The Life of Lord Buddha

Pranams at the lotus feet of Lord Buddha!

Chapter – 4

On the third day when Siddhartha returned to the palace after the visit of the outside world, he was extremely disappointed and mystified after witnessing the realities of life,one of the servants rushed to him with the good news.  “ Your Highness, your wife has given birth to your son.”.  Siddhartha could not express his joy like an ordinary person; he was just begun to learn the harsh truth of aging, illness, and death which are the trap of human life on the Earth.   He felt the birth of the child was to firm his worldly bondage.    He went to meet the child and Yasodhara, but both of them were asleep.  He uttered in silence “ Yasodhara, you are dear to my heart, and Rahula you are everything to me. Oh! Dear ones, we all have to go through the sufferings like aging, sickness, and death, I have to find a way out of these sufferings for all, I have to find a way beyond all these pain and anguish, I am ready to take up all those troubles and turmoil in search of supreme bliss where there is no sufferings and misery.”  He silently left the chamber of Yasodhara, once again looked at the new born Rahula and his dear wife.

On that night, Siddhartha rushed to the attic of Channa who was half asleep, he called for Channa and asked him to keep the horse ready to leave the palace.  Channa was shocked where did the Prince want to leave in the middle of the night.  Channa received instruction from the Prince to keep his horse Kanthaka ready to leave, he will be waiting before the front gate of the Palace.  Siddhartha informed Channa that no one in the Palace should know that he is leaving the palace forever.  That was the beginning of the journey of a royal Prince to achieve the status of a great religious Monk.