Prince Siddhartha, having decided to renounce all the luxuries and worldly pleasure on seeing for himself the four signs of the unsatisfactoriness of life was marking time in his palace waiting for an opportune moment to abandon lay life and to seek truth. His father King Suddhodana’s wish at all times was to see his son prince Siddhartha become the universal King of Sakviti. The king adopted various strategies to have his wish realized. However, Prince Siddhartha was not pleased with the worldly life.

One day, when he was in the royal garden, a messenger brought him a message that caused a great disturbance in his mind. That was the news of the birth of a little son to his consort Yasodhara. Thereafter, one day, after witnessing the sight of the weary palace dancers who had fallen asleep here and there making an ugly sight after performing of dances in the palace, he became disgusted with life. It was an incident that made him further unhappy with worldly life after witnessing the previous four sights of life.

Thereafter, having asked his close associate, courtier Channa, to saddle the horse secretly without letting anybody in the palace know of it, he looked inside the chamber where his consort Yasodhara was asleep peacefully in bed with little Rahula and leaving all luxuries behind in that night, left the palace in order to seek the truth that soothed the entire three world. The horse Kanthaka, carrying price Siddhartha on his back, crossed the ford of the river Anoma keeping in its heart the pain of departure from its master. Prince Siddhartha, alighting from the horse after crossing the river Anoma, handed over all royal ornaments worn by him to Channa and cut his hair with the sword and went into the forest to seek truth, leaving Channa and the horse there.