DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49379#0023
CHAPTER II.
The Birth of Gautama and his early days.
COhe birth of Gautuma, like that of Christ,
is involved in mystery. Suddhodana, as
we have already noticed, had two wives—Maya
and Mahamriya. A long period elapsed after
their marriage, bnt neither of them became a
mother. This was looked upon as a great
misfortune both by the king and his subjects;
and the hope of leaving behind an heir, to
succeed to the royal throne of Kapilvastu, was
almost despaired of. Besides, the thought, (as
it was then prevalent among the Aryans), that
a man’s happiness in after-life solely ‘’depended
upon ceremonies to be performed '* by his son
at his funeral, gave them no less trouble. The
sovereign and trie subjects equally shared in
this grief.
The Birth of Gautama and his early days.
COhe birth of Gautuma, like that of Christ,
is involved in mystery. Suddhodana, as
we have already noticed, had two wives—Maya
and Mahamriya. A long period elapsed after
their marriage, bnt neither of them became a
mother. This was looked upon as a great
misfortune both by the king and his subjects;
and the hope of leaving behind an heir, to
succeed to the royal throne of Kapilvastu, was
almost despaired of. Besides, the thought, (as
it was then prevalent among the Aryans), that
a man’s happiness in after-life solely ‘’depended
upon ceremonies to be performed '* by his son
at his funeral, gave them no less trouble. The
sovereign and trie subjects equally shared in
this grief.