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And the Buddha replied: "It is the custom of my race." 4
But the king said: "How can this be? Thou art descended from kings, and not one of them ever begged for food." 5
"O great king," rejoined the Buddha, "thou and thy race may claim descent from kings; my descent is from the Buddhas of old. They, begging their food, lived on alms." 6
The king made no reply, and the Blessed One continued: "It is customary, O king, when one has found a hidden treasure, for him to make an offering of the most precious jewel to his father. Suffer me, therefore, to open this treasure of mine which is the Dharma, and accept from me this gem:" 7
[Pg 85] And the Blessed One recited the following stanza:
"Rise from dreams and loiter not
Open to truth thy mind.
Practise righteousness and thou
Eternal bliss shalt find."8
Then the king conducted the prince into the palace, and the ministers and all the members of the royal family greeted him with great reverence, but Yasodhar, the mother of Rhula, did not make her appearance. The king sent for Yasodhar, but she replied: "Surely, if I am deserving of any regard, Siddhattha will come and see me." 9
The Blessed One, having greeted all his relatives and friends, asked: "Where is Yasodhar?" And on being informed that she had refused to come, he rose straightway and went to her apartments. 10
"I am free," the Blessed One said to his disciples, Sriputta and Moggallna, whom he had bidden to accompany him to the princess's chamber; "the princess, however, is not as yet free. Not having seen me for a long time, she is exceedingly sorrowful. Unless her grief be allowed its course her heart will cleave. Should she touch the Tathgata, the Holy One, ye must not prevent her." 11
Yasodhar sat in her room, dressed in mean garments, and her hair cut. When Prince Siddhattha entered, she was, from the abundance of her affection, like an overflowing vessel, unable to contain her love. 12
Forgetting that the man whom she loved was the Buddha, the Lord of the world, the preacher of truth, she held him by his feet and wept bitterly. 13
Remembering, however, that Suddhodana was present, she felt ashamed, and rising, seated herself reverently at a little distance. 14
The king apologized for the princess, saying: "This arises from her deep affection, and is more than a temporary[Pg 86] emotion. During the seven years that she has lost her husband, when she heard that Siddhattha had shaved his head, she did likewise; when she heard that he had left off the use of perfumes and ornaments, she also refused their use. Like her husband she had eaten at appointed times from an earthen bowl only. Like him she had renounced high beds with splendid coverings, and when other princes asked her in marriage, she replied that she was still his. Therefore, grant her forgiveness." 15
And the Blessed One spoke kindly to Yasodhar, telling of her great merits inherited from former lives. She had indeed been again and again of great assistance to him. Her purity, her gentleness, her devotion had been invaluable to the Bodhisatta when he aspired to attain enlightenment, the highest aim of mankind. And so holy had she been that she desired to become the wife of a Buddha. This, then, is her karma, and it is the result of great merits. Her grief has been unspeakable, but the consciousness of the glory that surrounds her spiritual inheritance increased by her noble attitude during her life, will be a balm that will miraculously transform all sorrows into heavenly joy.16
Many people in Kapilavatthu believed in the Tathgata and took refuge in his doctrine, among them Nanda, Siddhattha's halfbrother, the son of Pajpat; Devadatta, his cousin and brother-in-law; Upli the barber; and Anuruddha the philosopher. Some years later nanda, another cousin of the Blessed One, also joined the Sangha. 1
nanda was a man after the heart of the Blessed One; he was his most beloved disciple, profound in comprehension[Pg 87] and gentle in spirit. And nanda remained always near the Blessed Master of truth, until death parted them 2
On the seventh day after the Buddha's arrival in Kapilavatthu, Yasodhar dressed Rhula, now seven years old, in all the splendor of a prince and said to him: 3
"This holy man, whose appearance is so glorious that he looks like the great Brahm, is thy father. He possesses four great mines of wealth which I have not yet seen. Go to him and entreat him to put thee in possession of them, for the son ought to inherit the property of his father." 4
Rhula replied: "I know of no father but the king. Who is my father?" 5
The princess took the boy in her arms and from the window she pointed out to him the Buddha, who happened to be near the palace, partaking of food. 6
Rhula then went to the Buddha, and looking up into his face said without fear and with much affection: "My father!" 7
And standing near by him, he added: "O samana, even thy shadow is a place of bliss!" 8
When the Tathgata had finished his repast, he gave blessings and went away from the palace, but Rhula followed and asked his father for his inheritance. 9
No one prevented the boy, nor did the Blessed One himself. 10
Then the Blessed One turned to Sriputta, 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." 11
Addressing Rhula with earnestness, the Blessed One said: "Gold and silver and jewels are not in my possession. But if thou art willing to receive spiritual treasures, and art strong enough to carry them and to keep them, I shall give thee the four truths which will teach thee the eightfold[Pg 88] path of righteousness. Dost thou desire to be admitted to the brotherhood of those who devote their life to the culture of the heart seeking for the highest bliss attainable?" 12
And Rhula replied with firmness: "I do. I want to join the brotherhood of the Buddha." 13
When the king heard that Rhula had joined the brotherhood of bhikkhus he was grieved. He had lost Siddhattha and Nanda, his sons, and Devadatta, his nephew. But now that his grandson had been taken from him, he went to the Blessed One and spoke to him. And the Blessed One promised that from that time forward he would not ordain any minor without the consent of his parents or guardians. 14
