Queen Māyā died soon after giving birth. Young Sākyamuni was brought up by his aunt (his mother's sister) Princess Prajāpati. As a child he began to learn literature, philosophy, arithmetic and so on from Brahmin scholars and gained a broad and profound knowledge. He also learned martial arts from warriors and became a master at riding, shooting and fencing. Because of his great intelligence and striking features, his father, king Suddhodana, hoped that he would become a universal ruler (Rāja Cakkavattin, a king who could unify the whole world) and perform meritorious services after he succeeded to the throne.
摩耶夫人產(chǎn)后不久就死了。幼年時(shí)代的釋迦牟尼是由他的姨母波阇波提夫人(Prajāpati)養(yǎng)育的。他自小從婆羅門學(xué)者們學(xué)習(xí)文學(xué)、哲學(xué)、算學(xué)等等,知識(shí)很廣博。又從武士們學(xué)習(xí)武術(shù),是一個(gè)騎射擊劍的能手。他父親凈飯王因?yàn)樗熨Y聰慧,相貌奇?zhèn)?,?duì)他期望很大,希望他繼承王位后,建功立業(yè),成為一個(gè)“轉(zhuǎn)輪王”(統(tǒng)一天下的君主)。