(Part
One) 11.
The Prince Leaves Home
The
king, Siddhartha's father, arranged a grand dinner and
dance for the prince to celebrate the birth of Rahula.
Invited were the best dancers, singers and musicians
in the country. It was not just out of joy that the king
arranged the celebration. He could see that the prince
was depressed and that his new baby son was not giving
him happiness. The king was afraid Siddhartha was planning
to leave the palace for good and, for the last time, did
his best to distract him away from his sombre reflections
and back to the abundance of palace life.
The
prince attended the party just to please his father. During
the dinner the most delicious food was served, the most
enchanting and beautiful dancing girls in the country
performed, the most sensitive musicians played and
the finest puppets and magicians performed incredible
feats. But Siddhartha was so tired from thinking that
he soon fell asleep.
When
the singers and the dancers saw this they too stopped
and fell asleep. Some time later that night the prince
awoke and was shocked to see these sleeping people. What
a sight! All the prettiest, most charming dancing girls,
the finest singers, best musicians and cleverest performers
in the country, who, hours ago, were trying to make the
prince so happy, were now all over the floor of the room
in the most ugly, shameful and loathsome positions. Some
people were snoring like pigs, with their mouths wide
open, some grinding and chewing their teeth like hungry
devils. This alteration in their appearance made the prince
even more disgusted and unhappy. "How oppressive and stifling
this all is," he thought, and his mind turned again towards
leaving the palace. He got up quietly from the room and,
waking Channa, asked for his horse, Kanthaka, to be saddled.
As
Channa was preparing his horse, Siddhartha went quietly
to see his newborn son for the first time. His wife was
sleeping with the baby beside her, her hand resting on
the baby's head. The prince said to himself, "If I try
to move her hand so I can take the child for one last
cuddle I fear I will wake her and she will prevent me
from going. No! I must go, but when I have found what I
am looking for, I shall come back and see him and his
mother again."
Quietly
then, Siddhartha left the palace. It was midnight, and
the prince was on his white horse Kanthaka with Channa,
his faithful servant, holding on to its tail. Nobody stopped
him as he rode away from all who knew, respected and loved
him. He took a last look at the city of Kapilavatthu —
sleeping so quietly in the moonlight. He was going away
to learn to understand old age, sickness and death. He
rode to the bank of the river Anoma ("illustrious") and
dismounted from his horse. He removed his jewellery and
princely clothes and gave them to Channa to return to
the king. Then the prince took his sword and cut his long
hair, donned simple clothes, took a begging bowl and asked
Channa to go back with Kanthaka.
"It
is no use living in the palace without you, my master,"
said Channa very sadly, "I want to follow you." But Siddhartha
would not allow him to stay, although Channa asked three
times.
At
last Channa started to go, but Kanthaka refused. The
prince talked to the horse very kindly. "Please, Kanthaka,
go with my friend. Don't wait for me." But Kanthaka thought,
"I shall never see my master again." Tears rolled down
from the horse's eyes as it kept them fixed on the prince,
until he turned to go away and walked out of sight. As
Siddhartha disappeared over the horizon, so Kanthaka's heart
burst, and he died of sorrow.
