06. PRINCE SIDDHARTHA’S WEDDING

                       Prince Siddhartha finished his studies very soon. He had the best teachers to learn from; the best friends to play with; the best house to live in; the best clothes to wear and the best food to eat. His father had built him three places one for each season – one for winter, one for summer and one for the rainy season. He had also built for him extensive parks and hunting grounds with ponds with water-lilies, swans and beautiful fish in them.

                        

                             Asita and Kondanna who came to the palace had warned the king, “When your son sees a sick man, an old body, a dead body or a monk, he will want to leave your palace and become a monk himself.”

                

                             The king would worry that his son would see them and leave the palace. There he gave him many young servants and did not allow any sick man or old man to go into the palace. The king did not even let anybody talk about sickness, old age, death and monks. But prince Siddhartha was very thought-full and was asking people many questions. He really wanted to know the meaning of life.

                      

                             One day the king asked some wise people, “What shall I do to make my son happy? He seems to be thinking always.” They said “Now your son is sixteen years old. Shall we get a beautiful girl for him to marry?”

                   

                             The king agreed and sent for all the beautiful girls in the country to come to the palace. When all of them came, 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 Yasodara. When prince Siddhartha gave her a present more valuable than what he had given to other maidens. The king saw that the prince had chosen his love. The king happily accepted Yasodara and allowed his son to marry her.


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PUPPHA VAGGA - පුප්ඵ වග්ගය   

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05. PRINCE SIDDHARTHA'S KINDNESS

                 Price Siddhartha was very kind to people, animals and other living things. As a very brave horseman he won many prizes in the country. Although he did not have to suffer any hardships and difficulties as he had everything, he always thought of the poor people and living things who were working hard to make him happy. He felt sorry for them and wanted to make them happy too as he always was.

                     One day he was walking in the woods with his cousin Devadatta who had his bow and arrows with him.

                     Suddenly Devadatta saw a swan and shot at it. His arrow brought the swan down. Both the boys ran to get the swan. As Siddhartha cold run faster than Devadatta, he reached the bird first, and found, to his surprise, that the swan was still alive. So he gently pulled out the arrow from the wing. He then got a little juice from cool leaves, he put on the wound of the bird to stop the bleeding and with his soft hand, stroked the swan which was very frightened. When Devadatta came to claim the swan, naturally Prince Siddhartha refused to give it to him. Devadatta was very angry to see him keeping the swan away from him.  “Give me my bird, I shot it down,” said Devadatta.

                             
                     “No I am not going to give it to you, if you had killed it ,it would have been yours. But now since it is only wounded and alive it belongs to me because I saved it’s life,” said Siddhartha.

                      Devadatta still did not agree. Then Siddhartha suggested “Let us go to the court of wisemen and asked who really own the swan.” 

                      Devadatta agreed and then both of them went to the court of wise-men to tell them about their quarrel. The wise-men said, "A life certainly must belong to him who tries to save it. a life cannot belong to one who is only trying to destroy it. The wounded swan by right belong to Siddhartha." 


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01. Brahmajala Sutta - බ්‍රහ්මජාල සූත්‍රය