FIRST SCENE.
[Reception hall of the Raja Suddhodana; Indian pompous style; columns
and beyond an outlook into a tropical palm-garden. Seats scattered
through the room. On the left a compartment, open toward the audience,
is separated from the main room by hanging carpets.]
_Near the right side SUDDHODANA is seated with PAJAPATI and
YASODHARA. RAHULA in the background (viz., in the garden) in
the care of a nurse._
_S._ The time is troublesome, and it appears that war is imminent.
_P._ Oh do not fret;
Visakha is a cunning diplomat:
I hope he'll be successful, and he will
Persuade King Bimbisara to keep peace.
_S._ I do hope too, but hope against conviction.
_VISAKHA and DEVALA enter._
There come the Brahman and the gallant Captain.
_V._ [Kneeling on one foot to the King] Hail Maharaja!
_D._ Hail, my gracious King.
_S._ Welcome my worthy messengers!
_They kneel to PAJAPATI._
_P._ Be welcome.
_S._ Tell me at once, how did your mission speed?
_V._ There is a subtle influence against you
At Bimbisara's court; there is a party
Bound to have war, and they will have it too,
Unless we meet them by diplomacy.
Leave it to me, and I'll preserve the peace.
_S._ Had not my son turned mendicant, how useful
Could he at present be! I need a general,
A trusty man of youthful strength and courage
To take the helm and lead the ship of state
Through storm and danger, for our foes are strong.
_V._ Great Raja, I am privy to your grief,
I know the hope you'd set upon Siddhattha.
What brilliant gifts the boy inherited,
From you, his royal father, and how he,
Forgetful of his filial duty, left you,
And his fair wife and child, to turn a beggar.
_S._ All this is true, remind me not of it,
'Tis a disgrace to our most royal house,
And all the Rajas in the Indian land,
Will point to us and mock the Sakya tribe.
_RAHULA comes in with childlike joy and brings his mother a
rose._
_R._ Here, mother, is a rose. I picked it from the bush where the
nightingale sings. I thought, if father had been here, he would have
brought the rose to you. He loves the flowers and so do you.
_Y._ My darling!
_S._ [_with a touch of anger_] Yasodhara, I wish you would not speak
to him too much of his father.
_R._ Why should mother not mention father? I love him and I should
know all about him. I want to join the Buddha's brotherhood.
_S._ Do you love him more than your grandfather?
_R._ I love my grandfather too, I love mother, and you, dear
grandmother [_turning to PAJAPATI_]. You are always so kind to me. I
love you all. But father I love in a different manner. I love him as
Buddha. I clasp my hands to him as to a god; and so do you mother, do
you not?
_Y._ [_Puts her hand on Rahula's mouth_] Hush! I thank you for the
rose, my child; now run away and bring another rose to grandfather,
and one for your grandmother Pajapati.
_R._ Yes mother, and one I keep for father when he comes.
_Runs off._
_V._ Your grandson needs a father, Maha Raja!
And let me tender you my humble service.
I see Yasodhara, the noble princess,
Pine patiently away and spend in mourning
Her life's best years of youth and happiness.
She has been cruelly deserted, has
Been widowed by Siddhattha for a whim.
Give her to me in marriage, and I'll prove
A better father than that runaway,
A better father to your little grandson,
A better husband to his widowed wife.
_S._ You are at liberty to ask my daughter.
_V._ Fair Princess, cease to mourn, and grant my suit.
Thou shalt see better days than heretofore.
_Y._ I pledged my troth to Gotama Siddhattha,
And I shall never break my faith to him.
_V._ Siddhattha is no more, he has turned monk
And you are free, you are Siddhattha's widow.
_S._ My daughter, do not think that I oppose
Visakha's suit, for on the contrary
I do support it, and I wish you would
Accept him as a husband, for I need
Alliance with a brave and trusty man.
_V._ Princess Yasodhara, here is my hand,
Do not refuse me.
_Y._ Brahman, spare your words.
_V._ The time will come when you will sore regret.
O King, compel her to obey; make use
Of your good right as master of this house,
For I alone can save the Sakya state.
_P._ O worthy Brahman, do not threaten us.
_V._ Decide, O Maharaja; thou art Lord!
Thy bidding must be done. Shall women rule,
Or art thou master still in thine own home?
_S._ I am master here; but not a tyrant;
Among our people master means a leader.
The Sakya yeomen justly pride themselves
On their free institutions. I'm the first
Among them, not an autocrat nor despot;
I serve them as adviser, guide and father;
Shall I who never would infringe upon
The right of any poorest peasant woman,
Compel a princess of the royal house
To marry 'gainst her will? No sir, not I.
I wished the Princess to accept your suit,
But I shall never say, She must be yours.
_V._ King of the Sakyas, you forget yourself,
I am a Brahman and of noble birth.
I served you faithfully for many years,
But now I quit your service, for I know
That Bimbisara, King of Magadha,
The mightiest of Indian rulers,
Will welcome me as friend and counselor.
_He bows to the KING and PAJAPATI, and leaves. For a moment
they are all silent._
_S._ I fear me that means war.
_D._ Indeed it does.
If you remember, King, Visakha said
There was a subtle influence against you
At Bimbisara's court. It dawns on me
That he, Visakha, is the cause of it.
I saw him whisper with a courtier, then
He spoke in secret with a general,
And with the King too he was closeted.
The hypocrite has thrown away his mask,
And since he spoke out boldly, I know now
That he has been intriguing all the time.
_S._ He thinks I hate my son, but I do not.
I'm only angry, I am disappointed,
Because he did not heed my dearest wish.
I love him still and I invited him
To visit his old home and me, his father.
I sent Udayin with a kindly greeting.
Oh, I'd forgive him all, and e'en his flight,
Had only he not turned a mendicant.
It hurts my pride to see a Sakya prince,
And mine own son, go round from house to house
With bowl in hand to beg his daily food.
_RAHULA comes in excited._
_R._ Grandfather, here is your rose, and grandma, here is yours. And
oh! did you hear the news?
_Y._ What is it, boy? Why are you so excited?
_P._ Who told you any news?
_R._ The guards at the gate. They say that my father has come. All the
people rush out of their houses and greet him with clasped hands.
They strew flowers on the road and hail him as the Buddha!
_Y._ [_rises_] Why, is it possible?
_Wants to retire._
_S._ Stay here. Kala Udayin comes.
_KALA enter and kneels._
_K._ I bow in humble reverence before the King. And my respectful
salutations to all the members of the royal house [_turning to GOPA_]
and to you.
_S._ Bring you good news, Udayin?
_K._ Your noble son, my King, is coming.
_S._ Where did you find him?
_K._ At the Jetavana at Savatthi.
_S._ What kind of a place is that?
_K._ It is the most wonderful pleasure park I ever saw. O King, your
garden here is a paltry affair in comparison with the Jetavana.
_S._ There he lives in luxury?
_K._ Oh no Sir. Not at all. He could live in luxury, if he wanted to,
but he leads a simple life, as simple as the humblest servant in your
home, and when he wanders through the country after the rainy season
he lives like any mendicant friar. He overtook me on my way, and when
he came hither to Kapilavatthu, his home, he did as usual. Last night
he slept in the forest, and this morning he went from house to house
with bowl in hand, begging his food, and he spoke a blessing wherever
people greeted him kindly, or gave him to eat.
_S._ Oh my son, my son! Why didst thou not go straight to the palace
where thy father has food enough for thee and all thy disciples!
_K._ He always follows the rule of the mendicants.
_S._ Oh my son! Why dost thou shame thy father in his own home?
_K._ The Blessed One deems it no shame to beg. He is as modest as a
pauper and shows no pride, but wherever he comes, he is greeted like a
king, nay like a king of kings, and the wealthiest and most powerful
rulers come to do him reverence.
_S._ And he is here, this wonderful man? And he is my son Siddhattha?
_K._ Yes, he is here, and it is your son, but no longer Siddhattha,
the Sakya prince, but Sakya muni, the sage of the Sakyas, the Buddha,
the Blessed One. When I spoke to him and gave him your message, he
inquired for you and the Queen Pajapati [_YASODHARA rises_] and for
you, most honored Princess and for Rahula. Yes, he inquired for you
and how Rahula had grown.
_Y._ Did he speak kindly of us?
_K._ He always speaks kindly, and he is always calm.
[Music a song, Buddhist Doxology, at a distance]
_K._ O listen to the music. Here he comes, the glorious Buddha. He
must be at the gate.
_Y._ [_rises again and withdraws._] I must be gone.
_P._ O stay, Yasodhara.
_Y._ No, I will hide me from his very sight; and if I am to him of any
value, he will ask for me.
_S._ Stay, Yasodhara.
_Y._ He fled from me because I was a hindrance
In his great quest, and he may shun me still.
_S._ Stay none the less.
_P._ Nay, let her withdraw; she is in tears and would break down.
_YASODHARA and PAJAPATI withdraw to the partition behind the
curtains._
_S._ You say, that my son is greeted even by kings with clasped hands?
_K._ Yea, even kings kneel to him.
_S._ I shall do nothing of the kind. He is my son, my disobedient son,
and I am still his father.
_PAJAPATI returns._
_The procession of the BUDDHA comes. Two monks precede and
stand at either side of the BUDDHA. Accompanying monks and
other public come into the garden, crowding up to the
columns. They all kneel with clasped hands, except
SUDDHODANA._
_B._ My blessing to this house, to you, O King,
And also to the Queen Pajapati,
My dear good aunt and loving foster mother.
_S._ At last thou comest back, my wayward son,
But why didst shame me? Why didst thou go begging
Here in my capital? Thou art descended
From ancestors who are a royal race.
_B._ My ancestors are Buddhas of past ages,
Their thinking has descended unto me,
Their habits and their rules of life I follow,
And not the regulations of a court.
_The people rise to their feet again; KALA joins GOPA._
_S._ Tell me, what are the rules of former Buddhas?
_B._ They greet you with a stanza in return
For any food or hospitality.
_S._ I shall be glad to hear what you will say.
_B._ Awake from sleep, dispel the dream;
Before the truth's bright ray
Things truly are not what they seem
But truth points out the way.
Truth, truth alone will bring you bliss,
In the next life and e'en in this.
_RAHULA brings a rose to BUDDHA._
_R._ Here, father, is a rose I saved for you
On the big bush where nests the nightingale.
_B._ And this is Rahula! How you have grown!
Where is your mother?
_S._ Yasodhara was here,
But would not stay. On hearing that you came
She left the room and said that if at all
You cared for her, you would not fail to ask.
_B._ But I want to see her, lead me to the place.
_BUDDHA hands his bowl to the King, PAJAPATI rises and leads
the way. At a distance a flourish of trumpets._
_D._ What military signals do I hear?
_S._ Go, Captain Devala, see what it means.
_DEVALA exit. SUDDHODANA hands the bowl to one of the
disciples._
_B._ Ye two disciples shall attend the meeting.
Above all passion has the Buddha risen,
But he will comfort her who loves him dearly.
The Princess' heart is filled with deepest grief,
And in no wise shall any one rebuke her
In whatsoever way she greeteth him.
_PAJAPATI opens the curtain leading to the apartment where
YASODHARA sits. BUDDHA, PAJAPATI and SUDDHODANA enter.
YASODHARA sinks down before him and holds his feet, weeping.
The flourish of trumpets is repeated._
_S._ [_Grows restless, turns to PAJAPATI_] These warlike trumpets
have a foreign sound
And may forbode the enemy's attack.
_He leaves the apartment where YASODHARA is and re-enters the
hall, going toward the entrance in the background between the
columns._
_B._ Yasodhara, I bring thee happy tidings,
Deliverance is found, let go thy grief.
_YASODHARA looking up to BUDDHA with deep emotion._
_Y._ Oh Lord, how did I long for your return,
But in your eyes I have become as naught.
_B._ My faithful helpmate and my former wife,
Thou hast been dear to me, dear art thou still,
But truth is dearer, and to truth I cling,
While on my quest of truth in former lives,
And also now in this existence, thou
With voluntary sacrifice hast aided me,
Imagine not that thou a hindrance art
To me or to my work and holy mission.
Next to my sainted mother thou art blessed
Among the women of this world. Rejoice
And let grief pass from thy suffering soul.
_Y._ [_In a kneeling posture_] Grant me a boon, my Lord, a precious
boon.
_R._ Yea, father, grant the boon that mother wants.
_B._ Speak, Princess, and I listen to thy word.
I know thy heart, Yasodhara; I know
That naught but worthy thoughts dwell in thy mind.
_Y._ Grant me to help thee in thy noble mission.
I want to join the band of thy disciples.
_She pauses and the BUDDHA hesitates to answer._
I shall be happy if I do thy work.
_B._ Dost thou not know this boon is but a burden?
_Y._ The heavier it be, my Lord, the more I welcome it.
_R._ Oh grant the boon!
_B._ Not yet
Yasodhara, have women been admitted;
But I foresee the time will come.
_Y._ My Lord
The time is here if thou but grant the boon.
_The BUDDHA places his right hand in blessing upon
YASODHARA'S head._
_B._ So let it be, and so thy boon be granted;
I may not hinder thee if thou insistest.
_As PAJAPATI helps YASODHARA to rise, a third flourish of
trumpets is heard, this time near by and loud. DEVALA returns
in great excitement and addresses SUDDHODANA._
_D._ My noble liege, an embassy is coming
From Bimbisara, King of Magadha.
They are the kingdom's highest ministers,
And sullen do they look and their retainers.
_S._ 'Tis most unfortunate, but let them in.
_D._ There's more to be announced.
_S._ You look excited.
_D._ It is but the beginning of the end:
Our scouts are captured, one of them escaped.
_He hesitates._
_S._ Well, Devala?
_D._ He carries evil news.
_S._ [_With great anxiety_] By Issara! Speak, man! Don't hesitate.
_DEVALA covers his eyes with his hands and sobs._
_S._ Tell me the worst. Tell me the worst at once.
_D._ O that I had no tongue to tell the tidings.
_S._ I will be brave, speak freely! Be a man!
_In the meantime the BUDDHA together with the others has
entered the main hall._
_D._ Our cause is lost. We are surrounded,
Three bridges have been built and General Siha
Stands ready with an overwhelming army
To crush us.
_S._ Once I had a son! But he
Alas! turned mendicant and fails me now!
In him no drop of warrior blood is left,
No spark of honor gloweth in his heart
And our ancestral pride goes down in shame.
_B._ Transient, my noble father, are all things.
All kingdoms finally must pass away,
But if thou tak'st thy refuge in the truth,
Thou wilt be free from all vicissitudes.
The kingdom of the truth alone endures.
_S._ [_With indignation._] Siddhattha, spare thy monkish rant,
Far better than thy cowardly submission,
Far nobler and befitting it would be,
To draw the sword and die a hero's death.
_The embassy in solemn procession files in as before at the
Jetavana. The BUDDHA withdraws and is not noticed by the
embassy. Prime Minister NAGADEVA (N) addresses King
SUDDHODANA._
_N._ Oh Maharaja, listen to our message!
The ruler of the mighty Magadha,
King Bimbisara, sends you kindly greetings.
He wants you to entreat the Blessed One,
The holy Buddha, who now stays with you,
Who, as he learneth, is your noble son,
To come to Rajagaha on a visit.
There have been rumors of intended war,
And armies are maneuvering nearby,
But be assured, our noble King means peace.
He would not draw the sword against your state,
Nor wage a war against the Buddha's father.
_SUDDHODANA'S eye searches for the BUDDHA who has been
standing behind a column and now steps forward._
_S._ Oh noble son, oh blessed, highest Buddha,
Thou art indeed a King of Kings on earth!
_He kneels down. All members of the embassy do the same._
No crown thou wear'st, no scepter's in thy hand,
Thou needest neither lance, nor sword nor shield,
And yet thou rulest, with mere word and thought,
Thou sway'st the destinies of all the world,
I did not know thy power and thy great worth;
But now I bow me down in humble faith,
And I take refuge in the truth thou preachest.
Henceforth I will devote myself to spread
The kingdom of good will and righteousness.
[Music Buddhist Doxology]
[CURTAIN]
* * * * *