And the Buddha replied: "It is the custom of my race." 4 But the king said: "How can this be? Thou art descended from kings, and not one of them ever begged for food." 5 "O great king," rejoined the Buddha, "thou and thy race may claim descent from kings; my descent is from the Buddhas of old. They, begging their food, lived on alms." 6 The king made no reply, and the Blessed One continued: "It is customary, O king, when one has found a hidden treasure, for him to make an offering of the most precious jewel to his father. Suffer me, therefore, to open this treasure of mine which is the Dharma, and accept from me this gem:" 7 And the Blessed One recited the following stanza: "Rise from dreams and loiter not Open to truth thy mind. Practise righteousness and thou Eternal bliss shalt find." 8 Then the king conducted the prince into the palace, and the ministers and all the members of the royal family greeted him with great reverence, but Yasodharā, the mother of Rāhula, did not make her appearance. The king sent for Yasodharā, but she replied: "Surely, if I am deserving of any regard, Siddhattha will come and see me." 9 The Blessed One, having greeted all his relatives and friends, asked: "Where is Yasodharā?" And on being informed that she had refused to come, he rose straightway and went to her apartments. 10 "I am free," the Blessed One said to his disciples, Sāriputta and Moggallāna, whom he had bidden to accompany him to the princess's chamber; "the princess, however, is not as yet free. Not having seen me for a long time, she is exceedingly sorrowful. Unless her grief be allowed its course her heart will cleave. Should she touch the Tathāgata, the Holy One, ye must not prevent her." 11 Yasodharā sat in her room, dressed in mean garments, and her hair cut. When Prince Siddhattha entered, she was, from the abundance of her affection, like an overflowing vessel, unable to contain her love. 12 Forgetting that the man whom she loved was the Buddha, the Lord of the world, the preacher of truth, she held him by his feet and wept bitterly. 13 Remembering, however, that Suddhodana was present, she felt ashamed, and rising, seated herself reverently at a little distance. 14