thaka, and rode to the palace gate. The _Devas_ had
thrown a deep sleep upon the King's guard who watched the gate, so that
they could not hear the noise of the horse's hoofs.

42. Q. _But the gate was locked, was it not?_

A. Yes; but the _Devas_ caused it to open without the slightest noise,
and he rode away into the darkness.

43. Q. _Whither did he go?_

A. To the river Anoma, a long way from Kapilavastu.

44. Q. _What did he then do?_

A. He sprang from his horse, cut off his beautiful hair with his
sword, put on the yellow dress of an ascetic, and giving his ornaments
and horse to Channa, ordered him to take them back to his father, the
King.

45. Q. _What then?_

A. He went afoot towards Rajagrha, the capital city of King
Bimbisara, of Magadha.

46. Q. _Who visited him there?_

A. The King with his whole Court.[3]

46a. Q. _Thence whither did he go?_

A. To Uruvela, near the present Mahabodhi Temple at Buddha
Gaya.

47. Q. _Why did he go there?_

A. In the forests were hermits--very wise men, whose pupil he
afterwards became, in the hope of finding the knowledge of which he was
in search.

48. Q. _Of what religion were they?_

A. The Hindu religion: they were Brahmanas.[4]

49. Q. _What did they teach?_

A. That by severe penances and torture of the body a man may acquire
perfect wisdom.

50. Q. _Did the Prince find this to be so?_

A. No; he learned their systems and practised all their penances, but
he could not thus discover the cause of human sorrow and the way to
absolute emancipation.

51. Q. _What did he then do?_

A. He went away into the forest near Uruvela, and spent six years in
deep meditation, undergoing the severest discipline in mortifying his
body.

52. Q. _Was he alone?_

A. No; five Brahman companions attended him.

53. Q. _What were their names?_

A. Kondanna, Bhaddiya, Vappa, Mahanama, and Assaji.

54. Q. _What plan of discipline did he adopt to open his mind to know
the whole truth?_

A. He sat and meditated, concentrating his mind upon the higher
problems of life, and shutting out from his sight and hearing all that
was likely to interrupt his inward reflections.

55. Q. _Did he fast?_

A. Yes, through the whole period. He took less and less food and
water until, it is said, he ate scarcely more than one grain of rice or
of sesamum seed each day.

56. Q. _Did this give him the wisdom he longed for?_