(Part
One) 6. Prince Siddhartha's Wife
The
five wise men who were at Prince Siddhartha's naming ceremony
not only predicted the great future of the new prince,
but had given the king a warning. "When your son
sees a sick man, an old man, a dead body and a monk, he
will want to leave the palace and become a monk himself,"
they had said.
These
words worried the king. He became afraid that this son
would see these four sights and leave the palace. To shield
Siddhartha from any such experiences he employed many
young servants to distract and protect him, and did not
allow any sick or old people or monks to go into the palace.
He built Siddhartha three palaces: one for winter, one
for summer and one for the rainy season, as well as enclosed
parks and hunting grounds.
Siddhartha
played in a sunny world of gardens and groves, attended
by dancing girls and musicians. He lived in a world of
plenty and beauty. He could have whatever he wanted, yet
he was not happy.
One
day the king asked some wise people, "What shall
I do to make my son happy? He seems depressed and sad
always." They answered, "Now your son is sixteen
years old, why not find him a beautiful girl to marry?"
The
king agreed and sent for all the beautiful girls in the
country to come to the palace. When they had all arrived,
a grand parade was arranged and the king asked the prince
to choose one to be his wife.
Among
them there was a most charming and kind girl by the name
of Yasodhara. When Prince Siddhartha gave her a present
more valuable than any he had given to the other maidens,
the king saw that the prince had chosen his love. The
king happily accepted Yasodhara and allowed his son to
marry her.
