A Holy Man’s Visit
With great rejoicing, King Shuddhodana greeted his Queen and his new son. Splendid festivals were held and the whole kingdom was decked in beautifully collard banners. It was a time of great happiness and peace. There was so much gladness everywhere that his parents decided to name the prince “Siddhartha” which means “the one who has brought about all good”.
Now the wise men made new predictions about the baby. “O King,” they said, “the signs of the prince’s birth are most favorable. Your son will grow up to be even greater than you now!” This news made the king very proud. ‘If these wise men are correct, ‘he thought, my son, Prince Siddhartha, may one day be the ruler not only of my small kingdom, but perhaps of the entire world! What a great honor for me and my family!
In the first few days after birth, many people came to the palace to see the new baby. One of these visitors was an old man named Asita. Asita was a hermit who lived by himself in the distant forest and was known to be very holy person. The King and Queen were surprised that Asita would leave his forest home and appear at their court, “We are much honored that you have come visit us, O holy teacher,” they said with great respect. “Please tell us the purpose of your journey and we shall serve you in any way we can”
Asita answered them; I think you know for your kind welcome. I have come a great distance to visit you because of the wonderful signs I have recently seen. They tell me that the son recently born to you will gain great spiritual knowledge for the benefit of all people. Since I have spent my entire life trying to gain such holy wisdom, I came here as quickly as possible to see him for myself.”
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Bangladesh Bouddha Kristi Prachar Sangha
Dhammarajika Maha Vihara
Atisa Dipanker Sarak, Kamalapur,
Dhaka 1214, Bangladesh
The king was very excited and hurried to where the baby Prince lay sleeping. He carefully picked up his son and brought him back to Asita. For a long time the holy man gazed at the infant, saying nothing. Then he finally stepped back, looked sadly up at the sky, sighed heavily and began to cry. Seeing Asita weep, the King and Queen became very frightened. They were afraid that the holy man has seen something wrong with their child. With tears in his eyes, the King fell to his knees and cried out, “O holy teacher, what have you seen that makes you weep? Didn’t you and all the other men wise say that my son was to be born a great man, To gain supreme knowledge? But now, when you look at my baby you cry. Does this mean that the Prince will die soon? Or will something else very terrible happen to him? He is my only child and I love him dearly. Please tell me quickly what you have seen for my heart is shaking with sadness and fear.” Then with a very kind look, Asita calmed the new parents and told him not to worry. “Do not be upset, “he told them.”I am not crying because of something bad I saw for the prince. In fact now that I have seen your son, I know for certain that he will grow up to be more than just a great man. There are special sings that I have seen on this child-such as the light that shines from his fingers-that tells me he will have a glorious future. “If your son decides to stay with you and become king, he will be the greatest king in history. He will rule a vast realm and being his people much peace and happiness. But if he decides not to become king a great teacher, showing all people how to live with peace and love in their hearts. Seeing the sadness in the world he will leave your palace and discover a way to end all suffering. Then he will teach this way to whoever will listen ‘No, dear King and Queen, I was not crying for the child. I was crying for myself. You see, I have spent my whole life looking for the truth, searching for a way to end all suffering. And today i have met the child who will someday teach everything I have wanted to learn. But the time he is old enough to teach, I shall already have died. Thus, I shall not be able to learn from his life. That is why I am so sad. But you, O fortunate parents, should not be sad. Rejoice that you have such a wonderful child.”
Then Asita took one last look at the child, and slowly left the palace. The king watched him leave and then turned towards his son. He was very happy that there was no danger to the prince’s life. He thought, ‘Asita had said that Siddhartha will become either a great king or teacher. It would be much better if first he become a king. How proud I would be to have such a powerful son! Then, when he is an old man like Asita, he can become holy man if he wants. So, thinking like this, King Shuddhodna stood happily with his baby on his arms, dreaming of the fame that his son would someday have.
Written by: Jonathan Landaw
Composed by: Sumit Barua
