Also written as Nairânjânâ (Sanskrit: Nairânjânâ), translated in Chinese as “The River Untainted by Sensual Pleasures,” meaning: a river untouched by sensual pleasures. Originally, it was a river located near Elephant Head Mountain, in the village of Uruvilva, in Magadha (India). Before meditating under the Bodhi tree, the Buddha went down to the Nairânjânâ stream to bathe. Therefore, later generations often praised the water of this river for its miraculous ability to cleanse all impurities (Nairânjânâ river, without defilement, is used to cleanse). [From the book Dharma Illusion Pearl Forest].
Before attaining Enlightenment, the prince Siddhārtha Gautama practiced asceticism for six years (ten or twelve years according to some accounts) on the banks of the river, residing in a forest near the village of Uruvilvā (Bodh Gaya).[6] After realizing that strict asceticism would not lead to Enlightenment, he recuperated after bathing in the river and receiving a bowl of milk-rice from the milkmaid Sujātā.
He sat under the nearby pippala tree, where he finally achieved Enlightenment. This tree became known as the Bodhi Tree, and the site became known as Bodh Gayā.[7]
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