Vol. 11 · pages 66–70

47 RENUNCIATION FOR EVER I heard it, in his deep veneration, started himself to go thither with a modest retinue. 9. Like a mountain in stature, the king ascended the hill. 10. There he beheld Gautama, resplendent as he sat on his hams, with subdued senses, as if the mountain was moving, and he himself was a peak thereof. 11. Him, distinguished by his beauty of form and perfect tranquillity, filled with astonishment and affectionate regard, the king of men approached. 12. Bimbisara having courteously drawn nigh to him, inquired as to the condition of his bodily humours ; and Gautama with equal gentleness assured the king of his health of mind and freedom from all ailments. 13. Then the king sat down on the clean surface of the rock, and being seated, he thus spoke, desiring to convey his state of mind : 14. “I have a strong friendship with thy family, come down by inheritance and well proved ; since from this, a desire to speak to thee, my son, has arisen in me, therefore, listen to my words of affection. 15. “When I consider thy race, beginning with the sun, thy fresh youth, and thy conspicuous beauty, I wonder whence comes this resolve of thine, so out of all harmony with the rest, set wholly on a mendicant’s life, not on a kingdom? 16. “Thy limbs are worthy of red sandalwood perfumes,—they do not deserve the rough contact of red cloth, this hand of thine is fit to protect subjects, it deserves not to hold food given by another 17. “If, therefore, gentle youth, thou desirest not thy paternal kingdom, then in thy generosity, accept forthwith one half of my kingdom. 18. “If thou actest thus, there will be no sorrow caused to thine own people, and by the mere lapse of time imperial power at last flies for refuge to the tranquil mind, therefore, be pleased to do me this kindness. The prosperity of the good becomes very powerful, when aided by the good. 19. “But if from thy pride of race thou dost

48 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES I not now feel confidence in me, then plunge with thy arrows into countless armies, and with me as thy ally seek to conquer thy foes. 20. “Choose thou, therefore, one of these ends. Pursue according to the rules of religious merit, wealth, and pleasure; pursue love and the rest, in reverse order. These are the three objects in life ; when men die they pass into dissolution as far as regards this world. 21. “Do thou, therefore, by pursuing the three objects of life, cause this personality of thine to bear its fruit ; they say that when the attainment of religion, wealth and pleasure is complete in all its parts, then the end of man is complete. 22. “Do not thou let these two brawny arms lie useless which are worthy to draw the bow ; they are well fitted to conquer the three worlds, much more the earth. 23. “I speak this to you out of affection,—not through love of dominion or through arrogance beholding this mendicant-dress of thine, I am filled with compassion and I shed tears. 24. “O, thou who desirest the mendicant’s stage of life, enjoy pleasures now, in due time—ere old age comes on and overcomes this thy beauty, well worthy of thy illustrious race. 25. “The old man can obtain merit by religion ; old age is helpless for the enjoyment of pleasures ; therefore, they say that pleasures belong to the young man, wealth to the middle-aged, and religion to the old. 26. “Youth in this present world is the enemy of religion and wealth—since pleasures, however much we guard against them, are hard to hold, therefore, wherever pleasures are to be found, there thy youth seize them. 27. “Old age is prone to reflection, it is grave and intent on remaining quiet ; it attains unimpassionedness with but little effort, unavoidably, and for very shame. 28. “Therefore, having passed through the deceptive period of youth, fickle, intent on external objects, heedless, impatient, not looking at the dis-

49 RENUNCIATION FOR EVER I tance,—they take breath like men who have escaped safe through a forest. 29. “Let, therefore, this fickle time of youth first pass by, reckless and giddy,—our early years are earmarked for pleasure, they cannot be kept from the power of the senses. 30. “Or, if religion is really thy one aim, then offer sacrifices,—this is thy family’s immemorial custom, climbing to highest heaven by sacrifices. 31. “With their arms pressed by golden bracelets, and their variegated diadems resplendent with the light of gems, royal sages have reached the same goal by sacrifice which great sages reached by selfmortification.” § 3. Gautama Answers Bimbisara 1. Thus spoke the monarch of the Magadhas, who spoke well and strongly like Indra ; but having heard it, the prince did not falter. He was firm like a mountain. 2. Being thus addressed by the monarch of the Magadhas, Gautama, in a strong speech with a friendly face,—self-possessed, unchanged, thus made answer : 3. “What you have said is not to be called a strange thing for thee. O King ! born as thou art in the great family whose ensign is the lion, and lover as thou art of thy friends, that ye should adopt this line of approach towards him who stands as one of thy friends is only natural. 4. “Amongst the evil-minded, a friendship worthy of their family, ceases to continue and fades; it is only the good who keep increasing the old friendship of their ancestors by a new succession of friendly acts. 5. “But those men who act unchangingly towards their friends in reverses of fortune, I esteem in my heart as true friends. Who is not the friend of the prosperous man, in his times of abundance ? 6. “So those who, having obtained riches in the world, employ them for the sake of their friends

50 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES I and religions,—their wealth has real solidity, and when it perishes it produces no pain at the end. 7. “This thy suggestion concerning me, O King, is prompted by pure generosity and friendship; I will meet thee courteously with simple friendship, I would not utter aught else in my reply. 8. “I am not so afraid even of serpents nor of thunderbolts falling from heaven, nor of flames blown together by the wind, as I am afraid of these worldly objects. 9. “These transient pleasures,—the robbers of our happiness and our wealth, and which float empty and like illusions through the world,—infatuate man’s minds even when they are only hoped for,—still more when they take up their abode in the soul. 10. “The victims of pleasure attain not to happiness even in the heaven of the gods, still less in the world of mortals ; he who is athirst is never satisfied with pleasures, as the fire, the friend of the wind, with fuel. 11. “There is no calamity in the world like pleasures, people are devoted to them through delusion; when he once knows the truth and so fears evil, what wise man would of his own choice desire evil ? 12. “When they have obtained all the earth girdled by the sea, kings, wish to conquer the other side of the great ocean ; mankind is never satiated with pleasures, as the ocean with the waters that fall into it. 13. “When it had rained a golden shower from heaven, and when he had conquered the continents and had even obtained the half of Sakra’s throne, Mandhatri was still full of craving for worldly objects. 14. “Though he enjoyed the kingdom of the gods in heaven, when Indra had concealed himself through fear of Vritra, and though in his pride he had made the great Rishis bear his litter, Nahusha was not satisfied. 15. “Who would seek these enemies bearing the name of pleasures, by whom even those sages have been overcome, who were devoted to other pursuits, whose only clothes were rags, whose food roots, fruits,

51 RENUNCIATION FOR EVER I and water and who wear their twisted locks as long as snakes ? 16. “When they hear of the miseries of those who are intent on pleasure and are devoted to worldly pursuits it well befits the self-controlled to fling it away. 17. “Success in pleasure is to be considered a misery in the man of pleasure, for he becomes intoxicated when the pleasures of his desire are attained; through intoxication he does what should not be done, not what should be done ; and being wounded thereby he falls into a miserable end. 18. “These pleasures which are gained and kept by toil, which after deceiving leave you and return whence they came,—these pleasures which are but borrowed for a time,—what man of self-control, if he is wise, would delight in them ? 19. “What man of self-control could find satisfaction in these pleasures which are like a torch of hay,—which excite thirst when you seek them and when you grasp them ? 20. “What man of self-control could find satisfaction in these pleasures which are like flesh that has been flung away, and which produces misery by their being held in common with kings ? 21. “What man of self-control could find satis faction in these pleasures, which, like the senses, are destructive, which bring calamity on every hand to those who abide in them ? 22. “Those men of self-control who are bitten by them in their hearts, fall into ruin and attain not bliss—what man of self-control could find satisfaction in these pleasures, which are like an angry, cruel serpent ? 23. “Even if they enjoy them men are not satisfied,— like dogs famishing with hunger over a bone,—what man of self-control could find satisfaction in these pleasures, which are like a skeleton composed of dry bones ? 24. “He whose intellect is blinded with pleasures, the wretch, who is the miserable slave of hope for the