Prince Siddhartha finished his studies very soon. He had the best teachers to learn from; the best friends to play with; the best house to live in; the best clothes to wear and the best food to eat. His father had built him three palaces one for each season – one for winter, one for summer and one for the rainy season. He had also built for him extensive parks and hunting grounds with ponds with water-lilies, swans and beautiful fish in them.
Asita and Kondanna who come to the palace had warned the king,
“When your son sees a sick man, an old man, a dead body or a monk, he will want to leave your palace and become a monk himself.”
The king was worried that his son would see them and leave the palace. Therefore he gave him many young servants and did not allow any sick man or old man to go into the palace. The king did not even let anybody talk about sickness, old age, death and monks. But Prince Siddhartha was very thoughtful and was asking people many questions. He really wanted to know the meaning of life.
One day the king asked some wise people,
“What shall I do to make my son happy? He seems to be thinking always.”
They said:
“Now your son is sixteen years old. Shall we get a beautiful girl for him to marry?”
The King agreed and sent for all the beautiful girls in the country to come to the palace. When all of them came the King asked the prince to choose one to be his wife.
Among them there was a most charming and kind girl by the name of Yasodhara. When Prince Siddhartha gave her a present more valuable than what he had given to the other maidens, the King saw that the Prince had chosen his love. The King happily accepted Yasodhara and allowed his son to marry her.
