Chapter 6: The Royal Consecration
(1) At that time, the Brahmins gave the Bodhisatta the name “Siddhattha” (He Whose Goal is Accomplished), because he was one who would accomplish the welfare of all beings in the world. In later times, he received the clan name “Gotama.” The king asked the Brahmins, “What sight will cause our son to go forth and renounce the world?” The Brahmins replied, “The prince will go forth after seeing four signs: an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and an ascetic.”
(2) Hearing this, the king commanded his ministers, “From this day forward, you must not allow any such people to come near my son.” He then set up guards at a distance of one gāvuta in each of the four directions to prevent any such sights from entering the prince’s field of vision.
(3) The Brahmins then instructed their own sons, saying, “We are old now. The royal son of King Suddhodana will surely become an omniscient Buddha, but we will not live to see it. When that royal prince renounces the world and becomes a Buddha, you must go forth and become his disciples.”
The seven elder Brahmins lived out their lifespans and were reborn according to their kamma. The Brahmin Koṇḍañña, however, remained healthy and was still alive.
(4) The eighty-two thousand relatives of the clan all made a pledge, saying, “Whether Prince Siddhattha becomes a Buddha or a wheel-turning monarch, we will each offer one son to serve him.” As for Queen Sirimahāmāyā, seven days after giving birth to the Bodhisatta, she passed away and was reborn in the Tusita heaven. Her passing was not because of childbirth, but simply because her lifespan had come to an end.
(5) Prince Nanda was two or three days younger than the Bodhisatta. When Nanda was born, his mother, Pajāpatī Gotamī, appointed a wet nurse for him. She herself then undertook the role of foster mother to the Bodhisatta, raising him from that time onwards.
One day, the king had the city decorated for the annual Ploughing Ceremony. When he went to the ceremonial field, he had the royal prince brought along. The king proceeded with the Brahmins, householders, and ministers.
(6) Near the field was a Jambu (rose-apple) tree with dense branches and foliage, forming a natural pavilion. The king had a couch prepared for the Bodhisatta to rest under that tree, and then he went to perform the ceremonial ploughing. The nurses, having laid the Bodhisatta down, went to watch the king plough. The Bodhisatta, seeing that no one was around, rose from the couch, sat cross-legged, and, focusing on his breath, entered the first meditative absorption (jhāna).
The shadows of all the other trees moved with the sun, but the shadow of that Jambu tree remained fixed and did not move. When the nurses returned, they saw the Bodhisatta sitting on the couch and rushed to inform the king. The king came and saw the miracle, and he bowed to his royal son for a second time.
(7) After King Suddhodana had completed the ploughing ceremony, he brought the Bodhisatta back to the city in the evening. When the Bodhisatta reached the age of seven, the king asked his ministers, “What do children of seven years old enjoy?” The ministers replied, “Children of seven enjoy playing in the water.” The king then ordered craftsmen to dig lotus ponds. At that moment, the throne of Sakka, king of the gods, grew warm. The divine king then commanded the celestial architect, Vissakamma, to descend and create ponds as an offering.
The celestial architect Vissakamma descended and created lotus ponds adorned with the seven kinds of jewels.
(8) From that time on, the great being amused himself in the lotus ponds until he reached the age of sixteen. Then, King Suddhodana had craftsmen build three palaces suitable for the three seasons: a palace with nine stories for the cool season, a palace with seven stories for the hot season, and a palace with five stories for the rainy season.
When the palaces were completed, the king sent messages to all the Sakyan kings, asking them to send their daughters to be the prince’s brides. The Sakyan kings replied, saying, “The prince may be handsome, but he is unskilled in the manly arts.”
(9) The king, having learned of this, went to his son and told him what had happened. The Bodhisatta replied, “Please, royal father, assemble our kinsmen, and I shall display my skills for them.” The king assembled the kinsmen, and the Bodhisatta then took up the great ancestral bow, which required the strength of a thousand men to string. The sound of the bowstring being drawn was thunderous and astounding. All the Sakyan kings were struck with awe and then adorned their daughters and sent them to the prince. Forty thousand Khattiya maidens were offered.
The king then arranged for the Bodhisatta’s royal consecration and marriage. Princess Bimbā Yasodharā became his chief queen in the Year of the Ox. The Bodhisatta then resided in the three palaces, according to the seasons.
(End of Chapter 6: The Royal Consecration)
