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Reason: Remembering Lord Buddha’s Teachings

Date : May 19 in 2008

Buddha Purnima is the most sacred day in the Buddhist religion. It is the most important festival of the Buddhists and is celebrated with great enthusiasm.

Although Buddhists regard every full moon as sacred, that of the month of Vaisakh (April - May) has special significance because on this day the Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, and attained Nirvana when he died. This strange, three - fold coincidence, gives Buddha Purnima its unique significance.

One of the greatest spiritual teachers of mankind is undoubtedly Lord Buddha. Edwin Arnold has fittingly called him the “Light of Asia”. Buddha’s message has traveled far and wide and captured the hearts and minds of billions of people.

The spiritual and moral forces generated by Buddha have strengthened and enriched Hinduism and helped to wean it from perversions which had set in at that time.

About Lord Buddha

Siddhartha, the only son of Shuddhodana, the King of Kapilavastu situated at the foot-hills of Himalayas, was prophesied by the royal astrologer to become either a famous emperor or a world-renowned ascetic. The father, anxious that his son should not take to the thorny path of a recluse, took extraordinary precautions to avoid every situation which would provoke such thoughts in his son’s mind.

Siddhartha grew of age without ever knowing what misery or sorrow was. One day the prince desired to see the city. The King ordered that the city should be all gay and grand, so that everywhere his son would meet with only pleasing sights. However, an old and crippled man by the roadside happened to catch Siddhartha’s eye.

It was a sight never witnessed before by the prince: a sunken face, a toothless mouth, all the limbs emaciated, the whole body bent and walking with extreme difficulty. The innocent prince asked who that creature was. Chenna, the charioteer, replied that he was a human being who had become old. To further enquiries of Siddhartha, Chenna informed that the old man was of fine shape in his young age and that every human being had to become like him after the youthful days are past. The perturbed prince returned to the palace, deeply engrossed in anxious thoughts.

King Shuddhodana, in order to cheer up his spirits, again ordered for his son’s procession in the capital, but on subsequent rounds, Siddhartha came across a sick man and a corpse being carried to the funeral ground. Again it was Chenna, the charioteer, who explained that human beings were prone to illness and that death inevitably awaited man at the end. As luck would have it, on his final round, Siddhartha saw a person, his face beaming with joy and tranquility, and heard from Chenna that he was an ascetic who had triumphed over the worldly temptations, fears and sorrows and attained the highest bliss of life.

And that clinched the thoughts of the young prince. He was then hardly twenty-nine. In that full bloom of youth, in the midnight of a full-moon day, he bade good-bye to his dear parents, his beloved wife Yashodhara and sweet little child Rahul and all the royal pleasures and luxuries, and departed to the forest to seek for himself answers for the riddles of human misery.

For seven long years, Siddhartha roamed in the jungles, underwent severe austerities and finally, on the Vaishaakha Poornima Day, the supreme light of Realization dawned on him. He thereafter became Buddha, the Enlightened One. When he was an itinerant monk, he was called Gautama and now he became popular as Gautama Buddha. Buddha’s overflowing love for the downtrodden and destitute acted as one of the greatest factors for social harmony and justice to the weaker sections in the society.

Buddha’s life abounds in such instances when he honored and upheld the purity and devotion of the lowliest in the society. Once Buddha had camped in the kingdom of Bindusara. The king - a disciple of Buddha - honored his Guru with chariots-loads of royal presents and offerings. The other disciples also, many of them rich, made offerings to the best of their ability. At the end, an old and poor woman trekked slowly to the presence of Buddha, offered a small pomegranate and collapsed at his feet, Buddha ordered the bell of honor to be rung in her name for that day, to the utter surprise of the king and his subjects.

Buddha passed into eternity after completing his Sahasra Chandra Darshana i.e., 1000 full moon days (80th year) on the full moon day of Vaishaakha - the day of his birth as also of his Enlightenment.

What can we learn? 

The present-day sublime thoughts and convictions of a common Hindu owe a lot to the life and preachings of Buddha. And Buddha himself has been revered as an Avataar of God by Hindus. Buddha Gaya where he attained his supreme enlightenment has to this day remained one of the most sanctified places of pilgrimage for the entire Hindu World.

Buddha’s philosophical analysis of the basic problem of human suffering and misery helped to hold before the common man a purified and simplified Eight-Fold Path of Salvation, i.e., the right type of life-view, of intention, of speech, action, livelihood, effort, frame of mind and of concentration. Buddha, like Mahaveera, denounced the animal sacrifices in the yajnas and yagas and himself stood as the very embodiment of compassion to all living beings. He also forcefully brought home the limited merit of such rituals and stressed that the attainment of Final Beatitude is the summum bonum of human life.

As days passed, the effect of Buddha’s teachings not only influenced the Hindu people in general but contributed decisively in elevating spiritually several races spreading over a vast region of the globe, including areas such as the present-day Syria, Egypt, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Brahmadesh, Siam, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Annam, Cochin, China, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Malaya, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet and Khotan in Central Asia.

To this day most of these countries look upon Buddha as their supreme spiritual redeemer.

And to this day, Buddha lives on as a beacon-light to billions the world over, who yearn for the peace and well-being of all living creation.

A look at those non-Indians who made a name in Hindi film world.

Here’s a brief account.

Manisha Koirala: Manya, as she’s known in Bollywood, is Nepal’s second gift to India after yesteryear actress Mala Sinha. Manisha debuted in a Nepali film, Pheri Bhetaula , before moving to Mumbai where Subhash Ghai spotted her and signed her for Saudagar.

The past few years have seen her toy with everything from power yoga to a filmmaking course in New York. But this year, she’s back with films like Sirf, Exclusion and God Tussi Great Ho after a long hiatus.

Kelly Dorji: He isn’t just famous for being Lara Dutta’s ex and is arguably one of the best male imports to Bollywood. Bhutanese by origin, Kelly was born in Kolkata and studied at St Paul’s, Darjeeling, before going off to Mumbai to join St Xavier’s College where he met Lara. He debuted in a negative role in Tango Charlie, and wants to essay more grey characters. So do his Oriental features go against him in terms of the roles offered to him? “Sometimes. I can’t play a native character because of the way I look,” he says. But he doesn’t want to be confined to Bollywood. He’s open to South Indian films and has already acted in Telugu film Don with Nagarjuna. Does he miss Bhutan? “I do. My parents are there. I enjoy celebrity status in Bhutan. I might do a Bhutanese film some time,” he says.

Yana: A marriage, a divorce, and a break-up, along with several item numbers and modelling assignments — the Czech stunner got a taste of all these and more in India. There was no looking back for this linguist (she knows five languages including English and Hindi) after her song Babuji became a hit. Currently in London for work, Yana is writing a book and will soon cut an album. After her break-up with actor Aftab Shivadasani, she’s been linked with Kelly Dorji.

RoSa Catalano: The Italian beauty came to India for love and Saif Ali Khan. But after the Chhote Nawab started chasing Bebo, Rosa began chasing Bollywood dreams. She’s shot for an item number in Desh Drohi and will soon be seen in another, which she prefers to call a “club song” in Samar Khan’s Shaurya. She’s also signed a film by Partho Ghose called Ek Second Zindagi Badal De with Jackie Shroff. “It’s been four years in India and it feels like home. I didn’t come to India for work. But now that I’m here, I want to make the best use of the situation and work hard,” she says. Has she been accepted by the people in the industry? “I hope so,” says Rosa.

Tom Beach Alter: He speaks Hindi like a native and hates to be called an import. Tom Alter, born to American missionary parents, is an Indian in more than one ways. Born and raised in Mussoorie, Tom says, “It feels awkward when people insist on calling me a ‘foreigner’.” Yet he’s mostly cast in roles of angrez doctors, or priests and brigadiers and called ‘saheb’ in the industry. “ Saheb is a term of respect for everyone within the industry. The Mumbai film industry welcomes anyone who has talent and the desire to succeed,” he explains. But has he ever wanted to act in Hollywood, given his American descent? “No, I have always and still want to be like Rajesh Khanna.”

Bruna Abdulah: This belle from Brazil is the newest import to Bollywood. Anurag Basu might not have given her the nod for his new film with Hrithik Roshan, but she’s been fascinating filmmakers after her item number in Anubhav Sinha’s Cash. The VJ with a dare-bare attitude isn’t yet ready for acting though. “I may have the potential, but I’m too new. The item song taught me how to dance and brought me in contact with Hindi. But right now I want to concentrate only on veejaying,” she says.

The other imports have mostly been one-film wonders. Interestingly, some of them like Alice Patten in Rang De Basanti and Antonia Bernath in Kisna made their acting debuts in Bollywood. Significant among the other foreign faces that have appeared in Hindi films are Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne in Lagaan and Annabelle Wallace in Dil Jo Bhi Kahey . And the Far East will soon be represented by Chigusa Takaki from Japan in Aparna Sen’s Japanese Wife .

The birthday of Lord Rama, the celebrated hero of the famous epic, ‘Ramayana‘, is enthusiastically celebrated on the ninth day of the waxing moon in the month of Chaitra (Hindu calender), all over India. Lord Vishnu is worshipped in his human incarnation as Rama, the divine ruler of Ayodhya.

Celebrations begin with a prayer to the Sun early in the morning. At midday, when Lord Rama is supposed to have been born, a special prayer is performed. People sing devotional songs in praise of Rama and rock his idol/image in a cradle to celebrate his birth. Rathyatras or chariot processions of Ram, his wife Seeta, brother Lakshman and devotee Hanuman are held from many temples. People gather in thousands on the banks of the sacred river Sarayu for a dip. Some observe a strict fast on this day.

Ayodhya is the focus of great celebrations. Devotees throng the temples of Ayodhya and Pondicherry, two places closely connected with the events of the Ramayana to participate in Ramnavami festivities.

The festival commemorates the birth of Rama who is remembered for his righteous reign. Ramrajya (the reign of Rama) has become synonymous with good governance which maintained a period of peace and prosperity and true justice to all.
Mahatma Gandhi also used the term Ram-rajya to describe how according to him, India should be after independence.

Baisakhi marks the beginning of New Year, particularly in the northern part of India. It is among the few Indian festivals that have a fixed date. Baisakhi is always on April 13th.

It is on this day that Sun enters Aries, the first sign of Zodiac. This signifies ushering of the New Year in Hindu calender.

In Kerala, Baisakhi is called as “Vishu” and in Tamil Nadu, it is celebrated as “Puthandu”.

Considered a holy day, the devout celebrate the Baisakhi with a dip in the holy rivers just around the break of dawn. Later it involves a lot of social gathering where friends and relatives are invited and delicious meals are served.

In Northern India, farmers perform their own prayers and give ‘thanks’ to the Lord Almighty for their fortune and pray for a better crop the next year. On this day, they commence reaping their harvest. The fields can be seen full of nature’s bounty.

For the Sikhs the day is a collective celebration of New Year along with the commemoration of the founding of the Khalsa Panth (Sikh brotherhood) by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.  The holy book of the Sikhs, ‘Granth Sahib’ is taken in a procession, led by the ‘Panj Pyaras’ (five senior Sikhs) who are symbolic of the original leaders. Dressed in their typical folk attire, both men and women, celebrate the day with Bhangra and Gidda.

The above two are the main reasons for celebrating Baisakhi.

Holi festival is celebrates arrival of spring with it’s vibrant colors and lively weather.

While Holi is quite popular and celebrated all over India, it has some regional names too. Some of the regional names are:

• Rang-panchami in Maharastra
• Lathi-maar Holi in Barsaana (Mathura, UP)
• Dulandi Holi in Haryana
• Hola Mohalla in Punjab
• Phagawa in Bihar
• Shingo in Goa
• Kaman Pandigai in TamilNadu
• Basant Utsav/ Dol Purnima in West Bengal

Traditionally, mothers used to make new clothes for their married daughters on the occassion of Holi, while mother-in-law gave travel money to their daughter-in-law.

Sons-in-laws are invited by the bride’s family for a luxurious meal, after which it is customary to gift them crisp notes of any denomination.

Gujjia, papri and kanji vade are special food items that are exclusively made for this festival.