THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA
Part-(1)
The Shakya clansmen dwelled along the Rohini River that flows among the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Their king, Shuddhodana Gautama, had settled his capital at Kapilavastu and there had a great castle built and ruled wisely, winning the joyful acclaim of his people.
The Queen’s name was Maya. She was the daughter of the King’s uncle who was also the king of a neighboring district of the same Shakya clan.For twenty years they had no children. But, one night, dreaming a strange dream, in which she saw a white elephant entering into her womb through the right side of her chest, Queen Maya became pregnant.
The King and the people looked forward with joyful anticipation to the birth of a royal child. According to their custom, the Queen returned to her parents’ home for the birth, and on her way, in the beautiful spring sunshine, she took a rest in Lumbini Garden.All about her were Ashoka blossoms and in delight. Since she reached out and pluck a branch withe her right arm, as she did so, a prince was born. All expressed their heart-felt delight with the glory of the Queen and her princely child: Heaven and Earth rejoiced. This memorable day was the eight day of April.When the king saw the child he felt as if all his wishes had been fulfilled and he named the young prince, Siddhartha, which means, “Every wish fulfilled.”In the palace of the King, however, delight was quickly followed by sorrow, for after several days the lovely Queen Maya suddenly died. Her younger sister, Mahaprajapati, became the child’s foster mother and brought him up with loving care.A hermit, called Asita, who lived in the mountains not far away, noticed a radiance about the castle and, interpreting it as a good omen. He came down to the palace and was shown the child.
He predicted: "This prince, if he remains in the palace, when he grown up, will become a great king and subjugate the whole world. But if he forsakes the court life to embrace a religious life, he will become a Buddha, the Saviour of the world."At first the King was pleased hearing this prophecy, but later he started to worry about the possibility of his only one son leaving the palace to become a homeless recluse.
At the age of seven, the Prince began his lessons in the civil and military arts, but his thoughts more naturally tended to other things. One spring day, he went out of the castle with his father and they were watching together to the farmer at his plowing. He noticed that a bird descending to the ground and carrying off a small worm which had been turned up from the earth by the farmer's plough. He sat down in the shade of a tree and thought about it, whispering to himself:"Alas..! Do all living creatures kill each other.
"He, who had lost his mother so soon after his birth, was deeply affected by the tragedy of these little creatures.This spiritual wound deepened day be day as he grew up; like a little scar on a young tree, the suffering of human life became more and more deeply engrained in his mind.
The King was increasingly worried as he recalled the hermit's prophecy and tried in every possible way to cheer the Prince and to turn his thoughts toward other directions. The King arranged the marriage of the Prince at the age of nineteen to the Princess Yashodhara who was the daughter of Suprabuddha, the Lord of Devadaha Castle and a brother of the late Queen Maya.
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