Hasalaka Gamini: The Selfless Soldier who sacrificed life so others could live — A Legacy today’s Youth cannot ignore
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 – 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.
He didn’t shout slogans. He didn’t wait for orders.
He acted — selflessly & fearlessly.
Why did Gamini Kularatne join the army?
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’t. He chose the hardest path. He chose duty over fear. He chose country over life.
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.
How many of today’s youth would make such a choice today if they were in his circumstance?
Ask yourself:
Would You?
Let’s ask ourselves — and more importantly, let today’s 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?
Or have we become too soft, too disconnected from our own soil, our own heritage?
This question must be posed by all teachers & universities to the students to answer.
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?
Hasalaka Gamini didn’t have a smartphone. But he had something far greater — a spine.
But he had clarity, purpose, and a heart.
He didn’t need a viral video. His sacrifice made him immortal.
He didn’t tweet. He didn’t post selfies. He acted when it mattered.
He gave his life without asking for applause or for dollars & plaques.
The Buddhist Warrior Spirit: Strength without hate, courage without cruelty
The Buddha did not advocate violence — yet he did not call for cowardice.
He recognised that life involves struggle, and that sometimes, even the righteous must stand firm to protect the innocent.
But the Buddhist concept of strength is deeply rooted in self-restraint. The true warrior is not one who destroys others — it is one who conquers the self, who defeats anger, pride, hatred, and ego.
“Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal law.”
(Dhammapada, v.5)
Unlike ideologies that glorify mass conversion, forced belief, or the “cleansing” of others, Buddhism offers a path of compassion, even in resistance.
Hasalaka Gamini: The Buddhist Warrior in action
Hasalaka Gamini’s sacrifice was not an act of hatred.
He did not charge into battle to dominate. He acted to protect.
He acted so that others could live.
He did not yell religious slogans. He did not see the enemy as subhuman.
His was not a war of vengeance — it was a war of defence.
That is the Buddhist Warrior Spirit.
To stand between danger and the defenceless.
To act with clarity, not cruelty.
To give — even life — so that others may breathe in peace.
The Buddhist Warrior is not a Conqueror — He is a Guardian
In Buddhism:
- A warrior must fight only asa last resort.
- The motive must never be greed or revenge — only protection.
- The action must be accompanied bycompassion and moral discipline.
This is why the Buddha praised those who ruled justly, with Dhamma.
Compare this to faiths or regimes that claimed divine right to kill, enslave, or subjugate. In Buddhist ethics, power without compassion is evil.
Victory without virtue is meaningless.
Ancient Sri Lankan Kings as Buddhist Warriors
Kings like Dutugemunu, though remembered for war, are also revered because of humility after victory.
After defeating King Elara — a just South Indian ruler — King Dutugemunu built a monument over Elara’s tomb, ordering that all who passed bow in respect. That is Buddhist warrior culture — honour in victory, dignity for the fallen, and remembrance of humanity even in war.
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’s 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’s name as a just ruler.
Thus, Elara’s 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.
Hasalaka Gamini is not like any ordinary soldier.
He did not act in vengeance.
He gave his life not to destroy an enemy — but to protect his fellow men.
He didn’t hate — he sacrificed.
Why Today’s Youth Must Learn the Buddhist Warrior Path
The youth of today face battles of a different kind:
- A battle against nihilism.
- A battle against cultural amnesia.
- A battle against self-destruction, addiction, and indifference.
They may never hold a weapon — but they must learn to hold the shield of values, the sword of truth, and the armor of discipline.
Hasalaka Gamini fought not out of rage, but out of love — for his country, his brothers-in-arms, and the peace he never got to see.
That is the Buddhist warrior spirit:
Not to destroy the world — but to protect it, even at the cost of yourself
From the Dhammapada (Verse 103):
“Though one may conquer a thousand men in battle a thousand times,
greater still is he who conquers himself.”
Hasalaka Gamini’s true victory was not over an enemy, but over fear, hesitation, and the instinct for self-preservation.
He conquered himself — his own life — for the sake of others. That is the ultimate act of courage taught in Buddhism.
The Dasa Raja Dharma — the ten duties of a righteous leader — include generosity (dāna), morality (sīla), and courage (vīriya). While these were meant for rulers, they are also a standard for every citizen who wants to live a life of meaning.
He did not live long. But he lived well. He lived bravely.
Are You Living Bravely?
To the youth of today — we ask you:
- What have you done for this nation?
- Have you ever placed the needs of your country before your own comfort?
- Do you even know the names of those who died for your right to scroll in peace?
- Have you contributed to your family, your community, your land — or are you simply existing, consuming, and complaining?
You don’t have to die for your country. But are you even willing to live for it?
A Final Word
Hasalaka Gamini never asked, “What’s in it for me?”
He asked, “What do I owe this nation that gave me life?”
And he gave everything.
What will you give?
Sri Lanka does not need more celebrities.
Sri Lanka needs heroes — of discipline, service, integrity, and truth.
Sri Lanka doesn’t need more showmen. It needs guardians — of values, of culture, of truth.
If Hasalaka Gamini’s name stirs something in your soul — let it.
Let it wake you from the fog of modern numbness.
There’s a Sri Lanka that still needs defending — not just with weapons, but with values, work, vision, innovation and pride.
Will you rise? Or will you scroll past this too?
This land — blessed by the Dhamma, soaked in sacrifice — still needs defending.
Not just from enemies with guns,
But from forgetfulness. From indifference.
From our own moral decay that plagues society at all levels.
Will you rise? Or will you scroll past this too?
Choose. Your choice will make a difference to yourself, your family, your community & most of all your Nation.
Shenali D Waduge
19 Viewers
