On attaining manhood, Siddhartha learned that a lovely cousin named Yashodhara would choose her husband from the princes and chieftains who vied for her hand in a contest of archery. Siddhartha showed up on the appointed day, supremely confident of his skill. One of the suitors hit the bull’s-eye, but Siddhartha stepped forward boldly and with one shot split his rival’s arrow down the middle. Yashodhara proved to be as loving as she was lovely, and in time the couple had a son named Rahula who combined the beauty and tender nature of them both. Siddhartha was twenty-nine. His future promised
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