The king arranged a grand dinner and dance for the prince to celebrate the birth of his grandson. He invited the best dancers and singers in the country for this. He did this because he saw that the prince was unhappy although he just had a son and the king knew that the prince was going to leave the palace for good. So for the last time at least he must do his best to stop this from happening.
During the dinner the most delicious food was served. The most enchanting, and beautiful dancing girls in the country danced before him. The prince attended the party just to please his father. In fact he was tired and was thinking of how he could stop old age, sickness, unhappiness and death. He was so tired of thinking that he soon fell asleep.
When the singers and the dancers saw that they were dancing and singing to a sleeping prince, they, too, stopped and rested for a while until the prince woke up again. Like the prince they, too, were very tired and soon fell asleep. Some time later that night the prince got up and was so shocked and unhappy to see these people. What a sight – all the prettiest, most charming dancing girls and singers in the country, who, an hour ago, were trying to make the prince so happy, were now all over the floor of the room – on chairs, satees and beds in the most ugly, shameful and loathsome positions. Some girls were snoring like pigs, with their mouths wide open, some grinding and chewing their teeth like hungry devils. So ugly and dirty did they look now that this made the prince even more disgusted and very unhappy. He got up quietly from the room as he did not want to wake any of the dancing girls and called his faithful servant, Channa, to saddle his favorite white horse, Kanthaka to go out on a long journey.
As Channa was getting ready his horse he went quietly to see his new born son for the first time in his life. His wife was sleeping with the baby beside her and her hand cover the baby’s face. He could not see the baby’s face even. He knew that if he moved his wife’s hand to see his son’s face he might wake her up and she definitely would not allow him to leave the palace. He said to himself,
“If I try by moving her hand to see my son’s face, I fear, I may wake her. No! I must go without seeing my son’s face this time, but when I have found what I am going forth to seek, I shall come back and see him and his mother again.”
Then quietly he went out of the palace at midnight on his white horse Kanthaka with Channa, his faithful servant, holding on to its tail. He came to the city’s gate and nobody stopped him and he rode away from all who know, respected and loved him so much. He took a last look at Kapilavatthu – sleeping so quietly in the moonlight. He was going away to find out a way to stop old age, sickness, and death.
He rode to the bank of the river Anoma. He got down, removed all his jewellery and princely clothes and gave them to Channa asking him to return them to the king. Then he took his sword and cut his long hair. He put on orange colored clothes, took a begging bowl and asked Channa to go back.
“It is no use living in the palace,”
Said Channa very sadly.
"without you, my master. I want to follow you.”
“Don’t do that, Channa,”
said the prince,
“take these clothes and jewelery to my father and tell him, my mother and wife not to worry. I am going away to find out a way to stop old age, sickness and death.”
As soon as I have found it, I will return to the palace to teach it to my father, mother, wife, son and everybody in the world. Then all of them can be very happy.”
Channa started to go but the horse refused to go. The prince talked to the horse very kindly, patted it and said,
“Please, Kanthaka, go with my friend. Don’t wait for me.”
Both of them went a little distance and then the horse stopped and turned round to have a last look at the prince. Channa understand the horse’s feelings and said,
“Friend, our master is going away to bring us something very good. Don’t be sad. He will come soon. Let us go.”
The horse looked very sad. Tears rolled down from its eyes. It kept its eye fixed at the prince for a few moments. Later, the horse died of sorrow.
