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Buddha Purnima

Buddha Purnima or Buddha Jayanti which falls on the full moon night in the month of Baisakha which falls in April or May commemorates the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, founder of Buddhism. He is believed to be the ninth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Buddha was born in 563 B.C. to King Shuddhodhana and Queen Mayadevi, at Lumbini, Nepal and was named Siddhartha. Before his birth his mother dreamt of a divine light entering her womb. The wise men predicted that the child to be born would be the ruler of the world or a great sage.Gautum Buddha achieved enlightenment and nirvana also on the full moon day of Baisakh. It is believed that Yashodara, the Buddha’s wife, his charioteer Channa and even his horse Kantaka were also born on the same day. The full moon day in Baisakh is thus celebrated as a thrice blessed day.

Till he was 29, the young prince led a sheltered life in the royal palace of his father. The realization that there was ore to life than the lavish and luxurious life he was leading, made him abandon his palace, his wife, his child and all the worldly pleasures and made him embark on search for enlightenment and true meaning of life. After much wandering and searching, Gautama finally attained enlightenment while meditating under a Banyan tree in Bodh Gaya, a small town in Bihar.

For the next 32 years Gautum professed his dharma Buddhism. Henceforth, known as the Buddha or the enlightened one, he began to preach, The Four Noble Truths, to all who would listen. According to this doctrine, people suffer because of their desires and the root cause of all misery is desire. The desires and consequently all problems can be totally eliminated by following the eightfold path. He died at the age of eighty.

Buddha Purnima is celebrated by followers of Buddhism all over the world. Pilgrims come from all parts of the world to Bodh Gaya to attend the Buddha Purnima celebrations. The day is marked with prayer meets, religious discourses, continuous recitation of Buddhist scriptures, group meditation, processions, worship of the statue of Buddha. The statues of Buddha receive special attention everywhere with people offering them incense, flowers, candles and fruits.