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| Birth of Lord Buddha |
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Buddha's father was Suddhodana, king of the Sakhyas. Buddha's mother was Queen Maha Maya. Buddha was born in B.C. 563 and died at the age of eighty in B.C. 483. The place of his birth was a grove known as Lumbini, near the city of Kapilavastu, at the foot of Mount Palpa in the Himalayan ranges within Nepal. This small city Kapilavastu stood on the bank of the little river Rohini, some hundred miles north-east of the city of Varanasi. As the time drew nigh for Buddha to enter the world, the gods themselves prepared the way before him with celestial portents and signs. Flowers bloomed and gentle rains fell, although out of season; heavenly music was heard, delicious scents filled the air. The body of the child bore at birth the thirty-two auspicious marks (Mahavyanjana) which indicated his future greatness, besides secondary marks (Anuvyanjana) in large numbers. Queen Maha Maya died seven days after her son's birth. The child was brought up by Queen Maha Maya's younger sister Mahaprajapati Gotami, who became its foster-mother. |
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