#(Buddha) 10 Sight Of A Mendicant Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

Even at the pleasure palace,
Siddhartah had lost his patience.
He went to pleasure garden
To forget his mental pain.

But there also the old,
The sick and the dead
Haunted one by one
Before his mental screen.

His father saw his mood,
To change it, he tried.
He advised, “Listen
Siddhartha, my son.”

“I agree, this is the truth,
Old age, sickness, or death,
One cannot, anytime, avoid,
And this is the will of God.”

“Life is a gift of God.
And it has to be lived.
In fact, every life is precious.
And every moment is precious.

“You’re young and bold.
And not a coward.”
You’ve to perform
Your duties well in time.”

He loved his father well.
But his wavering mind still
Searched for the truth
In the spiritual path.

This time, he went out
From the North gate,
And saw a mendicant,
Nearing him, in front.

Though his look was calm,
He was begging for alms.
Siddhartha curiously asked,
“Why you beg for food? ”

He replied, “Oh My Lord,
I left my family for good
As I’m searching for pleasure
That’ll not diminish forever.”

The prince thought of this man,
Whose quest was like his own.
This prompted him to go out,
What the truth was, to find out.

This intention, when he told,
His father rejected and said,
“You’ll take up this throne
As I’m now too old to reign.”

“Death or disease is common,
And it’s not your concern,
At this young age of yours,
You listen to my advice.”

Not pleased with his father
He retired to his chamber,
With the query in his mind,
The real truth, how to find?