Vol. 11 · pages 71–75

52 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES I sake of pleasures, well deserves the pain of death even in the world of living. 25. “Deer are lured to their destruction by songs, insects for the sake of the brightness fly into the fire, the fish greedy for the flesh swallows the iron hook,— therefore, worldly pleasures produce misery as their end. 26. “As for the common opinion, ‘pleasures are enjoyment,’ none of them when examined are worthy of being enjoyed; fine garments and the rest are only the accessories of things,—they are to be regarded as merely the remedies for pain. 27. “Water is desired for allaying thirst; food in the same way for removing hunger; a house for keeping off the wind, the heat of the sun, and the rain; and dress for keeping off the cold and to cover one’s nakedness. 28. “So too a bed is for removing drowsiness a carriage for remedying the fatigue of a journey; a seat for alleviating the pain of standing; so bathing as a means for washing, health, and strength. 29. “External objects therefore are to human beings means for remedying pain—not in themselves sources of enjoyment ; what wise man would allow that he enjoys those delights which are only used as remedial ? 30. “He who, when burned with the heat of bilious fever, maintains that cold appliances are an enjoyment, when he is only engaged in alleviating pain,—he indeed might give the name of enjoyment to pleasures. 31. “Since variableness is found in all pleasures, I cannot apply to them the name of enjoyment; the very conditions which mark pleasure, bring also in their turn pain. 32. “Heavy garments and fragrant aloe-wood are pleasant in the cold, but an annoyance in the heat ; and the moonbeams and sandalwood are pleasant in the heat, but a pain in the cold. 33. “Since the well-known opposite pairs, such as gain and loss and the rest , are inseparably connected

53 RENUNCIATION FOR EVER I with everything in this world,—therefore, no man is invariably happy on the earth nor invariably wretched. 34. “When I see how the nature of pleasure and pain are mixed, I consider royalty and slavery as the same; a king does not always smile, nor is a slave always in pain. 35. “Since to be a king involves a wider range of responsibility, therefore, the sorrows of a king are great; for a king is like a peg,—he endures trouble for the sake of the world. 36. “A king is unfortunate, if he places his trust in his royalty which is apt to desert and loves crooked turns ; and, on the other hand, if he does not trust in it, then what can be the happiness of a timid king ? 37. “And since after even conquering the whole earth, one city only can serve as a dwelling place and even there only one house can be inhabited, is not royalty mere labour for others ? 38. “And even in royalty nothing more than one pair of garments is all he needs, and just enough food to keep off hunger ; so only one bed, and only one seat is all that a king needs; other distinctions are only for pride. 39. “And if all these fruits are desired for the sake of satisfaction, I can be satisfied without a kingdom ; and if a man is once satisfied in this world, are not all distinctions unnecessary ? 40. “He then who has attained the auspicious road to happiness is not to be deceived in regard to pleasures. Remembering thy professed friendship, I ask, tell me again and again, are the pleasures worth anything ? 41. “I have not left home through anger, nor because my diadem has been dashed down by an enemy’s arrow ; nor have I set my desires on loftier objects, that I thus refuse thy proposal. 42. “Only he who, having once let go a malignant incensed serpent, or a blazing hay-torch all on fire, would strive again to seize it, would ever seek pleasures

54 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES I again after having once abandoned them. 43. “Only he who, though seeing would envy the blind, though free, the bound, though wealthy, the destitute, though sound in his reason, the maniac— only he, I say, would envy one who is devoted to wordly objects. 44. “He who lives on alms, my good friend, is not to be pitied. He has here the best happiness, perfect calm, and hereafter all sorrows are for him abolished. 45. “But he is to be pitied who is overpowered by craving though in the midst of great wealth,—who attains not the happiness of calm here, while pain has to be experienced hereafter. 46. “What thou hast spoken to me is well worthy of thy character, thy mode of life, and thy family; and to carry out my resolve is also befitting my character, my mode of life, and my family.” § 4. Reply by Gautama (concluded) 1. “I have been wounded by the strife of the world, and I have come out longing to obtain peace; I would not accept any empire in the third heaven, for saving me from all the ills of the earth how much less amongst men ? 2. “But as for what thou hast said to me, O King, that the universal pursuit of the three objects is the supreme end of man,—and thou saidst that what I regard as the desirable is misery,—thy three objects are perishable and also unsatisfying. 3. “And as for what thou saidst, ‘ wait till old age comes, for youth is ever subject to change’;— this want of decision is itself uncertain; for age too can be irresolute and youth can be firm. 4. “But since Fate is so well skilled in its art as to draw the world in all its various ages into its power,— how shall the wise man, who desires tranquillity, wait for old age, when he knows not when the time of death will be ? 5. “When death stands ready like a hunter,

55 RENUNCIATION FOR EVER I with old age as his weapon, and diseases scattered about as his arrows, smiting down living creatures who fly like deer to the forest of destiny, what desire can there be in anyone for length of life ? 6. “It well befits the youthful son or the old man or the child so to act with all promptitude that they may choose the path of the religious man whose soul is all mercy. 7. “And as for what thou saidst, ‘ be diligent in sacrifices for religion, such as are worthy of thy race and bring a glorious fruit,’—honour to such sacrifices ! I desire not that fruit which is sought by causing pain to others ! 8. “To kill a helpless victim through a wish for future reward,—it would be unseemly action for a merciful, good-hearted man, even if the reward of the sacrifice were eternal. 9. “And even if true religion did not consist in quite another rule of conduct, by self-restraint, moral practice and a total absence of passion,—still it would not be seemly to follow the rule of sacrifice, where the highest reward is described as attained only by slaughter. 10. “Even that happiness which comes to a man, while he stays in this world, through the injury of another, is hateful to the wise compassionate heart; how much more if it be something beyond our sight in another life ? 11. “I am not to be lured into a course of action for future reward,—my mind does not delight, O King, in future births; these actions are uncertain and wavering in their direction, like plants beaten by the rain from a cloud.” 12. The king himself, folding his hands, replied, “Thou art obtaining thy desire without hindrance; when thou hast at last accomplished all that thou hast to do, thou shalt show hereafter thy favour towards me.” 13. Having received a firm promise from Gautama to visit him again, the monarch, taking his courtiers with him, returned to the palace.

56 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES I § 5. News of Peace 1. While Gautama was staying in Rajagraha there came five other Parivrajakas who also put up a hut by the side of the hut which Gautama had erected for himself. 2. These five Parivrajakas were Kaundinya, Ashvajit, Kasyapa, Mahanam and Bhaduka. 3. They too were struck by Gautama’s appearance and wondered what could have led him to take Parivraja. 4. They questioned him over the issue in the same way as did King Bimbisara. 5. When he explained to them the circumstances which led him to take Parivraja, they said, “We have heard of it. But do you know what has happened since you left ?” they asked. 6. Siddharth said, “No.” Then they told him that after he left Kapilavatsu there was a great agitation among the Sakyas against going to war with the Koliyas. 7. There were demonstrations and processions by men and women, boys and girls, carrying flags with such slogans as, “Koliyas are our brothers,” “It is wrong for a brother to fight against brother. “Think of the exile of Siddharth Gautama,” etc. 8. The result of the agitation was that the Sakya Sangh had to call a meeting and reconsider the question. This time the majority was for compromise with the Koliyas. 9. The Sangh decided to select five Sakyas to act as their envoys and negotiate peace with the Koliyas. 10. When the Koliyas heard of this they were very glad. They too selected five Koliyas to deal with the envoys of the Sakyas. 11. The envoys on the two sides met and agreed to appoint a permanent Council of Arbitration with authority to settle every dispute regarding the sharing of the waters of the river Rohini and both sides to abide by its decision. Thus the threatened war had ended in peace.