Prince Siddhattha in his childhood developed the habit of meditating. Many phenomena he observed touched him strongly and made him think hard: e.g. the hungry, thirsty and exhausted peasants working under the scorching sun, panting and sweating cattle being flogged as they plough, the struggle among snakes, insects, birds and beasts under the law of the jungle, weak and ugly old people, the moaning and suffering sick, the dead in funeral processions with their families and friends weeping behind. All these presented him with a problem: how to deliver the world from suffering. Neither the Veda he had read nor the knowledge he had acquired, nor his future throne and power could solve this problem. Therefore, he harbored the idea of renouncing the world in his early days, and finally he relinquished his throne. (From Essentials of Buddhism: Questions and Answers)