By t to stay, t Sidd is time ago on my o t to go to, starting out from , my pat t time into a ne nes start there!

    tenderly, o ter, into transparent green, into tal lines of its draing on ting surface, ted in it. it e ones, al ones, er,  deligeful ! In  alking, old er! Stay near it! Learn from it! Oed to learn from it, ed to listen to it. and ter and its secrets, so it seemed to and many ots, all secrets.

    But out of all secrets of today only saoucer ran and ran, incessantly it ran, and  all times t ne! Great be and tood and grasped it not, only felt some idea of it stirring, a distant memory, divine voices.

    Siddened to t, listened to the rumbling hunger in his body.

    ready, and transported tood in t, Siddha recognised him, he had also aged very much.

    quot;ould you like to ferry me over?quot; he asked.

    toniso see suc man , took o  and pus off the bank.

    quot;Its a beautiful life you ; t;It must be beautiful to live by ter every day and to cruise on it.quot;

    it to side: quot;It is beautiful, sir, it is as you say. But isnt every life, isnt every iful?quot;

    quot;true. But I envy you for yours.quot;

    quot;Aop enjoying it. t;

    Sidd;Once before, I oday because of my clotrust. ouldnt you, ferryman, like to accept to me, from me? For you must kno;

    quot;Youre joking, sir,quot; the ferryman laughed.

    quot;Im not joking, friend. Beer in your boat for terial re today as  my clot.quot;

    quot;And do you, sir, intent to continue travelling  clot;

    quot;A of all I   to continue travelling at all. Most of all I o give me an old loinclot me ant, or ratrainee, for Ill o learn first o .quot;

    For a long time, t tranger, searching.

    quot;No; ;At one time, youve slept in my , time ago, possibly more ty years ago, and youve been ferried across ted like good friends.  youve been a Samana? I cant t;

    quot;My name is Sidd seen me.quot;

    quot;So be oday as ell me, o you.quot;

    trengto overcome t.  of t,  and c last day of ime as a Samana, love for tirred in . Gratefully, ed Vasudevas invitation. o tie t to takes; after to enter t, offered er, and Sidde e s, Vasudeva offered him.

    After  time of t, t on a log by told t  il late at niged ale.

    Vasudeva listened  attention. Listening carefully,  everyter  learning, all t searcress. tues one of test: like only a feen. it  er , open, ing,  lose a single one, aed not a single one ience, did not add  listening. Sidd,  is, to confess to sucener, to burry in  his own life, his own search, his own suffering.

    But in tale,  sucer ened tention, entirely and completely absorbed by it, h his eyes closed.

    But  is as I t. to you. It is your friend as  speaks to you as  is good, t is very good. Stay o  to mine, but sime ago, for a long time, I ;

    quot;I t; said Sidd;I t. And I also tening to me so o listen. And I did not meet a single one  from you.quot;

    quot;You ,quot; spoke Vasudeva, quot;but not from me. taugo listen, from it you  as  kno. See, youve already learned ter too, t it is good to strive doo sink, to seek dept Sidd, told to you by t ot as ;

    Quoter a long pause: quot; ot;

    Vasudeva rose. quot;It is late,quot; ;lets go to sleep. I cant tell you t ot, or per already. See, Im no learned man, I o do is to listen and to be godly, I o say and teac, I mig like t is my task to ferry people across transported many, to all of t an obstacle on travels. travelled to seek money and business, and for ructing to get t obstacle. But for some among topped being an obstacle, ts voice, tened to it, and to t o me. Lets rest now, Sidd;

    Siddayed o operate t, and  t off trees. o build an oar, and learned to mend t, and to s, and  more teacaugly, . Most of all,  to listen, to pay close attention  , ing, opened soul,  passion,  a ,  an opinion.

    In a friendly manner,  lengt about words. Vasudeva was no friend of words; rarely, Siddo speak.

    quot;Did you,quot; so  one time, quot;did you too learn t secret from t time?quot;

    Vasudevas face  smile.

    quot;Yes, Sidd; ;It is t you mean, isnt it: t t once, at t t terfall, at t tains, every t time for it, not t, not ture?quot;

    quot;t is,quot; said Sidd;And  my life, and it ed from t by somet, and urn to Braure. Notence and is present.quot;

    Siddasy; deeply, tenment ed  all suffering time,  all forms of tormenting oneself and being afraid time,  everytile in time, as soon as time  of existence by ones ts? In ecstatic delig Vasudeva smiled at ly and nodded in confirmation; silently urned back to his work.

    And once again, s flo;Isnt it so, o it t, and of a ;

    quot;So it is,quot; Vasudeva nodded, quot;all voices of tures are in its voice.quot;

    quot;And do you kno; Siddinued, quot; speaks, en t once?quot;

    over to Siddo ha had also been hearing.

    And time after time, o t just as brig just as t as s of t as alike to a c as alike to an old mans. Many travellers, seeing t ten, t in togetened to ter, o t t exists, of ernally taking s ime to time t botening to t of tion from terday, of one of travellers, te of  t,  eaced about to tion.

    t tted to otravellers felt. It  a traveller, after  tarted to tell tory of old about pains, confessed evil t and advice. It  someone asked for permission to stay for a nigo listen to t also  curious people came,  tions, but t no anstle old men, e and to  strange and gaga. And ty rumours.

    ted t one time, monks came by on a pilgrimage, folloama, to be ferried across told t t o t teaced one ion. It  long, until a ne of travellers and people ama and o o tion of a king, and are gats in droves, to o take place and t perfected one of an era o become one he glory.

    Often, Sidd in t teacions and . Kindly,  of o perfection before o ed one. t seemed to ime  tanding betama and ill unable to accept eaceacruly searcruly ed to find, could accept. But eacanding beternal, w is divine.

    On one of t on a pilgrimage to t to o be t beautiful of tesans. A long time ago, sired from o tama as a gift, aken eacors of togeto tama, in simple clot. ittle son, sravelling by t tired, desired to go back o rest, desired to eat, became disobedient and started whining.

    Kamala often o take a rest omed to  o feed o comfort o scold  compreo to go on ting and sad pilgrimage o an unknoo a stranger, o die. So w if he boy?

    tting close to Vasudevas ferry, . Sired, and ed. But suddenly, stered a  ten.

    o reac near to t able to go any furt tarted crying miserably, only interrupting it to kiss and il tood at took to t, t, ove and  lig sao remember sometten. tantly recognised, t it irred in .

    Kamalas  over ood Siddo love  seemed like a dream to   sloion, remembered te, called timidly for the boy.

    quot; ; said Siddha.

    Kamala looked into ongue, paralysed by t;Youve become old, my dear,quot; s;youve become gray. But you are like t one time came  cloty feet, to me into t t time ill recognise me?quot;

    Sidd;Instantly, I recognised you, Kamala, my dear.quot;

    Kamala pointed to ;Did you recognise ;

    . t, Siddook  ted  t of to ime ago, ed to speak; from  and co  singsong, ttering a sob and fell asleep. Siddood by tove and cooked rice. Siddurned h a smile.

    quot;S; Siddly.

    Vasudeva nodded; over  of toves fire.

    Once again, Kamala returned to consciousness. Pain distorted ly, , attentively, ing,  it,  his eyes.

    Looking at ;No your eyes ely different. By ill recognise t youre Sidds you, and its not you.quot;

    Siddly  hers.

    quot;You ?quot; s;You ;

    he smiled and placed his hand on hers.

    quot;Im seeing it,quot; s;Im seeing it. I too ;

    quot;You ,quot; Siddha spoke in a whisper.

    Kamala never stopped looking into  about o Gotama, o take, in order to see ted one, to breat t s it  as good, as if sed to tell to  tongue no longer obeyed  speaking, s hrough her limbs, his finger closed her eyelids.

    For a long time,  and looked at ime, ired mout o, in time, , read in tired  as quenc, and sa time  and at time real, ternity, completely filled every aspect of , more deeply tructibility of every life, ternity of every moment.

    Sidd eat. In table, ood, trao sleep. But Sidd outside and sat t before t, listening to t, toucimes of  time. But occasionally, epped to t and listened, whe boy was sleeping.

    Early in t of table and o his friend.

    quot;You  slept,quot; he said.

    quot;No, Vasudeva. I sat ening to t it old me, deeply it ,  of oneness.quot;

    quot;Youve experienced suffering, Sidd I see: no sadness ered your .quot;

    quot;No, my dear, o me.quot;

    quot;Your son so me as  no to o be done. Kamala ime ago. Let us also build Kamalas funeral pile on t my ;

    ill asleep, t the funeral pile.