Chapter 16 : The tempter

Summary:

The poem "The Tempter" from the epic “Amriteya Buddha” portrays the final struggle of Gautama Buddha with Mara, the embodiment of temptation, as he approaches enlightenment. Mara, in a desperate attempt to derail Buddha's spiritual path, brings forth a series of temptations, starting with physical desires, mental distractions, and ultimately, the memories of Gopa, Buddha’s wife.

 Mara first attempts to weaken Buddha’s resolve by attacking his mind and body, hoping to tempt him with hunger, pleasure, and the longing for companionship. Mara then conjures enchanting natural scenes and seductive dancers to stir desires in Buddha’s heart. However, none of these illusions sway Buddha, who remains steadfast.

 Finally, Mara evokes the memory of Gopa, who represents Buddha’s past life of attachment and worldly ties. This temptation is more personal and powerful than the others. Buddha acknowledges the beauty, grace, and allure of Gopa, but in his wisdom, he sees beyond the surface. He advises Gopa not to succumb to the fleeting charms of desire, as he has been surrounded by such indulgences all his life. He reflects on how these worldly attachments, though captivating, are as transient as dewdrops on a lotus leaf.

 Buddha, addressing Gopa, honors her as a mother not only to their son, Rahul, but as the mother of the entire world—her role elevated beyond the personal to the universal. He recognizes her beauty, yet insists that she release him to continue his spiritual journey. His love for her is transformed into reverence for her as a symbol of creation, preservation, and destruction—the cosmic mother.

 As Buddha advances toward enlightenment, Mara, realizing his failure, watches in despair. Buddha’s unwavering resolve and the purity of his spirit triumph over every temptation. The poem concludes with Buddha ascending toward nirvana, as nature and the cosmos bow before him, and divine forces celebrate his imminent enlightenment.

 In essence, "The Tempter" symbolizes the ultimate victory of spiritual discipline and wisdom over the most intense worldly temptations, leading to the realization of the divine self.

 

The Poem

Accepting Sujata's pure, pristine rice pudding

The Lord, supremely satisfied,

Entered the dense, dark, cool

Sal forest, the secluded woods.

Adorned with blooming, leafy, green, fragrant

New foliage,

Stood tall trees.

A silent message transmitted,

Water-earth-sky, every quivering leaf,

Branch upon branch, blossoming, sweet, sap-filled trees.

Today!

Vaisakha full moon!

Clean-washed blue sky,

Nature joyous in green attire.

Having spent the entire day

The Lord came in the evening to the shade of a dense Bodhi tree.

Only a carpet of green grass everywhere.

On that same path, a Vedic scholar Brahmin,

Versed in scriptures and their auxiliaries,

Carrying a bundle of grass,

Was heading towards his home.

 

Observing the Lord standing silent,

Grasping his intent,

The Brahmin offered eight handfuls of grass right there.

The Lord, taking the grass in his own hands,

Circumambulated the Bodhi tree.

Facing east, standing in silence,

He gazed at the quiet sky's horizon.

Then turning west, bowing to the earth,

He spread the grass to make a seat.

On the grass seat, in the undefeated posture, he sat.

His back was against the tree.

He was firmly resolved, for perfect enlightenment

In silent meditation, he became absorbed.

This posture was not ordinary.

Not merely determination,

But a vow of life-oblation.

An offering of the five elements,

A surrender to the fire of austerity.

Let the body burn.

Let the skin burn.

Let not even the skeleton remain.

This moment, the structure of the fragile body.

The lamp of firm resolve lit.

Only the gesture of breath remains.

This final sacrifice for knowledge.

 

In grossness swift, not lightning-quick,

The mind's tendencies,

Somewhere more subtle than a flash.

Observing this adamantine resolve,

Mara thought!

The body is but a fortress of clay and stone.

It will crumble on its own.

If the stubborn mind is defeated.

First, why not assault the soul

With the mind's own tendencies.

The blows of tendencies, strong and deep.

How long,

Will the detached soul helplessly endure it.

Healthy, nourished body.

Many delicious tastes, so impatient,

Why not present various dishes.

It will awaken greed, hunger.

Satisfaction of body and mind,

How can it turn towards detachment.

Then the blow of desire, lust, beauty-splendor.

How long will it take shelter behind crumbling resolves.

On the weak, lazy, slack body-mind,

The invasion of fear and terror.

 

Helpless being!

Will forcibly surrender itself.

Various types of mental tendencies,

Came in various forms.

First,

Mara set the stage for battle.

When Vaisakha month burns in summer heat.

Nature adorned incomparably, undisputed.

Green fragrant mango, rose apple, mahua, blossoming,

Flowering, peacocks, sweet chirping, ponds, lakes, streams,

In rivers, rivulets

Lotus, variegated, studded, newly bloomed.

Fragrant pollen Mara carries,

The breeze was slow-moving, scent-bearing.

Crowded, anxious, bent drinking nectar

Deer, insects, bees.

Between mango trees,

The incessant cry of the cuckoo,

Melting with compassion for Swati.

Mara, begging Nature, eagerly.

There descended dancing,

All-beautiful dancing girls,

Sweet melodious rhythm-bound,

Tinkling anklet sounds.

Fragrant multi-colored dew-studded freshly-bloomed,

Flower-adorned,

Young lovely graceful slender bodies.

Supple, soft bodies.

Intoxicating, ecstasy-filled, dream-like, elated minds.

 

Flute, sound, veena, mandolin, mridang, with swift beats.

The forest trembles, vines sway, ponds, lakes.

Swaying, wind-struck green creepers.

Flew from the bathed lake, wings flapping, swans.

Quivering colorful stamen nets,

Half-veiled by dark clouds,

The full moon

Was seeking to spill nectar,

Through every pore,

Came,

Mara

Bringing infallible tools of allure.

No mental tendencies, good or bad,

Could break the unwavering vow.

But, in the blue windless lotus-adorned lake,

Amidst them all, emerged an embodied image.

Of beauty, elegance, loveliness,

Vast immeasurable dignity.

Tear-filled unblinking eyes,

Red dry closed lips,

Unspoken turbulent agitated face.

Large lotus-petal eyes to the ears' edge,

Drenched, lost,

All colorful dreams, colorless empty-empty.

On the tear-horizon,

Mad scattered flashes of pain-lightning,

Pale tired moon-face, open dry hair,

Scattered-scattered, became questions,

Two tear-drops paused on eyelid edges.

This tear-bathed trembling soft flower.

It was difficult to easily forget this.

Gautama pondered in his mind.

 

 

O! Primal Power!

All kinds of salutations to you.

Extremely smooth, tender, love-knot.

Even today, asking for tear-moist-soft, union.

The path of great renunciation,

Was, Gopa-memory-crowded-confluence-unreachable.

Even one step, was extremely difficult to walk.

Now! Mara! Defeated,

Came bringing Gopa-memory-alive-embodied.

But even he doesn't know.

This bloomed lotus pure.

How far it has vanished.

Still they said

In a calm, grave, steady voice-

Gopa!

Do not choose

These heart-piercing, deadly, alluring forms.

These vivifying, thrilling, charming, celebrations,

I've been observing since adolescence.

Amidst wealth, comfort, luxury-frolic,

I was born, I grew up.

In every way, by these I remained, always surrounded.

But like dew drops trembling, fallen

On lotus leaves, slipping.

All remained enchanting.

Any instrument, drama, dance, song.

Only kept making my abode.

In that people-crowded bustling throng.

In the dazzle of transience,

In the alluring sleep of

Constructed illusion,

A bound prisoner, alone. Life!

Helpless, utterly, constantly remained yearning.

But.

This guileless, formless, pure, unhindered, helpless, beauty of yours.

That day too, and today too.

Perplexed, spellbound-frozen

My wounded mind.

You, unerring strike. I am defeated.

Today.

When Mara has become disarmed.

You did not raise your merciless weapons.

 

Don't!

Memory-moist-dark-cloud-dense-inner-torn, make.

You, like lightning, fearless, unabashed

Undivided, with intense beauty and grace,

Forward, step forth.

This infallible enchantment. Will perform,

Inner-milking.

You! Gather up your own beauty's enchantment.

Let remain. My support.

You! Now, not a life partner.

Not even a beloved sweetheart.

Give me company, don't make me orphaned,

Resolution-horse-mounted, this upward-moving rider.

Will he fall to the ground?

This boundless form.

Absorb it.

Otherwise I.

In these sky-scraping vast cloudless

Tide-waved excessive surges,

Helpless, unsupported like grass will float away.

Now you.

Not just, Rahul's mother.

You! Mother of the universe-world.

I respectfully earnestly entreatingly bow my head to you.

You are the cause, the uncaused, creator, destroyer.

In your enchanting whip the being is bound

Helplessly drawn.

Nirvana, welfare, killing, saving, preventing,

All, operated by you.

 

Womanhood-ultimate-motherhood.

You!

Supreme-worldly-creation-enlivening festival.

Primal power.

World-operated-attracted crushed raised.

From your pearl anklets breaking,

Scattered stars and constellations.

You are knowledge-giver, three-path-flowing, Ganga,

Veena-holding, Saraswati.

You are emotion-agitated-blue-deep Yamuna.

Supreme fallen-purifying Mandakini.

All-power-born immeasurable.

Your grace, elegance, enchantment invincible.

True, untrue, supreme, worldly, smooth, harsh, all complete, mind's tendencies.

In you alone awakened, dead, arisen, absorbed.

Womanhood's ultimate great rest.

Mother of the world!

Look!

This stainless, pure, fierce

Unbroken, austerity-flame-fire.

This.

Pure lotus, soft yesterday, desirable,

Beloved's, charming form.

Is now, turning to ash.

That vast unprecedented beauty unparalleled.

Burning, body. Burning, moon-face.

Tear-flooded distressed agitated eager.

Burning dark knee-length curly hair.

Waving cloud-like black hair.

Burning, the entire alluring bodily arrangement.

Nothing remains!

That separated form without remainder.

Flew. Dense musk forest,

That beauty's gathered tide,

Only detached untouched this austerity-ground.

Flying the golden dust of the infinite.

Shaking head, Mara,

Seeing his deep mistake.

Was.

 

Calm, profound, deep, windless, pure mind-sky.

The Lord was gradually ascending.

Silent, mute nature bowed with folded hands,

Offering hundreds of salutations.

Divine powers.

Supreme and worldly manifestations.

Performing ceaseless circumambulation.

Praise.

Whom the world knew as ascetic sage, great human! This is his form!

Unattainable, otherworldly, incomparable, novel.

Shook, the frozen primordial locked bolts

Of the seven worlds' closed doors.

Creation took a breath.

Today!

Towards his long-desired goal,

He was continuously advancing.

His, auspicious, blessed

Fearless-boon-granting pure fortunate feet.

Hundreds of bows!

From whose nails flows the sacred river of the path!

Ultimate refuge!