Yashodhara
He went, he conquered, he shone. While you listened to the songs of his triumph Your womanliness must have wept. You who lost husband and son Must have felt uprooted Like the tender banana plant. But history doesn’t talk about The great story of your sacrifice. If Siddharth had gone through The charade of Samadhi A great epic would have been written about you! You would have become famous in purana and palm-leaf Like Sita and Savitri. O Yashodhara!
I am ashamed of the injustice. You are not to be found in a single Buddhist vihara. Were you really of no account? But wait- don’t suffer so. I have seen your beautiful face. You are between the closed eyelids of Siddhartha. Yashu, just you.
~Excerpt from "Yashodhara" by Hira Bansode ( Translated from Marathi)
Yashodhara ( the bearer of glory) was Bodhisatva's wife - on the 7th night after the birth of their son , Siddhartha left home in search of enlightenment - it is said ,without her knowledge.
I sometimes wonder what her thoughts were - was she angry at how her life mapped out ? sad that Siddhartha had left without telling her ? Proud that Siddhartha became who he was ? What did we lose as human race because her life played out the way it had ?
