He came near the river Neranjana at uruvela (Present Buddha Gaya). He saw delightful muteness of land with a beautiful forest and clear river suitable for bathing, a lovely place surrounded by meadows and fields. It’s soothing to his mind. He thought that was a suitable place to continue his quest for enlightenment. He decided to stay. He knew at the moment that he was about to achieve his task.
He sat under Bodhi tree and started to meditate.
Now at the time, in a nearby village called Senani, there lived a young, very beautiful and rich girl called Sujata, who wanted a matching husband and a son. She had waited for many years and she was not successful. The people told her that she must go to certain Bodhi tree near the river Neranjara and pray to the tree-god to give her a husband and son. She did as the people told and later on she got married to a young man and they had a lovely son. She was extremely happy and decided to fulfill her vow to the tree-god for giving her all that she had asked for.
Sujata had a thousand cows, and she fed them with sweet creepers called valmee so that the cow’s milk was sweet. She milked these thousand cows and fed that milk to five hundred cows, and then fed their milk to two hundred and fifty cows and so on until she fed only eight cows. She did this to get the sweetest and most nourishing milk, to make delicious milk-rice as an offering to the tree-god.
She placed delicious milk-rice on a golden bowl and went to fulfill her vow to the tree-god. She saw Bodhisattva Siddhartha sat under the tree and doing his mediate. Sujata thought “god is meditating at the foot of the tree. How lucky I must be to have the god in person to accept my food”.
She did not know that he was in fact Bodhisattva Siddhartha. She bowed with respect and asked for accept her donation of milk-rice.
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| Sujata offered milk-rice to Bodhisattva Siddhartha |
Bodhisattva Siddhartha kindly accepted and ate the sweet thick milk-rice and then bathed in the river Neranjara. This was the last food he would have for seven weeks before enlightenment. When he finished he took the golden bowl and threw it in the river, saying, "If I am to succeed in becoming a Buddha today, let this bowl go upstream, but if not, let it go downstream." The golden bowl went upstream, all the while keeping in the middle of the river.
Three parts of Nights
It was a Wesak (May) full moon day. In the evening after Sujata's lovely meal, Hesat cross-legged in yougic padmasna, with his backwards the tree on its east side, the side that was believed to be stable and free from trembles and quakes. After sitting cross-legged with his back towards the tree, he made this resolution: "Though my skin, my nerves and my bones shall waste away and my life blood go dry, I will not leave this seat until I have attained the highest wisdom, called supreme enlightenment that leads to everlasting happiness."Then he stared meditating.
The work of Siddhartha’s mind is portrayed as a great battle with evil demon Mara, the tempter, in Buddhist literature.
Mara’s most beautiful daughters tried to seduce Siddhartha, but that effort failed. Mara’s three daughters are identified as Tanha(Craving), Arati (Dislike of virtue) and Raga (Passion).
Then Mara, sitting upon the great elephant ‘Giri Mekala’, but elephant Giri Mekala shook and put down Mara and worshiped Buddha.
Then Mara brought vast armies of wicked spirits to attack Siddhartha who sat still and untouched. All weapons they threw at Siddhartha turned into flowers and spread around him.
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| Battle with evil demon Mara |
Yet Bodhisattva Siddhartha did not allow these thoughts to disturb his concentration. He sat more firm than ever. He began to feel calm and brave as he let these thoughts go and so.
During the first watch of the night, the Buddha discovered all of his past lives in the cycle of rebirth, realizing that he had been born and reborn countless times before.
During the second watch, the Buddha discovered the Law of Karma, and the importance of living by the Eightfold Path.
During the third watch, the Buddha discovered the Four Noble Truths, finally reaching Nirvana.
Samma Sambuddha
Mara and his forces of darkness were defeated. Gods surround Bodhisattva Siddhartha, and as the morning star rose in the sky, Siddhartha Gautama archived enlightenment and became a ‘Samma Sambuddha’.
Buddha had achieved his enlightenment at the age of 35.
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| Siddhartha Gautama became a 'Samma Sambuddha' |
At the dawn after his enlightenment the Buddha uttered this verse:
"Thro' many a birth in samsara wandered
Seeking, but not finding, the builder of this house.
Sorrowful is repeated birth.
House builder, thou art seen.
Thou shalt build no house again.
All thy rafters are broken; thy ridgepole is shattered.
The mind attains the unconditioned.
Achieved is the end of craving."
Seeking, but not finding, the builder of this house.
Sorrowful is repeated birth.
House builder, thou art seen.
Thou shalt build no house again.
All thy rafters are broken; thy ridgepole is shattered.
The mind attains the unconditioned.
Achieved is the end of craving."
