VAISHAKHA
POORNIMA
The full-moon day
of Vaishakha
One of the greatest
spiritual teachers of mankind which Bharat has produced is
undoubtedly, 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 outside
Bharat also.
Siddhartha, the
only son of Shuddhodana, the Kind of Kapilavastu situated at the
foot 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.
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