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The Wondrous Birth

It was twenty-four years after Śākyamuni's passing
That Amitābha took the form of a bodhisattva,
The Great Compassionate One, and from his heart
He magically conjured me, Padma, as the letter hrīḥ.
— The Wish-Fulfilling Tree
The miraculous lotus birth at Lake Dhanakosha and the palace of King Indrabhuti
The miraculous lotus birth at Lake Dhanakosha and the palace of King Indrabhuti
Nevertheless, conjured I was to Jambudvīpa,
As the destined son of Uḍḍiyāna's king.
— The Wish-Fulfilling Tree

King Indrabhuti, the ruler of Uddiyana, was without an heir. On the advice of seers and astrologers, the pious king emptied his treasury, giving away his wealth to the needy of his kingdom. Yet no heir was born to him.

In order to restore the treasury, the king decides to go to the Jewel Island. He boards his sea vessel and sails across the ocean, knowing that he could keep up his generosity and the gods would, in return, grant him a boon in the form of an heir.

The king and his retinue are astounded to see a huge multicolored lotus of incomparable beauty. Sitting on the pollen bed of the lotus, they see what appears to be an eight-year-old boy. The king and his courtiers marvel at this spectacular sight.

Thinking that the gods have finally answered his prayers, an overjoyed king Indrabhuti lifts the wondrous boy and places him on a silken cushion. He is named Padmasambhava, Sanskrit for 'Lotus Born'. Padmasambhava is put on the throne of Uddiyana as the king's heir.