Navam Poya, an important day for Buddhists

By Ananda KANANGARA

The Navam Full Moon Poya Day which falls on February 7 this year is important to Buddhists all over the world. In addition to Sri Lanka, Navam Full Moon Poya is celebrated on a grand scale at many other places including the London Buddhist Vihara, Texas Buddhist Temple, USA and Melbourne Buddhist Temple in Australia.

It was on a Navam Full Moon Poya day that the two friends Kolitha and Upatissa, with another 250, embraced Buddhism and entered the Sasana. Similarly Ven. Sariputta attained Arahantship on hearing the Buddha expound the Vedana Pariggaha Sutta to the wandering ascetic Dighanakha at Veluvanarama on a Navam Poya day. The Buddha summoned all His disciples and made Ven. Sariputta and Ven. Moggallana His chief disciples.

Ven. Sariputta was appointed as the Dharmasenadipathi and Ven. Moggallana as the Dharmapurohita. Some bhikkhus were not happy with the two appointments. They discussed among themselves as to why senior bhikkhus were overlooked when making the key appointments.

The Buddha dispelled their doubts by informing them that seniority was not the only criteria of selecting bhikkhus for key appointments. He also related an interesting story about Sariputta and Moggallana during the time of Anomadassi Buddha.

During the time of the Anomadassi Buddha, Sariputta had been known as Sarada. He had about 74,000 followers. He had inherited massive wealth on the death of his parents. Sarada did not want to use his wealth for himself. He distributed it among thousands of poor villagers. He also developed his mental faculties through meditation. He even persuaded others to engage in meditation.

Ovada Patimokkha was the guiding principle for bhikkhus. Accordingly, bhikkhus should give up their worldly pleasures and concentrate on the Dhamma.

History

It was in the month of Navam that Upatissa of Upatissagrama came across Assaji Thera who was preaching the Buddha’s teachings. Kolitha and Upatissa had arrived in Rajagahanuwara at a time when many a Brahmin youth had developed an interest in investigating the existence of the truth.

There were several Paribrajakas who also had the same interest and they spent time in temples with their disciples. Sanjaya was one such paribrajaka who had Kolitha and Upatissa of Kolithagrama and Upatissagrama as his disciples. Kolitha and Upatissa soon realised that they were on the wrong track.

The two friends decided to take two different routes in search of the Truth, promising each other that if one of the two could find a way out of suffering first, he would inform the other about it. The young Upatissa arrived in Rajagahanuwara to see Assaji Thera walking down the street in a serene manner with his bowl of alms. Upatissa waited until the Thera finished his Dana and offered him water to drink from his own bowl, realising that the Thera was an Arahant. Upatissa then inquired from him about his teacher and his teachings.

“I am a disciple of the Buddha, but still I am a novice monk,” said the Thera. On the invitation of Upatissa, Assaji Thera summed up the Buddha’s teachings.

After listening to his discourse, Upatissa reached the first stage of the path to Nibbana. Thereafter, Upatissa and Kolitha went to meet Sanjaya Paribrajaka. Since he was not willing to join them, the two friends headed towards Veluvanarama together with Sanjaya Paribrajaka’s 250 disciples.

Seeing Upatissa and Kolitha coming towards Him, the Buddha addressed the Bhikkhus.

“O, bhikkhus, those two will become the two chief disciples of the Thathagatha,”. They were soon ordained and came to be known as Sariyuth (Sariputta) and Mugalan (Moggallana). Mugalan Thera became an arahant on Navam Pura Atawaka Poya Day.

Sariputta Thera entered Arahanthood after listening to Vedana Pariggaha Sutta which was preached to Dighanakha. During the first council of bhikkhus that took place in the month of Navam at Veluvanarama, the Buddha appointed them as His chief disciples (Agasavu) and told the Bhikkhus how Sariputta and Moggallana engaged in meritorious deeds throughout their previous births.

Most temples in Sri Lanka conduct annual peraheras (cultural pageants) on the Navam Full Moon Poya day. Among the peraheras, the one conducted by the Gangarama Temple in Colombo has become the most important to be conducted in February every year. Although many peraheras are conducted countrywide in February, the Gangarama Navam Perahera is considered as the longest procession with the participation of a large number of elephants and dancers. The Perahera is second only to the Kandy Perahera which is conducted in the month of Esala.