“Pardon me.” he said, “from a friendly heart, I’m talking to you.  I’m seeing that you are tormenting yourself, I’m seeing that you’re in grief.  Your son, my dear, is worrying you, and he is also worrying me.  That young bird is accustomed to a different life, to a different nest.  He has not, like you, ran away from riches and the city, being disgusted and fed up with it; against his will, he had to leave all this behind.  I asked the river, oh friend, many times I have asked it.  But the river laughs, it laughs at me, it laughs at you and me, and is shaking with laughter at out foolishness.  Water wants to join water, youth wants to join youth, your son is not in the place where he can prosper.  You too should ask the river; you too should listen to it!”

Troubled, Siddhartha looked into his friendly face, in the many wrinkles of which there was incessant cheerfulness.

“How could I part with him?” he said quietly, ashamed.  “Give me some more time, my dear!  See, I’m fighting for him, I’m seeking to win his heart, with love and with friendly patience I intent to capture it.  One day, the river shall also talk to him, he also is called upon.”

Vasudeva’s smile flourished more warmly.  “Oh yes, he too is called upon, he too is of the eternal life.  But do we, you and me, know what he is called upon to do, what path to take, what actions to perform, what pain to endure?  Not a small one, his pain will be; after all, his heart is proud and hard, people like this have to suffer a lot, err a lot, do much injustice, burden themselves with much sin.  Tell me, my dear:  you’re not taking control of your son’s upbringing?  You don’t force him?  You don’t beat him?  You don’t punish him?”

“No, Vasudeva, I don’t do anything of this.”

“I knew it.  You don’t force him, don’t beat him, don’t give him orders, because you know that “soft” is stronger than “hard”, Water stronger than rocks, love stronger than force.  Very good, I praise you.  But aren’t you mistaken in thinking that you wouldn’t force him, wouldn’t punish him?  Don’t you shackle him with your love?  Don’t you make him feel inferior every day, and don’t you make it even harder on him with your kindness and patience?  Don’t you force him, the arrogant and pampered boy, to live in a hut with two old banana-eaters, to whom even rice is a delicacy, whose thoughts can’t be his, whose hearts are old and quiet and beats in a different pace than his?  Isn’t forced, isn’t he punished by all this?”

Troubled, Siddhartha looked to the ground.  Quietly, he asked:  “What do you think should I do?”

Quoth Vasudeva:  “Bring him into the city, bring him into his mother’s house, there’ll still be servants around, give him to them.  And when there aren’t any around any more, bring him to a teacher, not for the teachings’ sake, but so that he shall be among other boys, and among girls, and in the world which is his own.  Have you never thought of this?”