Avatar 9 of 10 · Kali Yuga · कलि युग
Buddha Avatar · The Awakened One
बुद्ध अवतार · जाग्रत
The prince Siddhartha, who left his palace to understand suffering and taught the world compassion and non-violence.
राजकुमार सिद्धार्थ, जिन्होंने दुख को समझने के लिए महल छोड़ा और संसार को करुणा और अहिंसा सिखाई।
The story of Buddha · बुद्ध की कथा
The Prince Who Saw the Road
Prince Siddhartha was raised in a palace where every sorrow was kept out of sight. His father, King Shuddhodana, wanted his son to know only comfort, and so for years the prince saw nothing of old age, sickness or death.
Then, on journeys beyond the palace walls, he saw four sights that changed everything: a bent old man leaning on a stick, a sick man shivering with fever, a body being carried to the cremation ground, and finally a wandering monk whose face was calm and peaceful. “All of us will grow old, fall ill and die,” he thought. “Is there a way beyond this suffering?”
One night, while the palace slept, he quietly looked at his sleeping wife and baby son for the last time, and left to find the answer. For six years he studied with teachers and starved his body with harsh practices, until he was little more than bone. At last he saw that torturing the body was no more the way than pampering it. He accepted a bowl of rice and milk from a village girl named Sujata, and chose the middle path.
He sat beneath a peepal tree at Bodh Gaya and resolved not to rise until he understood. Through the night, fear, desire and doubt came at him in many forms. He did not move. As the morning star rose, he awoke to the truth, and from then on he was called the Buddha, the Awakened One.
For forty-five years he walked from village to village teaching kindness, the ending of craving, and gentleness toward every living creature. He taught that anger cannot be ended by more anger, and that a gentle heart is stronger than any army.
The lesson
Hatred ends only through love; compassion is the strongest form of courage.
Story: Retold from the Buddhist tradition (Jataka and Buddhacharita); the Bhagavata Purana (1.3.24) and Jayadeva name the Buddha among the avatars
In the scriptures · शास्त्रों में
The original verses, with their romanisation and our own English and Hindi translation.
निन्दसि यज्ञविधेरहह श्रुतिजातम् । सदयहृदयदर्शितपशुघातम् ॥ केशव धृतबुद्धशरीर जय जगदीश हरे ॥
nindasi yajñavidherahaha śrutijātam sadayahṛdayadarśitapaśughātam keśava dhṛtabuddhaśarīra jaya jagadīśa hare
Ah! With a compassionate heart you censure the rules of sacrifice that called for the killing of animals. O Keshava, who took the body of the Buddha: victory to you, Hari, lord of the world!
अहा! करुणा भरे हृदय से आप यज्ञ-विधि के उन नियमों की निंदा करते हैं जो पशु-वध दिखाते हैं। हे केशव, बुद्ध शरीर धारण करने वाले जगदीश हरि, आपकी जय हो!
न हि वेरेन वेरानि सम्मन्तीध कुदाचनं । अवेरेन च सम्मन्ति एस धम्मो सनन्तनो ॥
na hi verena verāni sammantīdha kudācanaṃ averena ca sammanti esa dhammo sanantano
In this world hatred is never ended by hatred. It is ended by non-hatred alone. This is an eternal law.
इस संसार में वैर से वैर कभी शांत नहीं होता। वह अवैर से ही शांत होता है। यही सनातन धर्म है।