Page:Karl Gjellerup - The Pilgrim Kamanita - 1911.djvu/159

 "And never dreaming with whom he had passed the night here," added Ananda, "his one desire was to be brought to the feet of the Master."

"Soon afterwards, to be sure, he demanded that he should be carried to the Gunga," remarked Sariputta.

"Not so, Brother Sariputta," Ananda corrected him; "for he spoke of the heavenly Gunga. With radiant countenance he recalled a vow, and, in doing so, uttered the name of a woman—Vasitthi, I believe—and so he died."

"The name of some woman on his lips he went hence," said Sariputta. "Where may he have entered again into existence?"

"Foolish, ye disciples, was the pilgrim Kamanita, as an unreasonable child. To this pilgrim, ye disciples, who went about in my name and wished to profess himself a follower of the doctrine of the Master, I expounded the doctrine fully, entering into every detail. And he took offence at the doctrine. The longings and aspirations of his heart were centred on bliss and heavenly joys. The pilgrim Kamanita, ye disciples, has entered again into existence in Sukhavati, in the Paradise of the West, there to enjoy the pleasures of heaven for thousands upon thousands of years."