A HOLY MAN’S VISIT (Part_2) ~~~~
On the birth of the baby, the whole kingdom was filled with a sense of peace and happiness; troubles were forgotten, quarrels were stopped. Wise men of the kingdom saw these signs and were excited about the fortunate day . Queen Maya returned to the place with the newborn baby. The king was filled with pleasure at the sight of his beloved wife and their son .
Celebrations were held all over the kingdom. Seeing the joy and happiness in the kingdom, the king named the prince, Siddhartha (meaning ‘the one who has brought about all good’).
The wise men predicted that the child would become more famous than the king and have a bigger status. The king was filled with pride on hearing the news. He felt that perhaps his son might not just remain the ruler of the present kingdom but also expand the territories to include the whole world and what an honour that would be for the king and his family.
Many people went to the palace to take a look at the new baby. One such visitor was Asita, an old hermit who had given up the pleasures of the world and led a lonely life in the forests. The king and queen were filled with surprise and honour that such a great man had come out of his seclusion to pay them a visit. They conveyed their feeling of honour to him and asked him respectfully the reason for his journey, so that they might serve them in any way that they could.
Asita thanked them for their welcome and told them the reason he had come from very far was to see their son. He had seen the signs telling him that the child was to gain great spiritual knowledge, which would benefit the whole world. Asita himself had spent his entire life in the search for the knowledge that he knew the child would again.
He told them that he was sure that the child would grow up to be more than a great man. If the prince stayed with them and was ready to rule the kingdom, he would become the greatest king ever. He would rule a huge kingdom and his people would have peace and much joy. But if he made the decision not to become a king, his future would be even greater.
Asita told them that the prince would become a great teacher who would show the people the way to live with their hearts filled with peace and love. He told them that the prince would see sadness in the world and leave the palace to find a way to bring an end to the suffering that is there. Then he would teach the way to any one who would be willing to listen.
The king thought over the wise man’s sayings that the child would become either a great king or a great teacher. He wanted his son to become a king so that he would be proud of famous and powerful son.
The Luminous Life of Buddha ( မဟာလူသား မြတ်ဗုဒ္ဓ ) Edited by SHYAM DUA TINYTOT Publication
