Sri Lanka, Sept. 26 -- The Buddha's decision to leave behind the privileged household life associated with Suddhodana - his father and a leading ruler among the Sakyans, whose clan-based ganarajya, or republican polity, was centred on Kapilavatthu in the Himalayan foothills - was not the only occasion on which he turned away from comfort and advantage.

There was another striking moment when he was confronted with an enticing alternative: wealth, status and proximity to political and military power.

The offer came from King Bimbisara of Magadha, ruler of one of the most powerful and expanding kingdoms of northern India at the time. His capital, Rajagaha, is modern Rajgir in Bihar, India.

The episode is preserved in Sutta Nipata, Anthol...