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chooses to stay as a householder he will become a sovereign king. If, however, he chooses to be an ascetic, he will become a Buddha—an enlightened being.”
All the rituals of a newborn were performed and he was named Siddhartha. But after the seventh day of giving birth to her son, his mother Mahamaya passed away. The responsibility for raising him fell on the shoulders of his aunt, Gautami. Later, the king made Gautami his queen. Having been raised under the loving care of Gautami, Siddhartha became known as Gautama.
Siddhartha's Childhood
When the child Siddhartha became a youth the king sent him for education and study to the family Guru, whose name was Vishwamitra. Siddhartha had exceptional keen intellect and so he quickly grasped the knowledge of all subjects. Once, while he was walking in the royal gardens, a swan, who was crying pitifully, suddenly fell at Siddhartha's feet. The swan had been struck by an arrow and was throbbing with pain. Siddhartha pulled the arrow from its body and proceeded to care for the stricken swan. In the meantime, his cousin, Devadatta came running and told him: “This is my swan! It has been struck by my arrow”. Siddhartha replied: “I have saved its life. It sought
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