Jeewaka, the doctor was a great Sage lived in Heladiva

ජීවක වෛද්‍යවරයා හෙළදිව දක්ෂවූ වෛද්‍ය ඍෂිවරයකි

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The Vargapoornika( Vargapoornikā) records that the people in the Yakkha clang lived in Heladiva from the reign of Rāwana were disciplined and driven by virtues. Among those virtues there were ten tribal virtues.

1                            මකිත                Makitha               Strength

2                            සීහාර               Seehaara             Courage

3                            කිත්බි               Kithbi                    Unquanquared

4                            නුනෝග           Nugōga                 Visionary

5                            රිසිල                 Risila                     Discipline

6                            ද්‍රෂධ                Drashadha            Wisdom

7                            ලලත               Lalatha                 Bold

8                            සවොල           Sawola                 Paying respect for the right person

9                            ගිරින              Girina                   Developing the mind, being rich in supernatural        power

10                         තත්ප               Thathpa               Straight forward acting

What is explained by this is that the one who culture or develop these kinds of virtues will conquer everything in both worlds i.e. this world and the one after. A nation which was enriched in qualities of this nature got a great support from the Buddha Dhamma. The Buddha who was born in Heladiva had not experienced many difficulties in disclosing his teachings. Helayō experienced the fruitions of the Dharma Chārikā (1) made by Buddha. They were highly successful. That is evident by the broadly spread ruins and inscriptions found even to this date. But what is found in India are the recreations done by King Ashoka and they are spread in different locations. The ultimate result of these recreations was the remaining of the buildings and the end of the Buddhist population. The reverse of this was successfully experienced in Heladiva, but due to the conspiracies set up from King Ashoka’s time, the truth was covered by the darkness.

It is true that based on the special talents possessed by the Helayōs, they were considered as Yakshas (2). But we as Heloyōs are still lucky to have some non-destroyed very rare sources remaining over the years which can be used to know the reality about them. The knowledge of medical science possessed by these Heloyōs in the Yaksha tribe had been in a very advanced level and it can still be seen by the facts remaining at Nilagiri. There had been four main sections in this particular medical center, the Varigapoorinikā records.

1                  NIgaatha Kenuwaraa                    නිගාත කේනුවරය              The medical center for all body 
                                                                                                            treatments

2                  DraagreelaKenuwaraya               ද්‍රාග්‍රීල කේනුවරය                 The medical center for

                                                                                                            anti-poison treatments

3                  Yawaakara Kenuwaraya             යවාකර කේනුවරය               The operation theater.

4                  Sasaala Kenuwaraya                     සසාල කේනුවරය               Drugs services and drug store.

In this manner, there is evidence for medical centers established in Heladiva. But the defeats experienced for years from different invaders had made difficulties in identifying the main features of these medical centers. It is not easy to explain the illiterates who cannot identify Helayōs and their knowledge which they could share even with the whole world. The Vargapoornikā records that in the time of the Buddha in Heladiva, two specialists had lived and they had been the masters in the medical science. Those two were the physician Dasa Hastha Raajaka in the Ravishylaasha generation (දස රාජක වෛද්‍යවරයා) and the Sage Kōmāra Bhandana in the Kewesastha generation (කෝමාර බන්ධන ඍෂිවරයා). This Jeewaka (ජීවක) was the medical physician who prescribed medical treatments for the Buddha and his great disciples, Sangas. But this physician had been taken in to India in the Buddhist literature and it had been attempted to highlight the Kalingas in India.

The peak Kombanaachchi (කොම්බනාච්චි කන්ද) in the Trincomalee district, nearly 30 kms away from Kiliweddi, was the place where the physician Jeewaka lived. The term Kōmāra Bandha (කෝමාර බන්ධ) used in Hela language is used as Kombanāchchi (කොම්බනාච්චි) today. (Na.Shi.Ga. Page 55). And also we are unlucky that the inscriptions found there are already destroyed. Based on these facts it’s evident that the physician Jeewaka was a Helaya (Helayā) who had lived in Heladiva.

1 - The journeys made by Buddha with aim of preaching the doctrine.

2 - The demons.

{The English translation of 'බුද්ධෝත්පත්තිය හෙළදිවයි' (Buddha was born in Heladiva) - Part – 11} 

Translated by Amal Meemanage (amalmeemanage@gmail.com)