At birth, Prince Siddhartha bore the thirty-two marks of a great being. Even his tiny feet carried the imprint of a wheel - an auspicious symbol pointing to destined greatness. During the ceremonies that followed, royal astrologers made a remarkable prophecy: the prince would either become a Universal Monarch (Chakravartin) or a Buddha. King Suddhodana, Siddhartha’s father, had only a...

Ananda, the favourite disciple of the Buddha, having been sent by the Lord on a mission, passed by a well near a village, and seeing Pakati, a girl of the Matanga caste, he asked her for water to drink. Pakati said: “O Bhrhman, I am too huble and sean to give thee water to drink, do not ask any service of me lest thy holiness be contaminated, for I am of low caste.” And Ananda...