Even as an infant Siddhartha was an unusual child. Sometimes Prajawati got extremely puzzled. The infant did not cry or bawl much. It would quietly lay in its cradle and stare into the empty space as if pondering over some issue.
The king and the queen talked about it. To arouse the interest of the child they piled toys and other beautiful little things to entice him. The child showed interest in normal way to certain toys to the delight of the royal couple. The infant Siddhartha fondled the toys with childish curiosity. But it did not last long. After a few minutes of interest the child would suddenly relapse into his usual contemplative mood. The toy would stay in his hand absentmindedly to fall down eventually.
The king brought more and more enticing kid stuff just to be dismissed with a look bereft of any childish curiosity.
Years went by but Siddhartha’s mindset didn’t change. He would sit and watch scenes vacantly lost in his own inner thoughts. But by his reactions one could judge which way his mind was working. When ever he saw some kid teasing a dog or a cat he gave disapproving look to the offender. Even birds in cages upset Siddhartha. Queen Prajawati gave strict instructions to the maids that no bird would be caged in the palace. She got all parrots released from cages and all the royal cages were thrown in the store. The queen asked the king to forbid the bird-catchers to sell caged birds in the vicinity of the palace. The queen also realised that the sight of hunters annoyed Prince Siddhartha. She banned the entry of hunters carrying bows and arrows in palace premises.
The king and queen noted that at meal time if meat preparations were served the prince would get up and depart saying that he was not hungry. The queen Prajawati felt that the very sight of meat dishes sickened Siddhartha and he would look as if he wanted to throw up. The royal couple discussed the matter and told the cooks that no meat dish should be cooked or served by the royal kitchen.
In the kingdom an animal fair named ‘Hal Mela’ used to be held annually. In the fair the animals were traded. A large number of the animals were bought by the butchers to supply flesh for their shops or customer shops. Even the other traded animals were handled heartlessly. The fair deeply pained Siddhartha. He went away and sat under a tree to mourn the callousness. The queen was keeping a watch over her son. She sat with him and talked to him to know how deeply the prince was hurt.
She asked the king not to hold such fairs in the capital.
As the prince grew the qualities of compassion and mercy grew stronger in his character. It got king Shudhodhana worrying. His son was revealing saintly traits. He feared that Siddhartha might become an ascetic if the trend continued. He talked to Queen Prajawati about it.
Meanwhile, Siddhartha received education in a normal way. He proved a good learner. He was also taught use of weapons and the tactics of warfare. The prince didn’t object to the training but was not enthusiastic about it at the same time.
Siddhartha carried over his brooding natures to the teens. He didn’t like to mix up or indulge in teenage frivolities. He preferred solitude and spent most of the time pondering over things in his chamber or in the garden.
The king and the queen wanted Siddhartha to see the world from positive angle and accept that the life was a beautiful experience to be enjoyed fully and the world was an exciting place. They even artificially created beautiful scenes around Siddhartha.
Only beautiful people of young age were allowed to come into the view of the prince. They were asked to be smiling laughing and joking. No gloomy face was allowed near the prince. Crying, weeping or groaning were strictly forbidden in the palace and its vicinity. There always used to be festival like atmosphere around the palace as far a as Siddhartha could see.
The king and the queen kept the prince in such illusion of happiness. But the brooding nature of Siddhartha didn’t change. Even the company of beautiful maids failed to draw out the prince. The only trick now left was to get him married. The king and the queen gave it a serious thought and began the search for the suitable princess.
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