.jpg "King Bimbisara offered his Kingdom")
The would-be Buddha became a monk on the bank of the Anoma River and went into the city of Rajagiri for alms. Then he took his meal in the shadow of the Pandava Mountain, east of the city. When King Bimbisara of Rajagiri heard that Prince Siddhattha had renounced the world and became a monk, he went to see the Prince at the foot of the mountain.
The King made obeisance to the would-be Buddha and said, “You are still young, I will cede half of the Kingdom of Rajagiri. Please be king.”
The would-be Buddha replied, “Oh, King, I do not want to be a king of human beings. I want to become the King of Dhamma which will bring peace to human beings, devas and brahmas.” King Bimbisara then said, “When you become the Buddha, please come first to my Kingdom.”
Concepts and terminology:
Anoma River : A river in Southern Nepal. Links: Wikipedia
Rajagiri (Ra-ja-gi-ri) : A city in ancient India.
Deva (De-va) : Celestial beings that are more powerful and live longer than human beings. They have angelic forms and possess maigical powers. They are not gods, and are neither omniscient, omnipotent, nor morally perfect. Link: Wikipedia
Brahma (Brah-mah) : A race of extremely powerful dieties. They are a higher form of deva. Links: Wikipedia