Inspite of all his wealth and prosperity he was not internally happy man. The idea of forgoing came to his mind observing mainly four different stages of life when he ventured out beyond the palace walls and was quickly confronted with the realities of human frailty :
- He saw an old man bent with age, and Siddhartha's charioteer explained that all people grow old.
- A sick man shivering with fever,
- A decaying cadaver being carried to the cremation ground followed by weeping relations,
- And finally, a wandering monk, peaceful and calm radiating inward joy.
The charioteer explained that the ascetic had renounced the world to seek release from the human fear of death and suffering.
Siddhartha was touched by these sights,the misery of the mundane world weighed on his reflective mind and at the age 29 ,on a Baishakha Purnima night, he left his kingdom, wife and son with his charioteer Channa on his favourite horse Kanthaka up to the end of the city, where he cast off his princely clothes, renounced everything and steped to lead an ascetic life, and determine a way to relieve the universal suffering.
 |
| Image showing the path leaving the palace |
 |
| Image showing the renouncement of Prince Siddhartha |
Then he began his quest for enlightenment.
No comments:
Post a Comment