Story of Mahatma Buddha cont'nd page 2

Page 2

Siddhartha from his very childhood was kindhearted. One day,when he was playing in the palace garden a swan hit by an arrow fell near him.As Siddhartha was attending to the wounded swan,his cousin Devadatta came running and said,"This swan is mine as I have shot it!"But Prince Siddhartha refused to give his cousin the swan.

   Devadatta angrily complained to King Suddhodana. After listening to them both,the king asked his jury to settle the dispute. Devadatta argued that the swan was his,as he had shot it.But Siddhartha said calmly,"If the swan had died then it would have belonged to Devadatta.But I saved its life.Life belongs to its Savior ,not destroyer!"Impressed by Siddhartha's argument the jury gave him the swan.

    One day,the king and his attendants noticed that Siddhartha was missing,and they started looking for him.A little later,they found him sitting under a tree absorbed in meditation. The king was worried."I must distract hisind from all thoughts of austerity,"he thought.So,a luxurious palace was built to divert his mind and Siddhartha was not allowed to go out of it.

     By the time Siddhartha was sixteen, he had grown up to be a handsome young prince.King Suddhodhana thought,'It is time Siddhartha should get married so that he never abandons family life.'And so,Siddhartha was married to Princess Yasodhara.But Siddhartha often thought,'I wonder how life is outside this palace?'After some time,Siddhartha  and Yasodhara were blessed with a baby boy called Rahula.

   Siddhartha was very affected by people's sufferings.So he thought,'I will find a way to stop suffering.'He decided to abandon his family and kingdom. So,one night,at the age of 29,Siddhartha left his wife and infant son accompanied by his charioteer Channa.

    The 2 travelled for sometime and finally stopped near a river.Siddhartha shaved his hair and discarding his princely robes wore the garb of an ascetic.Calmly he said to Channa,'Now my quest for truth begins.'Asking Channa to return to the palace,Siddhartha went to Rajagriha and began living like an ascetic, begging for alms.

Next: Contn'd on Page 3

   

The Story of the Buddha

  Long ago,the small kingdom of Kapilavastu was ruled by a noble monarch,Suddhodhana.He was married to Princess Maha Maya.One night, Queen Maya had a strange dream.She dreamt that a six tusked white elephant, carrying a white lotus in its trunk entered her body.Puzzled, the queen told King Suddhodana about her dream the next morning.

    King Suddhodana was confused. So he consulted a few wise men.They said,"The dream is an indication that the queen will give birth to a wise and virtuous baby.After hearing this the king and the queen were filled with joy.When the baby was about to be born,Queen Maha Maya decided to visit her mother.

On her way Queen Maya grew tired. So,her bearers carried her to a beautiful garden.Here under a Sal tree the queen gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.5 days after the prince's birth,a naming ceremony was held.The prince was named Siddhartha.King Suddhodhana invited 8 brahmin scholars to foretell the future of the child.

   The brahmin scholars said that Siddhartha would either be a monarch or a holy man.However,Kondanna,the youngest of all the brahmins predicted,"The child will abandon his kingdom and become monk."Hearing this, the king was worried.'I will not let Siddhartha become a monk,'thought King Suddhodhana.Unfortunately, 2 days after the ceremony, Queen Maha Maya died.Mahaprajapati Gotami,her sister,became Siddhartha's foster mother.

Next: Continued on Page 2