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PILGRIMAGE TO LANKA 69

« We called for Burmese monks
And Thai monks to revive the Buddhist texts.
We learnt the Dhamma, such as in Bangkok. »
This was said to us by the governor and I noted it. (Verse 142)

The Venerable Gruba Seng expressed the desire to visit the footprint of the

Buddha which was seventy-five miles away. The governor, who had faith in Buddhism,
put a coach at their disposal. The trip lasted five hours and the monks reached the foot
of the cliff :

We had to climb up the hill.
Our heart was flinched as we had to hold on to a steel rope.
If we lost our grip, we would fall
And our bodies would likely disappear forever. (Verse 148)

After crossing the five or six stages of the relay, the monks reached their goal
while saying it was their wish to gain merits that they had made such great efforts.

Once at the top of the hill
The whole country offered itself to our eyes.
The sight of the Buddha’ s footprint was a real pleasure for us
And we bowed to mark our respect. (Verse 150)

We prostrated ourselves, in accordance with uses.
We joined hands and inclined our head while expressing the desire
To reach Three Happiness and to attain, at the end, the Nirvæ◊a.
Each of us made the same wish. (Verse 151)

The narrator could not refrain from reporting a wonderful story that the inhabit-
ants of the region had told him while specifying that he was not a storyteller :

The mountain was, in fact, a huge rock
That the sun darted its rays to make it round
Three times prior reaching the firmament.
People told us that it was so since time immemorial. (Verse 152)

1
Jayamaßgala : Great verse of “ The Joyous Victory ”, Stanza of blessing recited on important
occasions.
2
The historical records report that the Portuguese, in the sixteenth century, captured the Tooth-relic
in Sri Lanka and took it to Goa, where they publically pulverized in a mortar, burned the pieces in a
brazier, and tossed the ashes into the river, only to find the relic reappear on the island shortly thereafter,
« as Buddhist relics cannot be destroyed » (See John Strong, op. cit. : 192-193).
3
The era in which we are living is the Kaliyuga, the fourth and the worst. It is the era of quarrel and
discord.