BUDDHA accompanied by ANATHA PINDIKA comes in. He is followed by two disciples. The BUDDHA sits down on the seat on the platform, having on either hand one of his disciples. ANATHA PINDIKA stands below with clasped hands.

KALA UDAYIN sinks to his knees with clasped hands.

B. My friend, what brings you here?

K. A message from your royal father: He bade me tell you that he is growing old, and before he dies, he wants to see his son once more. Would you deign to accept his invitation?

B. Tell me, my friend, how is my father? Is old age truly telling on him?

K. Not yet so visibly, but he worries much.

B. And how is Rahula? He is now seven years old and must be quite a boy.

K. He is, my Lord; and how he talks of his father. He knows everything you are doing.

B. Who tells him?

K. His mother does.

B. And tell me how the princess fares?

K. She imposes upon herself the observances which the mendicant friars keep. She will have no preference over him who once was her husband. She sleeps on the floor, she does no longer use unguents or perfumes. She wears a simple yellow robe and observes the regulation of the brotherhood in taking food.

The BUDDHA nods and with a distant look sits a few moments in silence.

B. And she is a good mother?

K. There could be no better.

St. [announces] An embassy of the most potent King of Magadha, the great Bimbisara.

B. [Addressing himself to the servant] Let them come in, [turning to K.] Kala Udayin, bring my father greetings, and say that I shall come.

KALA UDAYIN exit.

A number of men, the embassy of King BIMBISARA, led by NAGADEVA, most gorgeously dressed, file in. They let themselves down on one knee, clasp their hands and rise again.

N. Most gracious Lord, all-wise and blessed Buddha, Our noble sov'reign bids me tender you His most respectful greetings, and he hopes That you return and visit Rajagaha, For he is very anxious to be honored By your auspicious presence in his kingdom.

B. My Lords, express to your most mighty King That the Tathagata can not accept This friendly invitation, for he will Start for his home, the country of the Sakyas, To see his aged father and his kin. If war or other ills befall his people, He wants to live, if need be, die with them.

N. Lord Buddha, speak a word of truth to us, For I'm aware thou art omniscient. Our royal master wants to hear from thee.

B. All bodily existence passeth by For it is compound and will be dissolved; But there is Law; it is the Uncreate, It is th' Etern, which is without beginning And without end. That must our refuge be. He who relies on the Impermanent, And, being strong, attempts to crush the weak, Will soon break down. This is the law of deeds, For as we sow, such will our harvest be. Rely on Truth, the Uncreate, th' Etern, Be guided by the rule of Righteousness. This is my message to the King, your Lord, And may he be advised to rule his country With love of peace, with goodness, and with wisdom. My blessing be on him and on his people.

They kneel, clasp their hands, circumambulate the BUDDHA and file out.

JETA returns in excitement.

J. The war is on! King Bimbisara's army Is building bridges to attack the Sakyas.

[CURTAIN. Trumpet signals, military music.]

FOURTH INTERLUDE.

Living Pictures Accompanied by Appropriate Music.

1. KING BIMBISARA ON THE ROYAL ELEPHANT.

The king is seated under a canopy, together with his minister and field marshal. On the head of the elephant, the driver; and retinue on either side.

2. THE WANDERER.

The Buddha was in the habit of wandering through the country from place to place.

The picture shows him with a staff in his right hand and a bowl in his left in an Indian landscape.

3. KING BIMBISARA IN CAMP.

Standing before the royal tent he addresses his generals.



ACT V.

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]

* * * * *

THE END