.
(Part
One) 12.
King Bimbisara's Offer
From
the Anoma River, dressed as a beggar, the young prince
wandered from place to place. Eventually he came to
Rajagaha City, where King Bimbisara lived. With his
begging bowl in his hands Siddhartha walked round the
streets begging for food from door to door like any
other religious monk. People began to call him "Sakyamuni"
or sage of the Sakyas, others called him "Ascetic"
or "Ascetic Gautama", but nobody called him
Prince Siddhartha any more.
He
was most handsome, young, healthy, clean and neat. He
spoke very kindly and gently. He did not ask people
to give him anything but people were happy and pleased
to put some food into his bowl.
Some
people went and told the king. "Your majesty, there
is a young man. Some people call him ‘Ascetic Gautama’.
He is very clean, neat, kind, polite and not like a
beggar at all."
When
King Bimbisara heard the name "Gautama" he
knew at once that this prince was the son of King Suddhodana,
his friend. He went up to him and asked him, "
Why do you do this? Have you quarrelled with your father?
Why do you go about like this? Stay here and I shall
give you half of my kingdom."
"Thank
you very much, Sir. I love my parents, my wife, my son,
you and everybody. I want to find a way to stop
old age, sickness, worries and death. Therefore I am
going thus," said the Ascetic Gautama and off he
went.
