over 1500 years after his time. What was so special about this king that the Buddhist priests would chronicle not only his ancestry but his odyssey and subsequent colonization of Sri Lanka?

D.M. De Alwis

13 May 2025 — 3 min read

005 | The Coming of Vijaya | Reading of Chapter VI of the Mahavamsa

This episode is a reading of The Coming of Vijaya from Chapter VI of the Mahavamsa, the second-earliest chronicle of Sri Lanka. This is the second version of the story of Prince Vijaya—his banishment and journey from the Indian subcontinent and his arrival to the Island of Lanka.

The first version can be found in Myths & Samsara, Episode 2 | Vijaya's Story | Reading of Book IX of the Dipavamsa.

This version was translated into English by Wilhelm Geiger, PhD, with assistance from Mabel Haynes Bode. Comissioned by the Pali Text Society in 1912 and titled The Mahavamsa or The Great Chronicle of Ceylon. The digitized copy can be found online.

The Dipavamsa is the earliest attempt to write a Chronicle of the Sāsana and the Kings of Sri Lanka, from earliest times up to the 5th c. A.D (1000 years after the events). The Mahavamsa is believed to have been recorded between 1000 and 1250 A.D (1500 years after the events).

This is an English reading. The language is cumbersome. My bias is to suspect both the translator of Western bias and the priesthood authors of the Mahavamsa of bias towards the reigning monarchs of the time, who wished their rule to be mandated by the existing Buddhist chronicles and their 'long-standing' relationship with the Indian mainland.

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Maybe I'm a bigger fan of the Dipavamsa because it is said to have been written down by an order of Buddhist nuns, 1000 years after the events. The Mahavamsa was recorded later, after a line of Kings descending from the 'Sihala' colonizers was established.

For the earlier version, here is my recitation of the Pali and English.

So what does this version focus on?

Emphasis on Vijaya's ancestry being based in the Vanga Kingdom, known to be a prominent area of the Indian mainland.
Emphasis on a supernatural origin story involving a lion and an amorous princess who sought a life independent of her family.
Twin children, and the inheritance of supernatural abilities.
The betrayal of the son, killing his lion father for money and a kingdom. He had thrice tried to kill his father. When his father showed his animalistic wrath did he die.
The position of women who are at the whim of the decisions of their sons and brothers.
Emphasis on the mother's second husband being a commander of an army.
Incest! Brother-Sister, Nephew-Aunt
Fear of the lion who held affection for his children.
Creation of a city called Sihapura in the kingdom of Lala.
Extreme childbearing of 16 pairs of twins born to the brother and sister!
The mob against the first born child, Vijaya.
The king has Vijaya and his followers shave half of their heads as a sign that they are no better than slaves. They are expelled from the king's land with segregation of men, women, and children, on three ships.
What happened to the wives and children after they landed on their island? They will not be mentioned ever again.
Vijaya and his men land on an island where they are chased off by the people for their ill behaviour. Thereafter, they land on the shores of Lanka.

So many questions arise. Why focus on these details in particular? Were the women and children happy to be left behind by the men? How long did this odyssey take? If they are diminished in rank, then why do they continue to do bad things? Why at the beginning of the next chapter is Vijaya blessed by the gods if he is such a bad person?

We'll continue this story in a week, subscribe to hear the next podcast - 006 | The Consecrating of Vijaya.