Mahamaya and Prajawati were queens of king Shudhodhana of Kapilvastu, a kingdom situated in the shadows of Himalayas. The king and the queens were married for a long time, yet no queen was blessed with a child. That was causing a great sadness in the royal family. The king’s sadness was made worse by the anguish of his failing in his moral duty to provide heir to the kingdom.
Birth of a dream
It was a matter where the queens and the king could do little except pray to God. As the years were going by the hope was giving way to despair. The king was losing respect of his subjects, such was the mindset of the people.
Then, the elder queen, Mahamaya one night saw a fantastic dream. It had a definite prophetic touch to it. The following was what she saw.
Four male angels descended from the heavens gently gliding down like feathers of a swan. The queen saw them coming to her. They said nothing but the queen knew or realised that they had come to take her. She willingly allowed herself to be carried up in an invisible palanquin being lifted up and up by some divine power in the form of those four angels.
They rose above trees, forests foot hills and then mountain peaks came nearer. Mahamaya was softly landed on a flattish mountain top. The angels melted into the background like puffs of smoke dissolving into invisibility.
The queen looked around. It didn’t look earthly scene. Was it a part of heaven, she wondered? There was a huge tree nearby. It was amazing. The tree was riot of colours, its branches were being weighed down by multi-coloured flowers having some florescent property. The glow of the flowers was seeping into queen Mahamaya’s body washing her outside and insides with sublime happy feeling. She stayed immersed in that bliss for some time.
Then, four fairies glided in to land around the queen. She realised that the fairies were there to escort her to some other wonder. Mahamaya sailed with them to some distance where was a pond glittering with crystal clear water. The fairies motioned her to go into the water. She obeyed and the fairies began to bathe her. The water felt soothing like freshly milched milk. To her wonder queen Mahamaya saw her body going into some divine metamorphosis. Every cell of her body felt getting beauty treatment. Her skin was becoming smooth and glowing like a sheet of faultless marble being polished. In no time she was as perfect a picture of beauty as a fairy.
A fairy waved her hand and dresses and jewellery of incredible beauty materialized. Mahamaya was returned from the water and dried with a snow white spongy peace of towel.
Then, the fairies began to dress her and bedeck her with jewellery as if preparing for some divine ritual. When finished, Mahamaya looked like the queen of the fairies. The fairies led her to their white palace.
In the white palace, Mahamaya was served some divine delicacies. The dishes were simply liquids, lumps and pieces of deliciousness that dissolved in her mouth so wholesomely that nothing remained to go down the throat into the stomach. But it was so satisfying that the hunger raised no objection.
Now the fairies asked Mahamaya to take rest. The chamber she was escorted to had a regal bed mattresses by thick layers of multi-hued flower petals. She sank into the layers to recline and suddenly realised that bed faced a huge window which opened up the vista younder.
Mahamaya could see a golden mountain on which an utterly majestic and graceful elephant was walking about in undulating style. The queen watched it greatly fascinated. The elephant seemed to be sending some sympathetic waves to Mahamaya who was realising that it was the most vital part of the experience she was going through. The elephant seemed to be gliding, not walking. It had a large lotus flower held in the hole of its trunk.
Then, the elephant floated towards the white palace. As it did so the walls of the chamber dissolved in thin air. The elephant now stood by her side as the queen looked at it through her dreamy eyes. It smelled like a flower and its skin was like exquisite patterns embroidered on grey silk shawl.
Then, the elephant gently stroked Queen Mahamaya on her right side with the lotus flower. She felt a soft sensation and tried to look into the eyes of that divine creature to read the message if there was any. But to her utter bafflement the elephant had changed into a puff of a white cloud and it seeped into her belly. She heard some bells ringing in a distant temple and tried to look.
She couldn’t because her eyes were closed. She opened them to find herself lying on bed in her own bedroom.
So, all that she saw was a dream.
It was early morning time. Eastern sky was pinking up to herald the sun rise. The birds were serenading the new day. Cows lowed asking to be milked.
Queen Mahamaya was still excited about her dream. She wanted to tell it to some one. She rushed to the bed chamber of the king and revealed to him her dream. Meanwhile queen Prajawati had also walked in and she was also listening to the dream story overawed.
The king remarked, “Your dream is no ordinary one. I can feel prophetic ring to it. There is some divine message for us. At least it is a good sign.”
Prajawati added, ‘‘The dream sounds good to me. It should be true. We must consult the astrologers.’’
The king agreed, ‘‘I will call the astrologers. There is no point in keeping the dream secret.’’
So, without delay the king summoned royal astrologers and other religious scholars to tell them about the dream.
For one more time the king asked Mahamaya to repeat her dream with all the details she could remember and the sequence of the events. She recounted the dream in detail. She didn’t have to press her mind because she remembered every small thing vividly and she could still smell the scents of those flowers.
When the astrologers arrived, king Shudhodhana revealed Mahamaya’s dream to them making sure that he missed nothing. The astrologers heard about the dream with great interest because the dream was very interesting astrologically.
In fact, it was an astrologer’s dream which had all the prophetic signs and patterns. The astrologers discussed among themselves and made a unanimous prediction, ‘‘O king, the dream has all the auspicious omens and signs of its being a divine message. We all agree that a son will be born to the queen. He will either become an all conquering warrior emperor or a great saint messiah who will lead humankind on a new path of enlightenment.’’
The king was delighted. He consulted some other scholars also about the dream. They also agreed that astrologers could not be far off the truth. The dream had a convincing ring of the strong possibility. Even saints and holy men predicted the arrival of the halo’ed messiah.
King Shudhodhana was charged up with excitement and great expectations. He was full of hope. To pop up his hope he had become incredibly generous. The priests and astrologers were getting burdened by the largesse of the king. The poor and needy were getting nearer becoming an endangered species. So were the beggars.
Meanwhile, a large number of additional maids were assigned the job of taking care of the would-be mother Queen Mahamaya. All her wishes were being fulfilled without any delay. The younger queen, Prajawati always hovered around her fussing. The queens were just like sisters. Instead of being jealous the younger queen was as excited as the king. The fever had caught even the subjects of the kingdom. The excitement had spread beyond the palace and the people were in the grip of feverish expectations.
A couple of weeks later, the queen showed the signs of the pregnancy. She vomited and craved for sour things. Prajawati squealed in delight as the nurse maids took charge of Mahamaya. She ran to the king to break the news that king had always been dying to hear.
He went to the chamber of the elder queen and watched activities inside greatly thrilled. His legs were trembling. Now having got the proof of their dreams bearing fruit buds he returned to his court and announced to everyone the good news. The courtiers started to celebrate the news instantly. At night, the king feasted his courtiers and the noblemen.
The news sent waves of joy throughout the kingdom. Everyone prayed for the child to be male, a heir to the throne. A mood of exhilaration hit the masses. The palace was filled with excited voices of happiness.
Soon, the pregnancy bulge showed up to confirm that the queen was indeed in the family way. Now there was no more any scope of doubt. The dream was coming true.
The dream child in Mahamaya’s womb had changed everyone. Younger queen Prajawati was at her back and call always. She had virtually become the personal maid of Mahamaya. Shudhodhana spent as much time as he could with the queens. They discussed the future centred around the child yet to arrive. Many a time the king ran errands for Mahamaya as her personal valet. Queen Mahamaya was a pampered lot.
As the delivery month neared they realised their obligation to the customs. It was a custom at that time for a girl to give birth to her first child in her parental home. So, Mahamaya had to be sent to her parent’s house for the delivery. The king would not go against the tradition, of course.
So, a chariot was royally decorated to carry the pregnant Queen Mahamaya to her mother’s house. The queen was helped on to the chariot by the queen Prajawati. On her sides her favourite maids sat. They were to go to Devdeha where Mahamaya’s parents lived.
The chariot rolled out as king Shudhodhana and the queen Prajawati watched in apprehensive state of mind. A group of cavalry soldiers headed the chariot. More soldiers marched on the flanks. The royal couple stood watching till the caravan was not out of sight.
The caravan travelled on and reached the forest of Lumbini. It was dense forest during that period. So dense that no one knew what was in the deep interior. Nearing the forest Queen Mahamaya looked restless. The maids wondered if the sight of the dark forest was making her uneasy. They tried to put her at ease.
But the restlessness was gravitating into some uncomfort as the queen was heard moaning. Now the maids were in panic.
The chariot was made to stop. The queen was clutching her belly and groaning. The nurse maid confided to the servant maids that the queen was in labour pain and told them what was required to be done.
A maid asked the soldiers and the chariot driver to go away and stand at a distance. The chariot driver understood the message. He got down and explained the situation to the soldiers who at once regrouped and stationed themselves at positions away from the scene but nearby enough to rush to the defence if such need arose.
With the help of the maids the queen was taken off the chariot and laid under a tree on the bed of the thick layer of yesterday’s dry leaves topped with a carpet of flowers. Incidentally the tree which Mahamaya was laid under was in bloom. The branches were getting weighed down by loads of beautiful flowers. Mahamaya was turning sides in great pain. Through the mist of pain she realised how alike that tree was to the one she had seen in her dream of that night. She could not help smiling over-riding the birth pangs. The puzzled nurse and the maids exchanged glances. Something very very para-normal was taking place.
Meanwhile the commander of the soldiers assessed the situation and took a normal decision to send a posse of soldiers to the capital to apprise the king of the unexpected developments.
The king and Prajawati at once set out for Lumbini on a fast moving chariot.
Meanwhile, Queen Mahamaya had given birth to a male child. It was the full moon night of the summer of the year 564 B.C. The mother and the child both were alive but the Queen was in a bit bad shape. She looked completely exhausted. The king Shudhodhana and Prajawati were relieved to find the child safely delivered.
The king and the party returned to the capital in great spirit and triumphant mood. The news about their return to the capital had preceded them. So, large crowds were awaiting to welcome king and the new born prince. The royal procession was lustily cheered and hailed. Womenfolk showered flower petals at the royal chariots.
The king and Prajawati entered the palace with the new born and Mahamaya, in incapacitated state. Outside, the citizens started celebrating the birth of the prince. The singing and dancing groups converged on the capital from all parts of the kingdom. The state authorities and the ministers got the city decorated to create a festive background for the long drawn celebrations. The priests, sages and mendicants descended on the capital to share the joy and the gifts being showered by the royal family. The city was kept aglow with oil lamps.
One of the guests was famous sage, Asit who had come from his forest abode to bless the newborn. The king proudly led him to the royal cradle. The sage looked at the child for a long time before prophesying, “No doubt, this child is no ordinary one. He is born to be one of the greatest conquerors. All the signs are there…something super and divine.”
The overwhelmed king asked, ‘‘O sage, do you mean he will conquer kingdoms and lands to become a great emperor?’’
The sage nodded his head and smiled, ‘‘Either that or a prophet, the conqueror of hearts and souls. The pointers will soon show up. God bless him.’’
While the entire kingdom was rejoicing with great abandon, the happiness inside the palace was subdued. Queen Mahamaya’s deteriorating condition was having a sobering effect. She had been sick since giving birth to her child. First, it was thought that her condition was merely post-delivery exhaustion. But she failed to recover and remained bedridden. Day by day, the state of her health deteriorated. Queen Prajawati stayed by the side of the ailing queen greatly worried. No treatment was working for Mahamaya.
One day, Mahamaya put her baby in the lap of queen Prajawati. She tearfully looked into the eyes of surprised Prajawati. Her tears and the gestures said whatever she had to say because she was too weak to speak, Then, she closed her tired eyes for the last time and breathed her last.
Prajawati held the child tight to her bosom as it was now entirely her responsibility to mother it.
An infinite melancholy descended on the king and the others present there. But the child would make that gloomy mood go away with his toothless smiles in a short time.
Queen Prajawati took complete charge of the child and made a resolve to bring it up as her own.
In due ceremony the new born prince was named ‘Siddhartha’ literally meaning ‘Sublime Mission.’
