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.
摩耶夫人产后不久就死了。幼年时代的释迦牟尼是由他的姨母波阇波提夫人（Prajāpati）养育的。他自小从婆罗门学者们学习文学、哲学、算学等等，知识很广博。又从武士们学习武术，是一个骑射击剑的能手。他父亲净饭王因为他天资聪慧，相貌奇伟，对他期望很大，希望他继承王位后，建功立业，成为一个“转轮王”（统一天下的君主）。