{"id":149931,"date":"2025-05-30T16:57:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T23:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=149931"},"modified":"2025-05-30T16:57:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T23:57:11","slug":"hasalaka-gamini-the-selfless-soldier-who-sacrificed-life-so-others-could-live-a-legacy-todays-youth-cannot-ignore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2025\/05\/30\/hasalaka-gamini-the-selfless-soldier-who-sacrificed-life-so-others-could-live-a-legacy-todays-youth-cannot-ignore\/","title":{"rendered":"Hasalaka Gamini: The Selfless Soldier who sacrificed life so others could live \u2014 A Legacy today\u2019s Youth cannot ignore"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shenali D Waduge<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The date was July 10, 1991. The battlefield: Elephant Pass. The threat: a deadly armored bulldozer storming through the final defense line.  The fear: LTTE about to penetrate Elephant Pass camp. Behind the barricades stood hundreds of soldiers. In front stood just one man \u2013 a 24 year old Gamini Kularatna from Hasalaka with a grenade in hand knowing what he had to do & knowing he would not return. Knowing he had no time to say good byes & with one final act, he prevented a massacre with his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He didn\u2019t shout slogans. He didn\u2019t wait for orders.
He acted \u2014 selflessly & fearlessly.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did Gamini Kularatne join the army?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

He could have taken up any job that paid a salary & was safer too. He could have hidden from war as many did. But he didn\u2019t. He chose the hardest path. He chose duty over fear. He chose country over life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was at a decisive period of brutal bloodshed. He knew full well that death was a reality. But he stepped forward to serve & protect. This was no war video game or war movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many of today\u2019s youth would make such a choice today if they were in his circumstance?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask yourself:
Would You?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s ask ourselves \u2014 and more importantly, let today\u2019s youth ask themselves: Would I do what he did? Would I leave the comforts of my home, knowing I may never return, just so that others may live in peace?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or have we become too soft, too disconnected from our own soil, our own heritage?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This question must be posed by all teachers & universities to the students to answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, too many of our youth are lost in their phones, their vanity, their parties, their instant pleasures. We chase likes and followers, but not values. We demand rights, but not responsibilities or duties. We indulge ourselves but fail our families and ignore our nation. How many live in selfishness & avarice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hasalaka Gamini didn\u2019t have a smartphone. But he had something far greater \u2014 a spine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he had clarity, purpose, and a heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He didn\u2019t need a viral video. His sacrifice made him immortal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He didn\u2019t tweet. He didn\u2019t post selfies. He acted when it mattered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He gave his life without asking for applause or for dollars & plaques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Buddhist Warrior Spirit: Strength without hate, courage without cruelty<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Buddha did not advocate violence \u2014 yet he did not call for cowardice.
He recognised that life involves struggle<\/strong>, and that sometimes, even the righteous must stand firm to protect the innocent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Buddhist concept of strength is deeply rooted in self-restraint<\/strong>. The true warrior is not one who destroys others \u2014 it is one who conquers the self<\/strong>, who defeats anger, pride, hatred, and ego.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal law.\u201d<\/strong>
(Dhammapada, v.5)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike ideologies that glorify mass conversion, forced belief, or the cleansing\u201d of others, Buddhism offers a path of compassion, even in resistance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hasalaka Gamini: The Buddhist Warrior in action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hasalaka Gamini\u2019s sacrifice was not an act of hatred.
He did not charge into battle to dominate. He acted to protect<\/strong>.
He acted so that others could live<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He did not yell religious slogans. He did not see the enemy as subhuman.
His was not a war of vengeance \u2014 it was a war of defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is the Buddhist Warrior Spirit.<\/strong>
To stand between danger and the defenceless.
To act with clarity, not cruelty.
To give \u2014 even life \u2014 so that others may breathe in peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Buddhist Warrior is not a Conqueror \u2014 He is a Guardian<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Buddhism:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • A warrior must fight only asa last resort<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The motive must never be greed or revenge \u2014 only protection.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The action must be accompanied bycompassion<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0moral discipline<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    This is why the Buddha praised those who ruled justly<\/strong>, with Dhamma<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Compare this to faiths or regimes that claimed divine right to kill, enslave, or subjugate<\/strong>. In Buddhist ethics, power without compassion is evil<\/strong>.
    Victory without virtue is meaningless.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ancient Sri Lankan Kings as Buddhist Warriors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Kings like Dutugemunu<\/strong>, though remembered for war, are also revered because of humility after victory<\/strong>.
    After defeating King Elara \u2014 a just South Indian ruler \u2014 King Dutugemunu built a monument<\/strong> over Elara\u2019s tomb, ordering that all who passed bow in respect. That is Buddhist warrior culture \u2014 honour in victory<\/strong>, dignity for the fallen<\/strong>, and remembrance of humanity even in war<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Elara was no Prabakaran: History cannot confuse the two. Elara though foreign governed with justice. He is praised for fairness & dignity. A cow had come to King Elara mourning the loss of her calf which had been run over by Elara\u2019s son in his chariot. Elara ordered his own son to be executed to uphold justice. This is not to be taken as a legal precedent but a moral parable about the ruler upholding justice even at the cost of personal grief. This act etched Elara\u2019s name as a just ruler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Thus, Elara\u2019s leadership is in stark contrast to tyrant Prabakaran who killed his own people, ethnically cleansed Sinhalese & Muslims, he who used children as warriors. Prabakaran sacrificed others for his personal glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Hasalaka Gamini is not like any ordinary soldier<\/strong>.
    He did not act in vengeance.
    He gave his life not to destroy an enemy \u2014 but to protect his fellow men<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He didn\u2019t hate \u2014 he sacrificed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Why Today\u2019s Youth Must Learn the Buddhist Warrior Path<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The youth of today face battles of a different kind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • A battle against nihilism.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • A battle against cultural amnesia.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • A battle against self-destruction, addiction, and indifference.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      They may never hold a weapon \u2014 but they must learn to hold the shield of values<\/strong>, the sword of truth<\/strong>, and the armor of discipline<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Hasalaka Gamini fought not out of rage, but out of love \u2014 for his country, his brothers-in-arms, and the peace he never got to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      That is the Buddhist warrior spirit<\/strong>:
      Not to destroy the world \u2014 but to protect it, even at the cost of yourself<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      From the Dhammapada (Verse 103):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Though one may conquer a thousand men in battle a thousand times,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      greater still is he who conquers himself.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Hasalaka Gamini\u2019s true victory was not over an enemy, but over fear, hesitation, and the instinct for self-preservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      He conquered himself \u2014 his own life \u2014 for the sake of others. That is the ultimate act of courage taught in Buddhism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Dasa Raja Dharma<\/em> \u2014 the ten duties of a righteous leader \u2014 include generosity (d\u0101na<\/em>), morality (s\u012bla<\/em>), and courage (v\u012briya<\/em>). While these were meant for rulers, they are also a standard for every citizen who wants to live a life of meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      He did not live long. But he lived well. He lived bravely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Are You Living Bravely?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      To the youth of today \u2014 we ask you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • What have\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0done for this nation?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Have you ever placed the needs of your country before your own comfort?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Do you even know the names of those who died for your right to scroll in peace?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Have you contributed to your family, your community, your land \u2014 or are you simply existing, consuming, and complaining?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        You don\u2019t have to die for your country. But are you even willing to live<\/em> for it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        A Final Word<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Hasalaka Gamini never asked, What\u2019s in it for me?\u201d<\/strong>
        He asked, What do I owe this nation that gave me life?\u201d<\/strong>
        And he gave everything<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        What will you<\/em> give?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Sri Lanka does not need more celebrities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Sri Lanka needs heroes \u2014 of discipline, service, integrity, and truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Sri Lanka doesn\u2019t need more showmen. It needs guardians<\/strong> \u2014 of values, of culture, of truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        If Hasalaka Gamini\u2019s name stirs something in your soul \u2014 let it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Let it wake you from the fog of modern numbness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        There\u2019s a Sri Lanka that still needs defending \u2014 not just with weapons, but with values, work, vision, innovation and pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Will you rise? Or will you scroll past this too?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        This land \u2014 blessed by the Dhamma, soaked in sacrifice \u2014 still needs defending<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Not just from enemies with guns,
        But from forgetfulness. From indifference.
        From our own moral decay that plagues society at all levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Will you rise? Or will you scroll past this too?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Choose. Your choice will make a difference to yourself, your family, your community & most of all your Nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Shenali D Waduge<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Shenali D Waduge The date was July 10, 1991. The battlefield: Elephant Pass. The threat: a deadly armored bulldozer storming through the final defense line.  The fear: LTTE about to penetrate Elephant Pass camp. Behind the barricades stood hundreds of soldiers. In front stood just one man \u2013 a 24 year old Gamini Kularatna from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-149931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shenali-waduge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149931\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}