The Light of Asia : The Poem that Defined The Buddha
'The Light of Asia'
is an epic poem by Sir Edwin Arnold that was first published in 1879. It is a
narrative of the life and message of the Buddha. It quickly became a huge
sensation and has continued to resonate powerfully across the world over the
last century and a half. The poem captivated an Indian monk who remains an
iconic personality-Swami Vivekananda. At about the same time, it deeply moved a
young man in Colombo who has become famous in history as Anagarika Dharmapala.
It caught the attention of an aspiring Indian lawyer in London in 1889. This
man later became immortal as Mahatma Gandhi. A few years hence it impacted a
teenager in Allahabad who would, in 1947, become the first Prime Minister of
India-Jawaharlal Nehru. Two copies of the book adorned the bookshelves of B.R.
Ambedkar, the prime architect of the Indian constitution.
Weaving together literary, cultural, political and social history, Jairam
Ramesh uncovers and narrates the fascinating story of this deeply consequential
and compelling poem that has shaped our thinking of an ancient sage and his
teachings.
Jairam Ramesh brings into this unusual narrative the life of the multi-faceted
poet himself who, among other things, was steeped in Sanskrit literature. Sir
Edwin Arnold's English rendering of the Bhagavad Gita was one of Mahatma
Gandhi's abiding favourites. Sir Edwin was also in many ways the man who shaped
Bodh Gaya as we know it today.