#(Buddha) 20 Site For The Monastery Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

Sudatta, a wealthy merchant,
To Rajagriha, once he went.
He was a generous person,
Taking care of many orphans.

He came from Koshala
And heard about Buddha.
He went to Veluvana
And met personally Buddha.

He was impressed much,
With Buddha’s speech.
He made a voluntary offer
To build a monastery there.

Buddha was too pleased
To accept the offer he made.
The merchant then went around
Looking for a suitable ground.

He saw a beautiful garden
Owned by Jeta, the King’s son.
It had lush green lawns,
Tall trees and water resources.

In all respects, it was
The most suitable place,
For the monastery proposed.
But to sell, the prince refused.

When the merchant pressed,
An exorbitant price, Jeta quoted.
He wanted that much gold,
The garden could hold.

All his assets, the merchant sold
To purchase the required gold,
But the garden was filled.
Only up to half of the land.

The merchant felt upset
As his plan failed at last.
The prince, in turn, felt
For this poor merchant.

At last, the prince agreed
And the garden he spared
Touched by Buddha’s speech
Whom he liked very much.

Soon a monastery was built.
With his disciples, Buddha went
And occupied the mansion
To continue his mission.