#(Buddha) 12 Buddha, The Enlightened Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

The six years of austerities,
Eating nothing but grass,
Pulled Siddhartha down
And he became a skeleton.

The eldest daughter, Sujata,
Of the Chief herdsman, Nanda
Saw Siddhartha’s plight
And brought food to eat.

At that time, it was like nectar.
After taking it, he thanked her.
From that day, he ate soft food,
In moderation, for his own good.

He chose for his penance,
A silent solitary place,
Under a pipal tree then,
He started his meditation.

All the negative feelings
Like greed, anger, ignorance,
He conquered, one by one,
In the process of meditation.

He understood the cause
Of pains and sufferings.
When he was in meditation,
He had a spiritual vision

His inner eyes opened.
Spiritual wisdom dawned.
His radiant eyes shined.
What was life, he understood.

The final moment came.
It was early dawn time
The Monk Siddhartha
Became the Great Buddha.

To the world, he was known,
As Buddha, the enlightened one.
He recollected his past births.
And about his previous deaths.

In ecstasy, he danced.
His heart was filled
With mercy and compassion,
And this became his mission.

This kind of experience,
To share with others,
And this message to spread,
He travelled far and wide.