Venerable Nārada Mahāthera
The Buddha
Chapter 1
From Birth to Renunciation
“A unique Being, an extraordinary Man arises in this world for the
benefit of the many, for the happiness of the many, out of compassion
for the world, for the good, benefit, and happiness of gods and men.
Who is this Unique Being? It is the Tathāgata, the Exalted, Fully Enlightened One.” – Anguttara Nikāya. Pt. I, XIII P. 22.
Birth
On the full moon day of May, in the year 623 b.c.2 there was
born in the Lumbini Park3 at Kapilavatthu,4 on the Indian borders of present Nepal, a noble prince who was destined to be
the greatest religious teacher of the world.
His father5 was King Suddhodana of the aristocratic Sākya6\
clan and his mother was Queen Mahā Māyā. As the beloved
mother died seven days after his birth, Mahā Pajāpati Gotami, her
younger sister, who was also married to the King, adopted the
child, entrusting her own son, Nanda, to the care of the nurses.
Great were the rejoicings of the people over the birth of
this illustrious prince. An ascetic of high spiritual attainments, named Asita, also known as Kāladevala, was particularly pleased to hear this happy news, and being a tutor of the
King, visited the palace to see the Royal babe. The King, who
felt honoured by his unexpected visit, carried the child up to
him in order to make the child pay him due reverence, but, to
the surprise of all, the child’s legs turned and rested on the
matted locks of the ascetic. Instantly, the ascetic rose from his
seat and, foreseeing with his supernormal vision the child’s
future greatness, saluted him with clasped hands.7 The Royal
father did likewise.
The great ascetic smiled at first and then was sad. Questioned regarding his mingled feelings, he answered that he
smiled because the prince would eventually become a Buddha,
an Enlightened One, and he was sad because he would not
be able to benefit by the superior wisdom of the Enlightened
One owing to his prior death and rebirth in a Formless Plane
(Arūpaloka).
