Question
Read the following passages carefully and answer the questions that follow:
At about age twenty-five, the Prince, heretofore shielded from the suffering of the world, while out hunting chanced upon a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms.
1. Who does the prince refer to in the passage?
2. What did he see at this time of his life?
3. Give the meaning of the phrase ‘chanced upon’.
Solution
1. The prince refers to Siddhartha Gautama, who was a prince in one of the northern kingdoms.
2. At this time of his life, he happened to see pain and suffering in the world. He saw a sick man, then an aged man, then a funeral procession, and finally a monk begging for alms.
3. The phrase means ‘found unexpectedly.
