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The Gospel of Buddha by Paul Carus Chapter 04: The Bodhisatta’s Birth
There was in 📍 Kapliavatthu a Sakya king, strong of purpose and reverenced by all men, a descendent of the Okkākas, who call themselves Gotama, and his was Suddhodana or Pure-Rice. (1)
📍 Lumbini, Nepal 🇳🇵 - birthplace 🤰 📍 Kapliavatthu (Kapilavastu) India 🇮🇳 - first 29 years 👦
His wife Māyā-devī was beautiful as the water-lily https://share.google/iwzMJH7AYT8CW6X1b and pure in mind as the lotus 🪷. (2) The king, her husband, honored her in her holiness, and the spirit of truth, glorious and strong and his wisdom like unto a white elephant, descended upo her. (3) When she new that the hour of motherhood 🤰 was near, she asked the king to send her home to her parents; and Suddhodana, anxious about his wife and the child she would bear him, willingly granted her request. (4)
At Lumbini (🇳🇵) there is a beautiful grove, and when Māyā-devī passed through it the trees were one mass of fragrant flowers 💐 and many birds 🦩 were warbling in their branches. The Queen, wishing to stroll 🚶♀️ through the shady walks, left her golden palanquin, and when she reached the giant Sãla tree in the midst of the grove, felt that her hour had come 🕖. She took hold of a branch. Her attendants hung a curtain about her and retired. When the pain of travail came upon her, four pure-minded angels of the great Brahmã held out a golden net to receive the babe 👼, who came forth from her right side (like the rising sun ☀️, bright and perfect). (5)
palanquin 🤰
The Brahmã-angels took the child and placing him before the mother said: “Rejoice, O queen, a mighty son has been born unto thee.” (6) At her couch stood an aged woman imploring the heavens to bless the child. (7)
All the worlds 🌎 were flooded with light 🔦. The blind received their sight 👁️🗨️ by longing to see the glory of the Lord; the deaf 👂 and the dumb 👄 spoke with one another of the good omens indicating the birth of the Buddha to be. The crooked ❌ became straight ✅; the lame walked. All prisoners were freed from their chains ⛓️ and the fires of all the hells were extinguished 🧯. (8)
No clouds gathered in the skies and the polluted streams 🌊 became clear, whilst celestial music 🎵 rang through the air and the angels rejoiced with gladness. With no selfish or partial joy but for the sake of the law they rejoiced, for creation engulfed in the ocean of pain was now to obtain release. (9) The cries of beasts 🐺 were hushed; all malevolent beings received a loving heart 💓, and peace reigned on earth. Mãra 👿, the evil one, alone was grieved and rejoiced not. (10)
The Nãga kings, earnestly desiring to show their reverence for the most excellent law, as they had paid honor to former Buddhas, now went to greet the Bodhisatta. They scattered before him mandãra flowers, rejoicing with heartfelt joy to pay their religious homage. (11)
The royal father, pondering the meaning of these signs, was now full of joy and now sore distressed. (12) The queen mother, beholding her child and the commotion which his birth created, felt in her timorous heart the pangs of doubt. (13)
Now the re was at that time in a grove near Lumbinī Asita 👤, a rishi, leading the life of a hermit. He was a Brahma of dignified mien, famed not only for wisdom and scholarship, but also for his skill in the interpretation of signs. And the king invited him to see the royal babe. (14)
The seer (Asita), beholding the prince, wept and sighed deeply. And when the king saw the tears of Asita, he became alarmed and asked: “Why has the sight of my son caused thee grief and pain?” (15) But Asita’s heart rejoiced, and, knowing the king’s mind to be perplexed, he addressed him saying (16): “The king, like the moon when full, should feel great joy, for he has begotten a wondrously noble son. (17) I do not worship Brahmã, but I worship this child; and the gods in the temples will descend from their places of honor to adore him. (18) Banish all anxiety and doubt. The spiritual omens manifested indicate that the child now born will bring deliverance to the whole world. (19) Recollecting that I myself am old, on that account I could not hold my tears; for now my end is coming on and I shall not see the flory of this babe. For this son of thine will rule the world. (20) The wheel of empire will come to him. He will either the a king of kings to govern all the lands of the earth, or verily will become a Buddha. He is born for the sake of everything that lives. (21) His pure teachings will be like the shore that receives the shipwrecked. His power of meditation will be like a cool lake; and all creatures parched with the drought of lust may freely drink thereof. (22) On the fire of covetousness he will cause the cloud of his mercy to rise, so that the rain of the law may extinguish it. The heavy gates of despondency will he open, and give deliverance to all creatures ensnared in the self-entwined meshes of folly and ignorance. (23) The king of the law has come forth to rescue from bondage all the poor, the miserable, and the helpless. (24)
When the royal parents heard Asita’s words they rejoiced in their hearts and named their new-born infant Siddhattha, that is, “he who has accomplished his purpose.” (25) And the queen said to her sister, Pajãpatī: “A mother who has borne a future Buddha will never give birth to another child. I shall soon leave this world, my husband, the king, and Siddhattha, my child. When I am gone, be thou a mother to him.” (26) And Pajãpatī wept and promised. (27) When the queen had departed from the living, Pajãpatī took the boy Siddhattha and reared him. And as the light of the moon increases little by little, so the royal child grew from day to day in mind and in body; and truthfulness and love resided in his heart. (28)
When a year had 📅 passed Suddhodana the king made Pajãpatī his queen and there was never a better stepmother than she. (29)
The Gospel of Buddha by Paul Carus Chapter 04: The Bodhisatta’s Birth