Life of Siddhartha Gautama

Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.

Prince Siddhartha Gautama, from Buddhist Birth Tales, a translation of the c. 4th-century BCE Jataka Tales by V. Fausboll and T.W. Rhys Davids, 1880.

II: The Intermediate Epoch

Avidure Nidana

Part 3

The people of both towns took the Bodisat and went to Kapilavastu. On that day too, companies of devas in the next, the Tavatimsa world, were astonished and joyful; and waved their robes and rejoiced, saying, "In Kapilavastu, to Suddhodana the king a son is born, who, seated under the Bo-tree, will become a Buddha."

At that time an ascetic named Kaja Devala, a confidential adviser of Suddhodana the king, who had passed through the eight stages of religious attainment, had eaten his midday meal, and had gone to the Tavatimsa world for his midday rest. Whilst there sitting resting, he saw these devas, and asked them: "Why are you thus glad at heart and rejoicing? Tell me the reason of it."

The devas replied: "Sir, to Suddhodana the king is born a son, who, seated under the Bo-tree, will become a Buddha, and will found a Kingdom of Righteousness. To us it will be given to see his infinite grace and to hear his word. Therefore it is that we are glad!"

The ascetic, hearing what they said, quickly came down from the deva-world, and entering the king’s house, sat down on the seat set apart for him, and said: "A son they say is born to you, king! let me see him."

The king ordered his son to be clad in splendour and carried in to salute the ascetic. But the future Buddha turned his feet round, and planted them on the matted hair of the ascetic. For in that birth there was no one worthy to be saluted by the Bodisat, and if these ignorant ones had placed the head of the future Buddha at the feet of the ascetic, assuredly the ascetic’s head would have split in two. The ascetic rose from his seat, and saying: "It is not right for me to work my own destruction," he did homage to the Bodisat. And the king also seeing this wonder did homage to his own son.

Now the ascetic had the power of calling to mind the events of forty ages (kalpas) in the past, and of forty ages in the future. Looking at the marks of future prosperity on the Bodisat’s body, he considered with himself: "Will he become a Buddha or not?" And perceiving that he would most certainly become a Buddha, he smiled, saying: "This is a wonderman."

Then reflecting: "Will it be given to me to behold him when he has become a Buddha?" he perceived that it would not. "Dying before that time I shall be reborn in the formless world; so that while a hundred or perhaps a thousand Buddhas appear among men, I shall not be able to go and be taught by them. And it will not be my good fortune to behold this so wonderful man when he has become a Buddha. Great, alas, is my loss!" And he wept.

The people seeing this, asked, saying: "Our master just now smiled, and has now begun to weep! Will, sir, any misfortune befall our master's child?"

There is no misfortune in him; assuredly he will become a Buddha," was the reply.

"Why then do you weep?"

"It will not be granted to me," he said, "to behold so great a man when he has become a Buddha. Great, alas, is my loss! bewailing myself, I weep."

Then reflecting: "Will it be granted or not to any one of my relatives to see him as a Buddha?" he saw it would be granted to his nephew, the boy Nalaka. So he went to his sister’s house, and said to her, "Where is your son Nalaka?"

"In the house, brother."

"Call him," said he. When he came he said to him," In the family of Suddhodana the king, dear, a son is born, a young Buddha. In thirty-five years he will become a Buddha, and it will be granted you to see him. This very day give up the world!"

Bearing in mind that his uncle was not a man to urge him without a cause, the young man, though born in a family of incalculable wealth, straightway took out of the inner store a yellow suit of clothes and an earthenware pot, and shaved his head and put on the robes. And saying: "I leave the world for the sake of him who is the greatest person on earth," he prostrated himself on the ground and raised his joined hands in adoration towards the Bodisat. Then putting the begging bowl in a bag, and carrying it on his shoulder, he went to the Himalaya mountains, and lived the life of a monk.

When the Tathagata had attained to complete Enlightenment, Nalaka went to him and heard the way of salvation. He then returned to the Himalayas and reached Arahantship. And when he had lived seven months longer as a pilgrim along the most excellent Path, he passed away when standing near a Golden Hill, by that final passing away in which no source of rebirth remains.

Now on the fifth day they bathed the Bodisat's head, saying: "Let us perform the rite of choosing a name for him." So they perfumed the king's house with four kinds of odours, and decked it with Dalbergia flowers, and made ready rice well cooked in milk. Then they sent for one hundred and eight brahmins who had mastered the three Vedas, and seated them in the king's house, and gave them the pleasant food to eat, and did them great honour, and asked them to recognize the signs of what the child should be.

Among them:

Rama, and Dhaja, and Lakkhana, and Mantin, Kondanya and Bhoja, Suyama and Sudatta, These eight brahmins then were there, Their senses all subdued; and they declared the charm.

Now these eight brahmins were recognizers of signs; it was by them that the dream on the night of conception had been interpreted. Seven of them holding up two fingers prophesied in the alternative, saying: "If a man having such marks should remain a householder, he becomes a Universal Monarch; but if he takes the vows, he becomes a Buddha." And, so saying, they declared all the glory and power of a Chakkavatti king.

But the youngest of all of them, a young brahmin, whose family name was Kondanya, beholding the perfection of the auspicious marks on the Bodisat, raised up one finger only, and prophesied without ambiguity, and said: "There is no sign of his remaining amidst the cares of household life. Verily, he will become a Buddha, and remove the veils of sin and ignorance from the world."

This man already, under former Buddhas, had made a deep resolve of holiness, and had now reached his last birth. Therefore it was that he surpassed the other seven in wisdom; that he perceived how the Bodisat would only be subject to this one life; and that, raising only one finger, he so prophesied, saying: "The lot of one possessed of these marks will not be cast amidst the cares of household life. Verily, he will become a Buddha!"

Now those brahmins went home, and addressed their sons, saying:"We are old, dear ones; whether or not we shall live to see the son of Suddhodana the king after he has gained all-knowledge, do you, when he has gained all-knowledge, take the vows according to his religion." And after they all seven had lived out their span of life, they passed away and were reborn according to their deeds.

But the young brahmin Kondanya was in good health; and for the sake of the wisdom of the Great Being he left all that he had and made the great renunciation. And coming in due course to Uruvela, he thought: "Behold how pleasant is this place! how suitable for the exertions of a young man desirous of wrestling with sin." So he took up his residence there.

And when he heard that the Great Being had left the world, he went to the sons of those brahmins, and said to them: "Siddhattha the prince has taken the vows. Assuredly he will become a Buddha. If your fathers were in health they would to-day leave their homes, and go forth: and now, if you should so desire, come, I will leave the world in imitation of him." But all of them were not able to agree with one accord: three did not give up the world; the other four made Kondanya the brahmin their leader, and left the world. It was those five who came to be called "the Company of the Five Elders.”

Then the king asked: "After seeing what, will my son forsake the world?"

"The four Omens" was the reply.

"Which four?"

"A man worn out by age, a sick man, a dead body, and a monk."

The king thought: "From this time let no such things come near my son. There is no good in my son's becoming a Buddha. I should like to see my son exercising rule and sovereignty over the four great continents and the two thousand islands that surround them; and walking, as it were, in the vault of heaven, surrounded by an innumerable retinue." Then so saying, he placed guards two miles apart in the four directions to prevent men of those four kinds coming to the sight of his son.

That day also, of eighty thousand clansmen assembled in the festival hall, each one dedicated a son, saying:"Whether this child becomes a Buddha or a king, we give each a son; so that if he shall become a Buddha, he shall live attended and honoured by Khattiya monks, and if he shall become a king, he shall live attended and honoured by nobles." And the raja appointed nurses of great beauty, and free from every fault, for the Bodisat. So the Bodisat grew up in great splendour and surrounded by an innumerable retinue.

Now one day the king held the so-called Ploughing Festival. On that day they ornament the town like a palace of the gods. All the slaves and servants, in new garments and crowned with sweet-smelling garlands, assemble in the king's house. For the king's work a thousand ploughs are yoked. On this occasion one hundred and eight minus one were, with the oxenreins and cross-bars, ornamented with silver. But the plough for the king to use was ornamented with red gold; and so also the horns and reins and goads of the oxen.

The king leaving his house with a great retinue, took his son and went to the spot. There there was a jambu-tree thick with leaves and giving a dense shade.

Under it the raja had the child's couch laid out; and over the couch a canopy spread inlaid with stars of gold, and round it a curtain hung. Then leaving a guard there, the raja, clad in splendour and attended by his ministers, went away to plough.

At such a time the king takes hold of a golden plough, the attendant ministers one hundred and eight minus one silver ploughs, and the peasants the rest of the ploughs. Holding them they plough this way and that way. The raja goes from one side to the other, and comes from the other back again.

On this occasion the king had great success; and the nurses seated round the Bodisat, thinking: "Let us go to see the king's glory", came out from within the curtain, and went away. The future Buddha, looking all round, and seeing no one, got up quickly, seated himself cross-legged, and holding his breath, sank into the first Jhana.

The nurses, engaged in preparing various kinds of food, delayed a little. The shadows of the other trees turned round, but that of the jambu-tree remained steady and circular in form. The nurses, remembering their young master was alone, hurriedly raised the curtain and returned inside it. Seeing the Bodisat sitting cross-legged, and that miracle of the shadow, they went and told the raja, saying: "Sire! the prince is seated in such and such a manner; and while the shadows of the other trees have turned, that of the jambu-tree is fixed in a circle!"

And the raja went hurriedly and saw that miracle, and did homage to his son, saying:"This, dear, is the second homage paid to thee!"

But the Bodisat in due course grew to manhood. And the king had three mansions made, suitable for the three seasons, one nine stories high, one seven stories high, and one five stories high; and he provided him with forty thousand dancing girls. So the Bodisat, surrounded by well-dressed dancing girls, like a deva surrounded by troops of nymphs, and attended by musical instruments which played of themselves, lived, as the seasons changed, in each of these mansions in enjoyment of great prosperity. And the mother of Rahula was his principal queen.

Whilst he was thus in the enjoyment of great prosperity the following talk sprang up in the public assembly of his clansmen: "Siddhartha lives devoted to pleasure; not one thing does he learn; if war should break out, what would he do?"

The king sent for the future Buddha, and said to him: "Your relations, dear one, say that you learn nothing, and are given up to pleasure: now what do you think you should do about this?"

"Sire, there is no art it is necessary for me to learn. Have the drum-beater about the city, that I may show my skill. Seven days from now I will show my kindred what I can do."

The king did so. The Bodisat assembled those so skilled in archery that they could split even a hair, and shoot as quick as lightning; and then, in the midst of the people, he showed his relatives his twelve-fold skill, and how unsurpassed he was by other masters of the bow. So the assembly of his clansmen doubted no longer.

Now one day the future Buddha, wanting to go to his pleasure ground, told his charioteer to harness his chariot. The latter accordingly decked the gloriously beautiful chariot with all its trappings, and harnessed to it four state horses of the Sindhi breed, and white as the leaves of the white lotus flower. And he informed the Bodisat. So the Bodisat ascended the chariot, resplendent like a mansion in the skies, and went towards the garden.

The devas thought: "The time for young Siddhartha to attain Enlightenment is near, let us show him the Omens." And they did so by making a son of the devas represent a man wasted by age, with decayed teeth and grey hair, bent and broken down in body, and with a stick in his hand. But he was only visible to the future Buddha and his charioteer.

Then the Bodisat asked his charioteer, as is told in the Mahapadana: "What kind of man is this, whose very hair is not as that of other men?"When he heard his servant's answer, he said: "Shame then be upon life! since the old age of what is born is evident!" and with agitated heart he turned back at that very spot and re-entered his palace.

The king asked: "Why does my son turn back so hurriedly?"

"He has seen an old man," they said, "and having seen an old man, he will forsake the world."

"By this you ruin me," exclaimed the raja; "quickly get ready plays to be performed before my son. So long as he continues in the enjoyment of pleasure, he will not turn his thoughts to forsaking the world!" Then increasing the guards, he placed them at each point of the compass, at intervals of half a league.

Again, one day, when the future Buddha, as he was going to his pleasure ground, saw a sick man represented by the devas, he made the same inquiry as before; and then, with agitated heart, turned back and re-entered his palace. The king also made the same inquiry, and gave the same orders as before; and again increasing the guard, placed them all round as far as three gavutas.

Once more, when the future Buddha, as he was going to his pleasure ground, saw a dead man repre sented by the gods, he made the same inquiry as before; and then, with agitated heart, turned back and re-entered his palace. The king also made the same inquiry, and gave the same orders as before; and again increasing the guard, placed them all round as far as a league.

Once again, when the future Buddha, as he was going to his pleasure ground, saw one who had abandoned the world, carefully and decently clad, he asked his charioteer: "Friend, what kind of man is that?" As at that time there was no Buddha at all in the world, the charioteer understood neither what a recluse was nor what were his distinguishing characteristics; but nevertheless, inspired by the devas, he said, "That is a recluse"; and described the advantages of renouncing the world. And that day the future Buddha, cherishing the thought of renouncing the world, went on to his pleasure ground.

The repeaters of the Digha Nikaya, however, say that he saw all the four Omens on the same day, and then went to his pleasure ground. There he enjoyed himself during the day and bathed in the beautiful lake; and at sunset seated himself on the royal resting stone to be robed. Now his attendants brought robes of different colours, and various kinds of ornaments, and garlands, and perfumes, and ointments, and stood around him,

At that moment the throne on which Sakka was seated became warm. And thinking to himself: "Who is it now who wants me to descend from hence?"he perceived that the time for the adornment of the future Buddha had come. And he said to Vissakamma:"Friend Vissakamma, the young noble Siddhartha, to-day, at midnight, will carry out the Great Renunciation. This is the last time he will be clad in splendour. Go to the pleasure ground and adorn him with heavenly array."

By the miraculous power which devas have, he accordingly, that very moment, drew near in the likeness of the royal barber; and taking from the barber's hand the material for the turban, he arranged it round the Bodisat's head. At the touch of his hand the Bodisat knew:"This is no man, it is a son of the devas."

When the first round of the turban was put on, there arose, by the appearance of the jewel on the diadem, a thousand folds; when the turban was wrapt the second time round, a thousand folds arose again; when ten times, ten thousand folds appeared. How so many folds could seem to rise on so small a head is beyond imagination; for in size the largest of them were as the flower of the Black Piyangu creeper, and the rest even as Kutumbaka blossoms. And the head of the future Buddha became like a Kuyyaka flower in full bloom.

And when he was arrayed in all his splendour the musicians the while exhibiting each one his peculiar skill, the brahmins honouring him with words of joy and victory, and the men of lower station with festive cries and shouts of praise; he ascended his superbly decorated car.

At that time Suddhodana the king, who had heard that the mother of Rahula had brought forth a son, sent a message, saying: "Make known my joy to my son!" The future Buddha, hearing this, said: "An impediment has come into being, a bond has come into being." When the king asked: "What did my son say?" and heard that saying, he gave command: "From henceforth let Rahula (impediment) be my grandson's name." But the Bodisat, riding in his splendid chariot, entered the town with great magnificence and exceeding glory.

Fausboll, V. and T.W. Rhys Davids. Buddhist Birth Stories. Vol. 1, Trubner & Co., 1880.

V. Fausboll, T.W. Rhys Davids

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