The Light of Asia

In this poetic masterpiece, Sir Edwin Arnold describes the life and teachings of Buddha. The man who was to become known as Buddha to the world was born as Prince Gautama of India but he rejected the worldly riches and abandoned the reigns of power when he embarked on a journey to discover the meaning of life. This poem reveals Buddha's life from the Buddhist perspective but you don't have to be a Buddhist to appreciate this poetic work. As you read about Buddha's journey you will embark on your own course of discovery.
First published in 1879, the book has become a classic and has been published in many editions and many languages. Not only is it deeply philosophical in nature, but because of its poetic form and its narrative of the dramatic incidents in Siddhartha's life, it is delightful and absorbing reading.

Sir Edwin Arnold was an English poet and journalist who lived from June 10, 1832, to March 24, 1904. His best-known work is The Light of Asia. Arnold was born in Gravesend, Kent. He was the second son of Robert Coles Arnold, who worked as a judge in Sussex. He was raised on a farm in Southchurch, Essex, called Southchurch Wick. He went to King's School in Rochester, King's College in London, and University College in Oxford, where he won the Newdigate prize for poetry about "The Feast of Belshazzar" in 1852. Arnold also came up with the idea of a big line that went across the whole of Africa. In 1874, he was the first person to use the phrase "Cape to Cairo railway," which was later made famous by Cecil Rhodes. But he was best known to people of his time for being a poet. The writing task he set for himself was to explain the life and philosophy of the East in English verse. His most important work towards this goal is a poem called "The Light of Asia" or "The Great Renunciation." It has eight books and is written in blank verse. It has been translated into many languages, including Hindi.