Jesus In India — Page 85
J e s u s i n I n d i a 85 rather, the account of the temptation of the Buddha, as stated in these books, is even longer than the account of the temptation of Jesus. It is recorded that when the Devil offered him the temptation of wealth and kingly honour, the Buddha felt inclined to return home. He, nevertheless, did not succumb to the temptation. But the same Devil met him again one night, bringing with him all his progeny, and tried to frighten him by assuming frightfully grotesque shapes. To the Buddha, these Devils appeared like snakes which were emitting fire from their mouths. The snakes began to throw poison and fire at him but the poison turned into flowers and the fire formed a halo round the Buddha. The Devil, not having succeeded so far, called upon sixteen of his daughters, and asked them to reveal their beauty to the Buddha who remained totally unmoved; and the Devil was baulked in his designs. He adopted a variety of other tricks, but was helpless against the steadfastness of the Buddha, who continued to rise higher and higher to different stages of spiritual eminence, and, after a long night, that is, after severe and protracted trials, he overcame his enemy, the Devil. The Light of True Knowledge dawned upon him and, with the break of day, as soon as his trials were over, he came to know all. The day this great battle ended was the day of the birth of Buddhism. Gautama was 35 years old at the time when he was called the Buddha 36 or the Light, and the Tree under which he was sitting at the time came to be known as the Tree of Light. Now, if you read the Gospels, you will find how closely the temptation of the Buddha resembles the temptation of Jesus to the 36 See Appendix, extract 2. (Translator)