Siddhartha's Marriage Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

King Suddhodana’s selection
As wife for Siddhartha, his son,
Was Yashodhara, the princess,
The most beautiful among ladies.

Her father, King Suprabuddha,
However doubted Siddhartha,
Whether he would fight,
If a war broke out?

As Siddhartha was too soft,
Peace loving and introvert,
He, the bride’s father, so felt,
And entertained this doubt.

He held a competition
To select a suitable man
From the royal families
To marry the princess.

Among those eligible men,
Prince Siddhartha was one,
Who took up the challenge
To prove his valor and courage.

To satisfy his father’s pride,
He joined the horse ride,
And won the race at last
Reaching the target first.

Devadatta, his cousin,
Had miserably failed to win,
Though he was very keen
To claim her as his own.

The princess, with a garland,
As her final test, went round,
To select the man of her choice
From among all the princes.

Siddhartha, the winner of race,
Also was the winner of princess,
When she garlanded him
Keeping her willing eyes on him.

The marriage of the prince,
In Kapilavastu City, took place,
With all pomp and show then,
As a royal grand celebration.

The King built another palace
For the prince and princess,
In the vicinity of Himalayas,
To enjoy its soft breeze.

From the outside world,
It was well barricaded,
For the prince to remain
Attached to his domain.