HOST (IN HINDI):
Namaskar (greeting in Sanskrit) and welcome to The World Around Us. Today, we will travel to the North of India to Sarnath and Haridwar – two of India’s holiest places.

HOST:
Our first stop today is Sarnath, which is situated 13 km northeast of the “eternal city” of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Sarnath is the deer park where Lord Buddha first set the wheel of preaching the dharma in motion by preaching the first sutra, known as the Dhamacakkhapavathana Sutta, to his first five monks. Sarnath is also where Lord Buddha spoke several other sutras such as the Anattalakhana Sutta and the Sacchavibhanga Sutta.

HOST:
The name Sarnath originates from the word Saranganath which means “Lord of the Deer.” It refers to a story about a previous life of Shakyamuni Buddha in which he offered his life to a king. This was so that the life of the doe which the king intended to kill might be spared. According to the story, the king was so moved by the compassionate spirit of the Bodhisattva that he created a park for deers. This park still exists today. Sarnath is also called Mrigadava which means “the place where deer roam undisturbed.” During Lord Buddha’s lifetime it was called Isipatana, which means the place where holy men landed on earth after traveling through the air.