Image: Was Kaviya’s organisation created a replica of President Dissanayaka to fix nails on him as part of the campaign.
Colombo, Sri Lanka – A politically charged Was Kaviya invoking divine punishment against rulers accused of harming Buddhism has sparked intense debate across Sri Lankan social media, prompting allegations of government concern and rumours of police intervention.
The verse, addressed to guardian deities including Vajirapani, Upulvan, Pajjunna and Vessavana, calls for the downfall of rulers who allegedly undermine the Buddhist Sasana. The poem gained widespread circulation on Facebook, TikTok and YouTube amid ongoing controversies involving Buddhist clergy and government policy.
Opposition parliamentarian Nalin Bandara claimed in Parliament that the government had become alarmed by the popularity of the Was Kaviya and had reportedly initiated efforts to identify its author. The issue also surfaced during a recent cabinet media briefing, where journalists questioned ministers about the poem’s growing influence in public discourse.
Meanwhile, social media posts alleged that police were preparing legal action against individuals sharing the Was Kaviya online and that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was searching for the monk believed to have composed it.
However, these claims were later dismissed by police. Police Media Spokesperson Frederick U. Wootler reportedly denied ever stating that those sharing the verses would face legal consequences. He also rejected claims that the CID was seeking to arrest the poem’s author and said neither the Police nor the CID intended to take action against persons involved in its dissemination.
At the same time, pro-government groups are calling for action against the Was Kaviya organiserses.
The controversy reflects growing tensions between sections of the Buddhist clergy and the government, particularly following recent protests by monks and nationalist groups over issues related to the protection of Buddhism and the treatment of prominent clergy members.
While the Was Kaviya remains widely shared online, the debate surrounding it has highlighted the intersection of religious symbolism, political dissent and social media activism in contemporary Sri Lanka.
Note: The identities of the author or organisers behind the recording have not been independently established in the sources reviewed.
This is a traditional “Was Kaviya” (curse/invocation verse) addressed to guardian deities and yaksha kings, calling upon them to punish rulers, meaning the NPP government President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka and others perceived by pro-Rajapaksa groups as harming Buddhism (the Sasana). Because it is poetic and culturally specific, I have translated it as faithfully as possible while preserving its tone and meaning.
Was Kaviya (Extract)
O Yaksha King Vajirapani,
hear this, great divine lord…
Behold the harm that has been done
to the glorious Buddha’s dispensation…
Cast down upon the earth
those outsiders who insult the sacred robe…
And crush utterly
the one who came to power through falsehood…
O Yaksha King Utpalavanna,
hear this, divine king…
Reflect upon your duty
to protect the Sasana in blessed Lanka…
Break the power of misguided rulers
and cast them down to the ground…
Split into seven pieces
those misguided fools who destroy the faith…
O Yaksha King Pajjunna,
hear this, divine king…
Bring misfortune upon the ruler
who permits the destruction of the Sasana…
With heaven and earth resounding in thunder,
send forth mighty lightning bolts…
And upon his ministers and servile politicians,
let those thunderbolts strike…
O great Yaksha King Vesamuni (Vessavana),
hear this, divine lord…
Send forth all the yaksha armies
to protect the Sasana…
Afflict those misguided persons
who destroy the faith in Lanka…
Cast down the misguided ones
and establish a righteous government…
Crush the ignoble, unrighteous,
foolish king…
Within three months, break this unjust power
and uplift the nation…
Safeguard this land
where the Sasana shall endure for five thousand years…
May all righteous deities
fulfil this duty.
Note: This is an invocation or imprecatory religious poem, expressing the author’s wish that divine beings punish those believed to be harming Buddhism and replace them with a righteous government. The language is highly symbolic, devotional, and condemnatory rather than literal.
