Siddhartha Gautam was a prince by birth. Who had never faced things like sorrow, pain, illness, old age, death, etc. But once when he somehow came out of his palace to roam around, he saw the real truth of life, which was hidden from him till now. When he saw that life is full of sorrow, pain and suffering, many kinds of questions started arising in his mind. By reading Gautam Buddha biography in Hindi in this article, you will be able to know about the life of Buddha. Apart from this, you will also know how Siddhartha Gautam became Gautam Buddha and how Buddhism was established.
Gautam Buddha Biography in Hindi
Gautam Buddha told that life is full of pain and suffering. And the reason for this is our desires and wishes. Through his teachings, Gautam Buddha has shown the way out of this pain and suffering.
Through the biography of Gautam Buddha, we will learn about him and the teachings he gave. So let us first start with his birth.
A Noble Birth : According to Buddhist tradition, Siddhartha Gautama was born in the Shakya clan in Lumbini, which is now in Nepal. His father Shuddhodhan was a Kshatriya king of the Shakya nation and his mother was Queen Maya (Mayadevi), who was the wife of King Shuddhodhan.
According to legend, the night Maya Devi carried Siddhartha in her womb, she dreamt that a white elephant with six white tusks entered her from her right side. About ten months after this dream, Siddhartha was born.
When Siddhartha’s birth was being celebrated, an ascetic seer named Asita announced during the festivities that the child would either become a Chakravarti king or a great Sanyasi (ascetic).
According to traditional stories, Siddhartha’s mother, Queen Mayadevi, died seven days after his birth.
After the death of Queen Mayadevi, Siddhartha was raised by his aunt and Shuddhodhan’s second queen, Mahaprajavati Gautami.
The newborn baby was named Siddhartha. Siddhartha means “ one who is born to achieve success “ .
Siddhartha’s father King Shuddhodhan wanted him to become a Chakravarti king. For this reason, Shuddhodhan did a lot to protect Siddhartha from sorrow, pain, illness, old age, death, religious teachings and knowledge of human suffering.
Life after birth : When Siddhartha Gautama was 16 years old, his father got him married to a beautiful princess of the same age. Siddhartha’s wife Yashodhara was a girl from a high family.
Some time after marriage, Yashodhara gave birth to a son who was named Rahul. Siddhartha Gautama spent 29 years as a prince in Kapilavastu (presently a place in Nepal).
Siddhartha’s father Shuddhodhan never let Siddhartha feel the lack of any material comforts. Siddhartha had everything he wanted or needed.
In spite of having all the comforts and luxuries, he was never satisfied and he realized that material comforts can never be the ultimate goal of life.
The Journey of Siddhartha Gautama to Gautam Buddha
The journey from Prince Siddhārtha Gautama to Gautama Buddha is broadly divided into three stages – the great departure, the great enlightenment, and the great demise.
the great departure
Siddhartha’s father Shuddhodhan wanted Siddhartha to experience only a life of luxury while growing up. Apart from this, he should not see or hear anything that would inspire him to go on a spiritual path.
But finally, in his 29th year, he somehow managed to sneak out of the palace by hiding from the palace guards. After coming out of the palace, he saw four life-changing signs in the outside world, after seeing which the course of his life changed.
- a sick man
- an old man
- a religious ascetic
- a dead man
After seeing these signs, Siddhartha realized that he too will one day fall sick, grow old, die and lose everything he loves.
He realized that the kind of life he was living was only leading to misery and pain. Seeing all these signs and new experiences, Siddhartha became troubled and restless.
After seeing the reality of the life he was living, he left his luxurious life, wife, son, and family at the age of 29 to find answers to questions like what is truth and life? or what is the purpose of life?
Siddhartha left the palace on his favorite horse Kanthaka. He started his meditation practice with two monks due to which he achieved a high level of meditation consciousness. But he was not satisfied even with this.
When he reached a certain level, he started living his life as an ascetic and practised vigorous techniques of physical and mental austerity.
Gautama learned all these techniques and knowledge very well and became proficient in them and even surpassed his teachers.
Even after reaching such a high level of consciousness and penance, he did not find answers to his questions (like how to get liberation from pain and suffering).
After this, he left his gurus and set out with some of his close companions to further his penance.
The great enlightenment
Eventually he reached Gaya (a place which is now located in Bihar) and started doing penance sitting under a Bodhi tree.
There came a time when he attained enlightenment and he realized that the reason any human being is in suffering is because he is not aware enough to understand that in this mortal world nothing is permanent and life keeps on changing constantly.
And every material thing has an end, so attachment to anything can cause them suffering and misery. Which will keep them trapped in a never-ending cycle of desire, striving, rebirth and death.
After attaining enlightenment, Siddhartha Gautama became Gautama Buddha. After attaining enlightenment, he started showing others the path to freedom from ignorance and desire and to end the suffering of people.
He gave his first sermon at Sarnath. There he introduced people to his four noble truths and the eightfold path. The four noble truths told by him are:
- life is hard
- The cause of suffering is craving (desire)
- The end of suffering is with the end of craving
- There is a path that takes one away from longing and suffering
The Fourth Noble Truth directs us to the Eightfold Path, which shows us how to live a life without attachment. The eightfold paths are:
- right view
- right resolution
- right speech
- In right action
- Proper livelihood
- Proper exercise
- sound memory
- Samyak Samadhi
The great Demise
According to the Mahaparinibbana Sutta of the Pali Canon, when the Buddha was 80 years old he announced that he would soon attain parinirvana, the final deathless state, leaving his earthly body. The Buddha died at Kusinara at the age of 80.
When Buddha completely gave up his body, that is, after his body died, he was cremated and his remains were kept in monuments or stupas. Some of his relics are believed to have survived to this day.
Conclusion
Siddhartha Gautama was born in Lumbini. His father’s name was Shuddhodhan and his mother’s name was Mayadevi. His mother died seven days after Siddhartha’s birth and Siddhartha was raised by Shuddhodhan’s second queen Mahaprajavati Gautami.
At the age of 29, Siddhartha abandoned his palace, wife, son, family, etc. and set out in search of truth on his horse Kanthaka.
He did very rigorous penance and meditation in his life due to which his mental consciousness reached a very high level. He attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in Gaya when he was engrossed in his meditation (penance).
After attaining enlightenment, he started preaching to other people how they can be free from their sufferings. He left his body at the age of 80.
Gautam Buddha left his invaluable knowledge among his disciples. We hope that reading about Gautam Buddha and the path shown by him brings positive changes in your life.
Read More : Bhagat Singh Biography: Life introduction of Bhagat Singh in Hindi
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Why did Siddhartha Gautama abandon his luxurious life?
When Siddhartha Gautama became 29 years old. Somehow he came out of the palace hiding from the palace guards. Coming out of the palace, he saw four life-changing signs. They are a sick man, an old man, a religious ascetic, and a dead man.
After seeing these signs Siddhartha realized that one day he too would fall ill, grow old, and die and he would lose everything he loved. They understood that the kind of life they were living contained only sorrow and pain.
After seeing the reality of the life he was living, he asked what is truth and life. Or what is the purpose of life? To find answers to such questions, Siddhartha Gautama abandoned his luxurious life, wife, son, and family at the age of 29.
What is the real name of Gautam Buddha?
The real name of Gautam Buddha is Siddhartha Gautam and Siddhartha means “ one who is born to attain perfection ” .
Was Gautam Buddha a Hindu?
Yes Gautama Buddha was a Hindu. He was born in a Hindu family in northern India.