Vol. 11 · pages 186–190

167 CALL FROM HOME II by her noble attitude during her life and had made her a unique person. 12. Then Yeshodhara dressed Rahula, now seven years old, in all the splendour of a prince and said to him : 13. “This holy man, whose appearance is so glorious that he looks like the Great Brahma, is your father. He possesses great mines of wealth which I have not yet seen. Go to him and entreat him to put you in the possession thereof for the son ought to inherit the property of the father.” 14. Rahula replied : “Who is my father. I know of no father but Suddhodana.” 15. Yeshodhara took the boy in her arms and from the window she pointed out to the Lord, who happened to be near, partaking of food among the Bhikkus, informing him that he was his father and not Suddhodana. 16. Rahula then went to him and looking up in his face, said without fear and with much affection: 17. “Aren’t thou my father !” And standing near by him, he added: “O Samana, even your shadow is full of bliss !” The Blessed One remained silent. 18. When the Tathagata had finished his repast, he gave blessings and went away from the palace, but Rahula followed and asked him for his inheritance. 19. No one prevented the boy, nor did the Blessed One himself. 20. Then the Blessed One turned to Sariputta, saying: “My son asks for his inheritance. I cannot give him perishable treasures that will bring cares and sorrows, but I can give him the inheritance of a holy life, which is a treasure that will not perish.” 21. Addressing Rahula with earnestness, the Blessed One said : “Gold and silver and jewels have I none. But if you are willing to receive spiritual treasures, and are strong to carry them and to keep them, I have plenty. My spiritual treasure is the path of righteousness. Do you desire to be admitted to the brotherhood of those who devote their life to the

168 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES II culture of the mind seeking for the highest bliss attainable ?” 22. And Rahula replied with firmness: “I do.” 23. When Suddhodana heard that Rahula had joined the brotherhood of the Bhikkus he was greatly grieved. § 3. Reception by the Sakyas 1. On his return to the country of the Sakyas the Lord found his countrymen divided into two camps. One in favour and the other against him. 2. This recalled to his mind the old clash of opinion that took place in the Sakya Sangh when the issue of war between the Sakyas and Koliyas was fought and in which he had played so prominent a part. 3. Those against him refused even now to do obeisance to him and to recognize his greatness. Those for him had already decided to dedicate a son per household to form a retinue for him. These now decided to enter the Order and set out with the Lord on his return to Rajagraha. 4. Among the families which had decided to dedicate a son there was the family of Amitodana. 5. Amitodana had two sons. One was Anuruddha, who had been very delicately nurtured, and the other Mahanama. 6. And Mahanama went to Anuruddha, saying: “Either do you renounce the world, or I will do so.” And Anuruddha replied, “I am delicate. It is impossible for me to go forth from the household life into the homeless state. You do so.” 7. “But come now, dear Anuruddha, I will tell you what is incident to the household life. First, you have to get your fields ploughed. When that is done, you have to get them sown. When that is done, you have to get the water led down over them. When that is done, you have to get the water led off again. When that is done, you have to get the seeds pulled up. When that is done, you have to get the crop reaped.

169 CALL FROM HOME II When that is done, you have to get the crop carried away. When that is done, you have to get it arranged into bundles. When that is done, you have to get it trodden out. When that is done, you have to get the straw picked out. When that is done you have to get the chaff removed. When that is done, you have to get it winnowed. When that is done, you have to get the harvest garnered. When that is done, you have to do just the same next year, and the same all over again the year after that. 8. “The work is never over ; one sees not the end of one’s labour. O, when shall our work be over ? When shall we see the end of our labours ? When shall we, still possessing and retaining the pleasures of our five senses, yet dwell at rest ? Yes, the work, dear Anuruddha, is never over ; no end appears to our labours.” 9. “Then do you take thought for the household duties. I will go forth from the household life into the houseless state,” said Anuruddha. 10. And Anuruddha, the Sakyan, went to his mother, and said to her. “I want, mother, to go forth from the household life into the houseless state. Grant me thy permission to do so.” 11. And when he had thus spoken, his mother replied to Anuruddha, the Sakyan, saying : “You two, dear Anuruddha, are my two sons, near and dear to me, in whom I find no evil. Through death I shall some day, against my will, be separated from you but how can I be willing, whilst you are still alive, that you should go forth from the household life into the houseless state ?” 12. And a second time Anuruddha made the same request, and received the same reply. And a third time Anuruddha made the same request to his mother. 13. Now at that time Bhaddiya, the Sakyan Raja, held rule over the Sakyans ; and he was a friend of Anuruddha. And the mother of Anuruddha, thinking that that being so, the raja would not be able to renounce the world, said to her son: “Dear Anuruddha,

170 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES II if Bhaddiya the Sakyan raja will renounce the world, you also may go forth with him.” 14. Then Anuruddha went to Bhaddiya and said to him : “My renunciation of the world, dear friend, is being obstructed by you.” 15. “Then let that obstruction, dear friend, be removed. I am with you. Renounce the world according to your wish.” 16. “Come, dear friend, let us both renounce the world together !” 17. “I am not capable, dear friend, of giving up the household life. Whatsoever else you can ask of me, that will I do. Do you go forth alone,” said Bhaddiya. 18. “Mother, dear friend, has told me that if you do so, I may. And you have even now declared, ‘If your renunciation be obstructed by me, then let that obstruction be removed. Even with you will I renounce the world according to your wish.’ Come then, dear friend, let us both renounce the world.” 19. And Bhaddiya, the Sakyan raja said to Anuruddha, “Wait, my friend, for seven years. At the end of seven years we will renounce the world together.” 20. “Seven years are too long, dear friend. I am not able to wait for seven years.” 21. Bhaddiya reduced the offer to six years and so on down to one year, to seven months and so on down to one month, and a fortnight. To each offer Anuruddha replied, “Too long a time to wait.” 22. Then the raja says : “Wait, my friend, for seven days, whilst I hand over the kingdom to my sons and my brothers.” 23. “Seven days is not too long. I will wait thus far,” was the reply. 24. So Bhaddiya the Sakyan raja and Anuruddha and Ananda and Bhagu and Kimbila and Devadatta— just as they had so often previously gone out to the pleasure-ground with fourfold array—even so did they now go out with fourfold array, and Upali, the barber, went with them, making seven in all.

171 CALL FROM HOME II 25. And when they had gone some distance they sent their retinue back and crossed over into the neighbouring district, and took off their fine things and wrapped them in their robes, and made a bundle of them, and said to Upali the barber : “Do you now, good Upali, turn back to Kapilavatsu. These things will be sufficient for you to live upon. We will go and join the Blessed One.” And so they went ahead. 26. They went on and Upali parted company for the purpose of going back home. § 4. Last attempt to make Him a Householder 1. Suddhodana wept bitterly at the thought of his son going away never to be seen again. 2. Then Suddhodana spoke to his counsellor and his family priest and asked them if they could go and persuade his son to stay back and join the family. 3. The family priest accompanied by the counsellor, in obedience to the wishes of the king, went and overtook him on the way. 4. They paid him honour as was fitting, and having obtained his permission, sat down near him. 5. The family priest addressed the Lord as he sat at the foot of the tree. 6. “O prince, consider for a moment the feelings of the king with his eyes raining tears with the arrow of thy Separation plunged into his heart. He has asked you to come back home. It is then only that he can die peacefully. 7. “I know that thy resolve is fixed upon religion, and I am convinced that this purpose of thine is unchanging ; but I am consumed with a flame of anguish like fire at thy going into this homeless state. 8. “Come, thou who lovest duty,—abandon this purpose for the sake of duty. 9. “Enjoy for a while the sovereignty of the earth, —thou shalt go to the forest at the time provided by the sastras,—do not show disregard for thy unhappy