Siddhartha

Siddhartha had started to nurse discontent in himself, he had started

to feel that the love of his father and the love of his mother, and also

the love of his friend, Govinda, would not bring him joy for ever and

ever, would not nurse him, feed him, satisfy him. He had started to

suspect that his venerable father and his other teachers, that the wise

Brahmans had already revealed to him the most and best of their wisdom,

that they had already filled his expecting vessel with their richness,

and the vessel was not full, the spirit was not content, the soul was

not calm, the heart was not satisfied. The ablutions were good, but

they were water, they did not wash off the sin, they did not heal the

spirit's thirst, they did not relieve the fear in his heart. The

sacrifices and the invocation of the gods were excellent--but was that

all? Did the sacrifices give a happy fortune? And what about the gods?

Was it really Prajapati who had created the world? Was it not the