After 2549 Years Poem by Pushpa Ratna Tuladhar

After 2549 years

Siddhartha Gautam Buddha
With the light of Nirvana
Intensified on his face
And Gulupa in his hand
Walked out of Jetawan
In the darkness.

The trail of his walk
Witnessed his feet
Congregated the lichen
To tidy up the slippery way.

On each stop of his footsteps
In a moment’s pause for alms,
Grew the Bodhi trees
Bared (with no leaves) .

Leaves falling from Bodhi trees
Never pat the earth.
Buddha never returned
Back to Jetawan again.

All’s craving for peace.
But never aware of
His gulupa in his hand
Still unfilled and empty.

January 17th 2005

Nirvana – the Enlightenment.
Gulupa - A bronze bowl for alms.
Bodhi tree- Gautam Buddha found the way of salvation under this tree.
Jetawan- a vihara donated to Buddha by Anathpindik, a merchant in Buddhist’s period.