The Buddha’s wife

He left her in the middle of the night, the night their son was born. When she heard the news she was devastated.

Yet, she did not complain. But her life lost all meaning. The only reason for her to live now was her son. She wanted him to grow up to be a man that the world would look up to.

Her friends and relatives came around and asked her to forget about the man who had left her and start life again. They asked her to marry again, but she refused. She was young and beautiful, and suitors queued up outside her door, but she refused each one of them.

As the years went by, she turned into a shell of her former self. She ate only one meal a day, did not care about how she looked, hardly slept the long nights and focused only on her son.

Then one fine day, he came back!

He stood in front of her and she could hardly remember him as the man who had left her. “They call you the Buddha now?” she asked him gently.

“I hear they do,” he answered in a calm fashion.

“What does it mean?” she further inquired.

“I think it means the enlightened one, a knower,” he informed.

She smiled and then a silence.

“I suppose we have both learned something. Your lessons O Buddha, will make the world richer in spirit, but my lesson will unfortunately remain largely unknown.” she reflected deeply….

“And what lesson is that?” the Buddha probed.

Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears, “That a woman does not need anyone to complete her….. she is complete on her own. ”

~ A short story by Vikram Bhatt
source – https://thinkingbhatt.com/