Ananda Thuriya

Ananda Thuriya (, ; also spelled Anantathuriya; d. 1174) was a senior minister to kings Sithu I, Narathu and Naratheinkha of the Pagan Dynasty of Myanmar. He is best remembered in Burmese history for the poem he wrote for King Sithu II, just a few minutes before his execution, titled The Law of Nature. he attended to the children of Prince Narathu, including Naratheinkha and Sithu II. He was a tutor to Naratheinkha.

The attendant entered the upper echelons of power in 1151 when the king promoted him to serve as a royal adviser/minister (amat ), with the title of Ananda Thuriya. The appointment certainly was not a routine matter as ministers of the day were usually drawn from more distant branches of the royal family. Royal chronicles say that Crown Prince Min Shin Saw vigorously opposed the appointment because of the attendant's commoner origins. He may have also viewed Ananda Thuriya as too close to his younger brother and rival Narathu. At any rate, Min Shin Saw lost the power struggle, and was exiled.

In the following years, Narathu became the de facto heir-apparent, and Ananda Thuriya's career continued to rise alongside his patron's. He became a senior minister in 1167 after Narathu had seized the throne by assassinating both Sithu I and Min Shin Saw. Ananda Thuriya continued to serve in the role when Narathu's eldest son and his former pupil Naratheinkha became king in 1171. In 1174, Ananda Thuriya became ensnared in a power struggle between Naratheinkha and his younger brother Crown Prince Narapati. Chronicles say that the king tried to remove the crown prince because he coveted his brother's "exotically beautiful" consort Weluwaddy. The younger brother, who was commander-in-chief of the army, learned of the plan, and instead had the elder brother assassinated, and seized the throne.

The younger brother, now King Sithu II, considered Ananda Thuriya too close to his brother, and ordered the execution of the aged courtier. At the execution site, Ananda Thuriya wrote a four-stanza poem to be presented to the king,

The Law of Nature The Law of Nature was written in the linka (, ) form, and consists of four stanzas. The minister is generally credited as the author of the poem It is considered to be the first known instance of poetry in Burmese vernacular as well as monarchical criticism.

The following is the English translation by R.F. St. Andrew St. John.