The story of the Buddha’s life is known all over the world. So the story goes, he was a prince of a small kingdom, destined to one day take the throne. But after a moment of insight, he decided to leave worldly ambitions aside. Thus did he begin his quest towards Awakening. However, what is rarely considered is the fact that his wife – who had just given birth to their son – was left behind. Several early hagiographical sources give voice to her pain and sadness, as she finds herself abandoned with a newborn by a man she had been married to for lifetimes (so the texts claim). In this talk, Sasson explores Yasodhara’s story as it appears in some early hagiographical sources and will read an excerpt from her novel, Yasodhara and the Buddha (Bloomsbury, 2021).