After the first sight of old age, Prince Siddhartha wanted to experience the real world for some more days. He requested his father to allow him to visit the capital city. The King unwillingly allowed him to visit the city for the second time. This time, the king did not forewarn the people and thought that it would be best if Prince Siddhartha gets to know the reality.

The Prince and his charioteer, Channa walked in disguise on the streets. The Prince saw simple people, usual shops, people doing their daily work. While they were walking, they saw a man who was crying in pain holding his stomach. His face had gotten blue and he was gasping for breath. This was the second sight that made the Prince very sad. Being a kindhearted person, the Prince could not bear the agony of the sick person and he ran towards him to help him. After giving him some water, the Prince got up and asked Channa what was happening to this person. That is when he came to know that the man had plague and his face and body was blue because of the illness and the poison that was running in his blood. 

The Prince also came to know that there are many illnesses in the world and for most of them, people suffer till they die. This knowledge saddened the prince even further and returned in a very depressed state back to his Palace. The King saw the sad Prince and got very worried.