Chapter 7 : The Medicant

Summary

The poem "Medicant" explores the philosophical struggle between attachment and detachment, material desires and spiritual enlightenment, through the perspective of a young Prince Gautama (the Buddha), and his inner dialogue.

 The poem begins with the prince encountering a serene, detached ascetic walking along a path, free of sorrow, worry, and earthly desires. This sparks deep reflection in the prince, as he ponders the meaning of life, suffering, and the inevitability of old age, sickness, and death. The ascetic's peaceful demeanor contrasts sharply with the world weighed down by grief and desire.

The prince questions why the ascetic seems unaffected by worldly sorrows, to which the charioteer explains that the ascetic has renounced all attachments and attained wisdom. The ascetic views the transient world of desires and suffering as an illusion, and instead, embraces eternal truth and inner peace.

 Despite this understanding, the prince struggles to accept the ascetic's way of life. He acknowledges that childhood, youth, old age, and death are undeniable truths, but beyond death, he only sees emptiness, darkness, and despair. This fills him with inner turmoil, and though his mind longs for freedom, it remains bound by attachment. He decides to seek temporary relief in worldly pleasures, planning to attend a garden festival to distract himself from his existential anxiety.

 Throughout the poem, the prince's mind is caught between attachment and detachment. He recognizes the futility of worldly desires but feels emotionally trapped by them. His heart oscillates between a desire for freedom and a deep fear of severing ties with the familiar comforts of life. In the end, the prince remains confused, pondering the eternal struggle between worldly attachment and spiritual liberation.

 The poem captures the prince's internal conflict as he seeks answers to life’s deeper questions, embodying the universal human tension between material existence and spiritual awakening.

 

The Poem

Uninterrupted, unseen— 

the river of human thought flows. 

It stirs, touching the green, 

budding, blossoming— 

that very shore, 

embraced by the rippling, rising waves, 

moving forth, 

bathed in luminous, emotion-laden hues— 

a cascade of imagination, 

woven with seven-colored waves. 

 

Each leaf, joyful, blooms, 

each petal unfurls— 

a lotus, white, crimson-tipped, 

symbols of purity, devotion, love, 

melancholy, despondence. 

 

The young heart— 

ensnared, 

trapped in the web of algae, 

tangled in endless argument, 

overwhelmed. 

The mind, drifting somewhere far, 

scattered like a faint fragrance. 

All passion and color 

drained of charm, 

leaving only a weariness, 

yet not barren. 

The eyes seek a vastness, 

an expanse elsewhere. 

 

Suddenly, a command is given to the gatekeeper— 

"Bring forth the ready chariot," 

the prince speaks. 

 

Today, I shall go to the garden festival. 

These walls have drained my spirit. 

Like the free, unbound wind, I will roam in liberty, 

rejoicing, celebrating. 

The heart, abandoning all colors, 

has chosen white today. 

 

White karnikara blooms, jasmine, 

madhavi, shirisha, kund, cool lotus petals, 

a thousand-layered white lotus. 

Garlands of fragrant flowers— 

gandharaj, sevanti, rajnigandha, unceasingly fragrant. 

 

My body and soul, thrilled by the parijat wreath, 

scented with bakul, shirisha blossoms, 

drunk on the intoxicating, deep fragrance. 

White flowers, interwoven till death. 

A robe embroidered with gold, 

all adorned in white— 

a symbol of purity. 

 

White, the emblem of sanctity, 

a cool, radiant flame of peace, 

today, the mind— 

discards all colors and waves, 

burning in a desire, 

ablaze with unattainable yearning. 

 

Even upon the chariot, 

my heart sits in sorrow. 

The unspoken pain of the mind, 

its agony unknown. 

The procession on the royal road, 

it too was painful. 

Youth— 

accompanied by inevitable outcomes. 

Aging, though death loomed darker. 

Birth. 

Birth itself is the source of all suffering. 

For what reason— 

does the soul take on the burden of the body? 

 

The mind, 

caught in the storm of thoughts, 

torn into a hundred fragments, 

stirred, churned, 

spinning endlessly. 

And suddenly, gaze fell upon. 

 

He, 

silent in his deep, inner spirituality, 

radiant, glowing with light, 

without conflict, detached, 

walked his path in silence, 

focused and calm. 

Shaven head, pure surroundings, 

not a trace of sorrow or worry anywhere. 

 

The young prince thought, 

the world— 

bowed under the weight of suffering. 

Every eye woven with garlands of tears, 

faces pale, lifeless smiles fading. 

Who is this? 

What kind of ascetic— 

so victorious, so carefree? 

 

All desires, cravings, 

absence, deceit, worry— 

seem defeated by him. 

The prince asked the charioteer again, 

"The world burns in the flames of worldly fire. 

Who is this, 

detached and silent, unmoved by it all?" 

 

The charioteer replied, "My lord, 

he is a renunciant, 

one who has forsaken the world, 

abandoning all hopes, aspirations, 

pleasures, and riches. 

Free of greed, 

beyond attachment and sorrow, 

supremely wise. 

 

This world is not his, yet he belongs to all. 

The serene, silent river of his mind, 

flows for everyone alike— 

no one too high or low, 

whether mansion or cottage, 

he offers coolness and spreads light. 

The sacred river of his heart, 

ever-enduring, gentle and sweet. 

 

The prince, Gautama, asked, 

"Does he not fear disease, old age, or death? 

Or is he untouched by heat and cold?" 

 

The charioteer replied, 

"My lord, 

he understands the inner nature, outer nature, 

and the inert nature— 

he knows the threefold sufferings. 

He is the giver, free of ego and attachment. 

He knows well 

the cycle of life’s changing forms, 

the ever-shifting patterns 

of time’s fleeting moments. 

 

He knows the body’s nature, 

and the actions of nature itself. 

Youth, childhood, and old age, 

all just distortions, 

dancing on the stage of life. 

Death— 

merely the scattering of food grains. 

Yet beyond that, 

the mind-body and life-body 

still exist in the light of spiritual knowledge. 

In that understanding, 

there is existence and awakening. 

 

Why then would he grieve? 

For whom would he mourn separation?" 

Here’s the free verse English translation of the passage with paragraphing and proofreading:

 

---

 

When— 

the breath of life is an unbroken, 

eternal, and ceaseless flow, 

the five elements are but a place of rest for it. 

It is not separated— 

but forever united. 

 

The young prince, hearing all this intently, 

focused his mind and, suddenly, 

in the middle of the conversation, he objected: 

"Do not— 

wound the darkness with blind stabs, 

at what you do not know, 

do not recognize, 

have never seen, 

or heard for yourself. 

Do not build castles of hope 

on these baseless tales. 

 

Gently, yet with a troubled, sorrowful tone, 

the prince said: 

‘Childhood is truth. 

Youth is truth. 

Old age is truth. 

Death is truth. 

All else is pointless after that— 

only void, 

a deep, dark despair. 

 

Between infinity and serenity, 

the mind, divided and unsettled, 

does not need 

this meaningless, unwanted web of words. 

Life's river, entangled in the mossy strands of algae, 

its arms trapped in the swirling nets. 

Let the mirror be clear, 

so that a pure, sharp image may appear. 

 

With a slight tug at the reins, 

the charioteer said: 

‘My lord, 

those temple maidens, 

engaged in divine worship, 

those dancers— 

did they ever understand the transcendent? 

What do they know beyond 

ornaments and jewels? 

The jingling sound of anklets 

is their only life. 

 

In the same way, the mind, 

as long as it remains filled 

and bound with desires, 

dances before the gods of the heart’s temple, 

bowing to ego and attachment. 

It dances 

with all its cravings in tow. 

 

That is the extent 

of its limited task. 

When does it ever 

turn to self-reflection or deep contemplation? 

 

This wanderer— 

he has performed relentless penance. 

The radiant self-light, 

shining on the peak of the supreme mind, 

he did not see it as an achievement. 

He regarded it 

only as the threshold to the search for truth. 

 

And thus, 

climbing steadily, 

step by step, on the ladder of light, 

he ascended higher. 

Becoming eternal, 

detached from all desires of the world.’" 

Here’s the free verse English translation of the passage with paragraphing and proofreading:

 

---

 

My lord, 

the peaceful— 

how could they know the language of infinity? 

Those who believe only in reason-bound science, 

consider it the sole truth. 

But truth, my lord, 

lies beyond boundaries. 

It is far from these mortal eyes. 

 

Only those who abandon all impurities— 

in them, true knowledge awakens. 

 

The young prince spoke: 

"Calm one! 

Look before you— 

these branches, crossroads, and paths— 

they are all made by someone. 

All, with eyes closed, 

are moving ahead. 

Why? 

Because they are too fearful of what lies beyond. 

They do not seek 

new light, 

new dwellings, 

or new faith. 

 

As for me, 

until I test it on the touchstone of reason, 

I will find no rest, 

not even a moment’s peace. 

 

Let us leave here, 

let us go quickly. 

My mind, 

so full of sorrow, 

I will go to the garden festival, 

where in the music, song, and dance, 

I will celebrate the festival with joy. 

 

Yet, between attachment and detachment, 

the mind is caught, 

longing for escape. 

But the mind’s language is strange— 

the chains that bind it, 

from which it longs to be free, 

it clings to them with deep affection. 

An unbreakable bond. 

 

Even the thought of breaking them 

fills it with fear. 

My mind does not understand, 

even this: 

Does the heart wish to remain 

free at times? 

Or does it see only in captivity 

its security? 

 

This endless planning 

of meaningless freedom— 

my mind 

falsely believes it is the way out. 

 

If detachment is eternal, 

then why, 

does attachment still live on? 

After every deadly blow, 

it remains 

calm, unmoved." 

 

C