Kisha-Gotami's story (1)

"A poignant story from Buddhist legend tells about the tragedy of a young and pretty Indian woman named Kisha-Gotami illustrating that no one can help us except ourselves. As a young girl she always dreamed about being married, having children and engaging in a happy household and family life. She lived in a society in which marriages are arranged by the parents, but she was more than satisfied when her parents chose a young man that she herself would have picked. They were happy with each other from their first moments together, but a year after their wedding tragedy struck. Her husband died in an anccident and Kisha-Gotami tried desperately to console herself by focusing all of her energies on her new baby, who looked exactly like her husband. 

One fatal morning soon after her husband's demise, the young widow woke up to find her baby lying lifeless beside her. Her grief was infinite, and she went mad. She walked holding her dead baby through the highways and byways of her village, holding her dead baby, unwilling to release the decaying corpse for a proper funeral. Though countless friends and neighbors tried to convince her to hand over the dead child, she would not relent. When some tried snatching the dead child from her arms, she ran away and began raving if anyone approached her.

An old woman told Kisha-Gotami that a very wise and powerful holy man was camped on a nearby mountain, and that it was rumored that he performed miracles of all kinds and even brought the dead back to life.

Kisha-Gotami ran at full speed up the mountain to see the Buddah sitting serenely in the shade of a banyan tree, instructing some of his disciples. She implored him on her knees to bring her baby back to life by use of his miraculous powers." (pp. 74-75)

Eugene Pascal (1992).  Jung to Live by: A Guide to the Practical Application of Jungian Principles for Everyday Life.