Topic started by Nisala (@ aca38cd9.ipt.aol.com) on Fri Feb 14 22:47:57 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

I got a great story to tell you all for Valentine's Day. It's a story out of Buddhism, translated from the Pali, or Sanskrit (for your convenience):


Ananda, the favorite disciple of the Buddha,
having been sent by the Lord on a mission,
passed by a well near a village,
and seeing Pakati, a girl of the Matanga caste,
he asked her for water to drink. [1]

Pakati said:
"O Brahman, I am too humble and mean
to give thee water to drink,
do not ask any service of me
lest thy holiness be contaminated,
for I am of low caste." [2]

And Ananda replied:
"I ask not for caste but for water;"
and the Matanga's girl's heart leaped joyfully
and she gave Ananda to drink. [3]

Ananda thanked her and went away;
but she followed him at a distance. [4]

Having heard that Ananda was a disciple of Gotama Sakyamuni,
the girl repaired to the Blessed One:
"O Lord help me, and let me live in the place
where Ananda thy disciple dwells,
so that I may see him and minister unto him,
for I love Ananda." [5]

And the Blessed One understood
the emotions of her heart and he said:
"Pakati, thy heart is full of love,
but thou understandest not thine own sentiments.
It is not Ananda that thou lovest, but his kindness.
Accept, then, the kindness thou hast seen him practise unto thee,
and in the humility of thy station practice it unto others. [6]

"Verily there is great merit in the generosity of a king
when he ignores the wrongs which he suffers
and cherishes kindness and good-will to all mankind.
He will cease to hate his oppressors,
and even when powerless to resist their usurpation
will with compassion pity their arrogance and supercilious demeanour. [7]

"Blessed art thou, Pakati,
for though thou art a Matanga
thou wilt be a model for noblemen and noblewomen.
Thou art of low caste, but Brahmans may learn a lesson from thee.
Swerve not from the path of justice and righteousness
and thou wilt outshine the royal glory of queens on the throne." [8]

Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: Santa Claus (@ crc-cache1.jaring.my) on: Mon Feb 17 20:56:05
  
  If you want to believe in myths, how about this one?
  
  Original inhabitants of Sri Lanka was Aryans. Ravanan was an Aryan who kidnapped another Aryan Seetha. Rama then went to Seetha's rescue from Ayodhya to Srilanka. Along the way he met the Tamils (originally described as short, dark hairy people which evolved to become monkeys) befriended Hanuman, yet another Tamil and entered SriLanka and defeated the Aryans there. The Aryans in Srilanka were driven South and the Tamils occupied the northern island.
  
  Sounds possible?
  
  
• From: Nisala (@ ac8352e1.ipt.aol.com) on: Tue Feb 18 12:06:14
  
  Dear Santa Claus,
  
  If you want to believe in myths, how about this one?
  
  
  I had hoped we would talk about luw (Indian love) in this thread. If you want to talk about Ryans and Dravidians, why not go to tnhistory?
  
  
• From: Nisala (@ ac8352e1.ipt.aol.com) on: Tue Feb 18 12:12:38
  
  Dear De Alwis Malli,
  
  
  I thought we had seen the last of you. I was so happy with that thought that I created this thread about luw. Unfortunately you have returned but there is hope. This thread is about Valentine's Day and Luw not about Mahavamsa or Sinhala race.
  
  "Is it Tamil Nisala or Sinhala Nisala"
  
  
  Well that would depend. If you are Sinhalese then I would be proud to identify myself as Tamil just to be on your opposite side. However I really think you are an Eelam terrorist pretending to be Sinhala based on the rubbish you wrote here and elsewhere and your ignorance of Sinhala history.
  
  If you cease discussions about Sri Lanka and your race theories in this thread, then I will leave you alone.
  
  
• From: TamilNattan (@ cvg-65-27-251-73.cinci.rr.com) on: Tue Feb 18 12:31:25
  
  Nisala,
  
  Did you see my story about the monks?
  
  
• From: neo_morpheus (@ ppp-219.65.112.189.chn.vsnl.net.in) on: Tue Feb 18 13:44:57
  
  Oh Nisala 'the brave and learned'!
  
  Why are you refraining from giving youe esteemed responses to De Alwis on his valid points?!!!
  
  >> However I really think you are an Eelam terrorist pretending to be Sinhala based on the rubbish you wrote here and elsewhere and your ignorance of Sinhala history. <<
  
  Pretty pleasant and decent and insightful! punnahai may note this point down!
  
  
  >> If you cease discussions about Sri Lanka and your race theories in this thread, then I will leave you alone. <<
  
  Your frustration is pretty understandable!. However, for those who unabashedly practice digression wherever they go this is qhite unfair!. Maybe you should gulp down some of the medication that you prescribe to others with scholarly scorn!.
  
  >> If you are Sinhalese then I would be proud to identify myself as Tamil just to be on your opposite side. <<
  
  Oh no! We are Thamizh Racists; then you'd be proud to identify yourselves as an 'Aryan Sinhala Butcher!' wouldn't you??!!!
  
  
  Comeone Nisala! you could come out firing on all cylinders demolishing all en route. You could do that alone, or you could seek some help from your pack of 'holy Aryan' brothers from the TN history section!
  
  Let the games begin!
  
  
  
  
  
• From: De Alwis (@ webwarper.expr.net) on: Tue Feb 18 14:41:38
  
  Nisala the Somali,
  
  If we had had enough of you in our government, there would be not 1, but 2 Eelams. It's only the nationalist politicians - Cyril Matthew, Jayawardene - who have saved the country.
  
  "However I really think you are an Eelam terrorist pretending to be Sinhala based on the rubbish you wrote here and elsewhere and your ignorance of Sinhala history."
  
  So anyone who disagrees with you is automatically an Eelam terrorist. Clearly, your "good-will" towards the Tamils has its limits.
  
  Rubbish? I won on all points. Unfortunately, it became a hassle to search for points worth responding to, amongst all the name-calling.
  
  You're knowledge of Sinhalese history is distorted - any website on the origins of the Sinhalese explicitly states their North Indian origins.
  
  

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