#(Buddha) 03 The King's Worry Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

From astrologers the King heard,
The same what Sage Asita told,
But added, “He’ll become a monk
In the holy order of highest rank.”

“In the assumed Buddha’s role,
He’ll be an enlightened Soul,
For the salvation of mankind,
And this is what, we now find.”

The King asked them then,
How could he save his son?
He wished his son to be a ruler
And not a religious wanderer.

“They said, “Better your son
Avoid seeing any old man,
Or a sickly man, or a dead one,
Or a monk, not even one.”

“They’ll make the prince,
His royal role, to renounce, ”
He heard what they said,
And then became worried.

He didn’t like to lose
His dear most prince,
Whom he kept in the palace
Under his strict vigilance.

In order to retain
He gave his son
All kinds of pleasures
In unlimited measures.

He banned the words
Of death and disease
Inside the four walls
Of the guarded palace.

Siddhartha was indeed
An extraordinary child,
Born to save this world
From miseries manifold.

The King wanted an heir
After his final departure,
But the divine order
Went against his desire.