Bad company leads anyone in the wrong path
regardless of his or her position, gender, and age. It is common both to an
ordinary man and even to a king. If it was a king who was led astray, it
endangers a whole community. This is not something peculiar for Sri Lanka, even
king Ajasath of India caused patricide following the instructions and guidance of Devadaththa, who despite being a bhikkhu
had a growing hostility for king Bimbisara.
Similarly, this is what occurred during the reign of king Mahasen of ancient Anuradhapura
kingdom, who was preceded by king Detuthis
and was succeeded by his son Sirimevan.
His name was added to the history as a king who caused an immense demerit to the
Mahavihara monastery representing Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka, by following
the road shown by a bhikkhu named Sanghamithra.
But his specialty lies in the fact that Mahasen
was not noted only for his demerits. On the contrary, the Mahavamsa mentions in reference to Mahasen that the intelligence ones eradicate the bad company as a
poisonous snake and proceed with what he feels to do. As evident by the above
account, Mahasen was a king who did
both meritorious and de meritorious actions. Strangely, both king Ajasath of India and Mahasen of
ancient Anuradhapura kingdom was
provoked to move in the wrong path by a bhikkhu. In the case of Ajasath it was Devadaththa while in the case of Mahasen it was Sanghamithra.
