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Queen Maya ("Maya" meaning ''illusion'' in Sanskrit, also called Mahamaya, meaning Great Maya, or Mayadevi, the Goddess Maya. Siddhartha Gautama , to whom she gave birth c. 563 BCE . Maya was the wife of king Suddhodana , the ruler of the Shakya clan of Kshatriya warriors. She was the daughter of King Suddhodhana's uncle and therefore his cousin; her father was king of a neighboring subdivision of the same Shakya clan. THE BIRTH OF THE BUDDHA-TO-BE Queen Maya and King Suddhodhana did not have children for twenty years into their marriage. One day however, according to legend, Queen Maya dreamt of a white elephant entering her side, and became pregnant. According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha-to-be was residing as a Bodhisattva in the Tusita heaven, and decided to take the shape of a white elephant to be reborn, for the last time, on Earth. The pregnancy lasted ten lunar months. Following custom, the Queen returned to her own home for the birth. On the way, she stepped down from her palanquin to have a walk in the beautiful flower garden of Lumbini Park. She was delighted by the park, she reached for a branch to take a rest. Again according to legend, at this time the Prince emerged from her right side and was born. It was the eighth day of April. The child was named Sidhartha, meaning "Every wish fulfilled". Queen Maya passed away seven days after the birth of the Buddha-to-be, and went to the Tusita Heaven. Her sister Prajapati became the child's foster mother. RELIGIOUS PARALLELS Some interpretations of the life story of the Buddha attribute his birth to a virgin birth. This is likely due to a specific interpertation of the prophetic dream Queen Maya is said to have had prior to conception and is not a widely held view amongst Buddhists. As she is described to have been married to King Suddhodhana for many years, there is no indication that she would have been a virgin at the time of Siddhartha's conception. Nonetheless, this interpertation has lead to parallels being drawn with the birth story of Jesus . The name ''Maya'' may be connected to ''Maria'', the Greek name for Mary. The story of the birth of the Buddha was well known in the West, and possibly influenced the story of the birth of Jesus. Saint Jerome (4th century CE) mentions the birth of the Buddha, who he says "was born from the side of a virgin". Also a fragment of Archelaos of Carrha (278 CE) mentions the Buddha's virgin-birth. GRECO-ROMAN MYTHOLOGICAL PARALLELS Maia is also the name of a Greek goddess, who was also called the "Grandmother of Magic". She was seduced by Zeus , and gave birth to Mercury (the Greek Hermes ). The planet Mercury was named for him, and happens to be called ''Budh'' in Sanskrit, meaning ''enlightenment'', and radical for the name Buddha , "the enlightened one". SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |