The city gate at dawn. The moon is still shining. A VAIRAGI in Samadhi, sitting on a tiger skin, with a snake round his neck, between the road and the city wall. Two ROBBERS sitting on a rock on the right, at the side of the road.

FIRST ROBBER. Thank goodness, we had some luck last night; and a good escape. But what about the other two? Why haven't they returned yet?

(The SECOND ROBBER stands up and looks in the distance.)

SECOND ROBBER. They may come any moment (Silence.) There they are. (Pointing.) Do you see?

FIRST ROBBER. They seem to have stolen a lot; see the heavy burden they are carrying. (Silence.) But it is a man!

(The two ROBBERS rise and go some steps forward.)

SECOND ROBBER. Hallo, what have you brought?

(Enter THIRD and FOURTH ROBBERS.)

THIRD ROBBER. Brought our ill luck.

FOURTH ROBBER. We've never had so bad a trip since we began. When passing through the forest we saw in the distance the face of a beautiful woman. We were delighted at the prospect of good luck. As we went near, what did we find? This wretched man.

THIRD ROBBER. He had gone hungry, I suppose, for many days. He had nothing with him.

FOURTH ROBBER. We thought to save him from the wolves and picked him up in order to sell him at the slave market for twenty thousand dirams.

THIRD ROBBER (To the first two ROBBERS.) Yes, he (pointing to the FOURTH ROBBER.) had great dreams about this bargain, but it all turned out to be nothing.

FOURTH ROBBER. He was not so bad at first when we took him along with us.

THIRD ROBBER. We should have left him on the way when we saw he was too ill to follow us; but you insisted that we should carry him through the forest. Here, we've tired our arms and legs, and now he's worse than before, perhaps on the point of dying.

FIRST ROBBER (frightened.) Be careful. If the police see us with him, they'll arrest us for his death.

(The four ROBBERS, shocked, leave the body and escape. An old WOMAN FRUIT SELLER, hurrying to the market with a straw tray of fruit on her head, knocks against the body of the PURAN, is frightened and bends down.)

WOMAN FRUIT SELLER. What is it? Who is it? (looks at him.) Poor man, he's dead perhaps.

(TWO LABORERS pass with spade and fork on their shoulders, on their way to the fields They stop to see what is going on.)

WOMAN FRUIT SELLER. Poor man, what's happened to him? Is he dead? (Holds her finger to his nostrils.) He's still breathing.

FIRST LABORER. What shall we do?

SECOND LABORER. Let's put him near the Vairagi; he'll take care of him.

( The LABORERS lift the branches on which the body was carried and bring it before the Vairagi.)

WOMAN FRUIT SELLER. Baba, Baba, look at this man; help him, Baba, help him! (She takes her tray of fruit and runs quickly to follow the men.)

VAIRAGI (opens his eyes, bends low and looks at PURAN, gently puts his hand in the middle of his breast and breathes on him. PURAN opens his eyes.) Yes, awake, awake, awake.

(PURAN moves head and body.)

PURAN. Yes.

VAIRAGI. Now, you rise, rise ( he lifts him) rise.

(PURAN has risen and sits. VAIRAGI puts his hand in the brass pitcher next to him and wets PURAN'S forehead. PURAN brightens up. – Morning breaks while this is happening. People are coming from both directions: a Boy with halva, an Old Man, a Woman with buttermilk, a Merchant with his wife, a Mother with four children. They all stand still, looking curiously at the scene before them.)

A CHILD. There's a tiger, it's looking at us!

(The three other children come nearer.)

ANOTHER CHILD. (frightened.) Oh, look at the snake! (Draws closer to is mother.)

OLD MAN (with important voice to the children.) The snake is the sign of wisdom.

WIFE ( to MERCHANT.) What is the matter with the young man?

HUSBAND. Life is a mystery.

OLD MAN (important.) Life is a problem. (Nodding his head as if approving of what he said. Looks at the VAIRAGI for his opinion.)

VAIRAGI (making gesture.) All this is amazing Maya. There are four days of moonlight and then comes the dark night. The vision of Maya is the dream of mortality. (PURAN listens attentively.) When the screen is removed from your eyes, you will see that nothing here belongs to you; the honor that cannot be sustained long, the name that will in time be forgotten, the treasure that will one day be snatched from your hands, the comfort that will no more be yours, are of little value.

MERCHANT. But the thousand rupees I have buried will not be taken away by anyone!

VAIRAGI. You will say: this I hold, that I possess; but in reality nothing belongs to you, not even your own body.

MAN WITH SPADE. (with an expression of doubt.) Then we must have nothing?

VAIRAGI. The day when you have nothing, you will have everything.

MERCHANT. So we must leave the pursuit of the world:

VAIRAGI. When you cease to follow the world, the world will follow you.

MERCHANT. Then what must we do?

VAIRAGI. Realize the One, rising above duality; burn your false ego to ashes, and powder your skin with the ashes.

MERCHANT. Do you mean to say we must give up all this?

VAIRAGI. Hold on till it gives you up.

SECOND LABORER (ironically.) Then you think the whole of life is meaningless?

VAIRAGI. It is meaningless until you have understood the meaning of it.

MERCHANT. Baba, is life on earth worthless?

VAIRAGI. The moment you recognize its worthlessness, life becomes worth living.

(MAGICIAN enters, his eyebrows painted white, his forehead painted red.)

OLD MAN. Now you have spoken about life, Baba, but what about death?

MAGICIAN (emphatically.) What are you asking him? What does he know of life and death? Can he make the dead alive? (With gestures.) I can cut myself and heal instantly; and I can kill myself and waken to life. I can drown myself and rise upon water. Now, you all who listen, leave him alone and follow me. I can get you anything: health, wealth, success, power, pleasure, all.

OLD MAN. Let's see this fellow, what he's going to do .

(All, one after another, follow the MAGICIAN.)

THE BOY WITH HALVA (the last remaining of the crowd, pointing at the VAIRAGI.)

Nothing doing with him.

(The VAIRAGI is left with PURAN.)

PURAN. They are like a flock of sheep.

VAIRAGI. Such is the way of the world.

PURAN. Master, all you have said has deeply touched me. Pray grant me the privilege of serving you, that one day I may deserve to attain Vairag.

VAIRAGI. Vairag my son, is freedom from all bondage. Are you drawn by family ties?

PURAN. No, Guru, except the deep devotion I have for my mother.

VAIRAGI. Have you any ambition for wealth or rank.

PURAN. I have none, though I was born in a position to have it all.

VAIRAGI. The way of the mystic leads to the goal of annihilation. Will you keep to the path steadily in the face of all earthly temptations, young man?

PURAN. Yes, Guru, by your help I shall gain the strength that will carry me through.

VAIRAGI. I will take you on probation, son, for a limited period, during which you will pass through many tests.

PURAN (bends down to the feet of the VAIRAGI.) I surrender myself to your inspiring guidance.

(The VAIRAGI lifts PURAN up, holds him for a moment, gives him his mantle to wear; the rosary he was holding he puts around PURAN'S neck, then touches his forehead with water from his pitcher and blesses him with both hands stretched over his head.)

CURTAIN

Scene 2

NAEKA'S drawing-room.

NAEKA standing before the mirror, putting on her earrings. SAHELI holding the tray of jewels.

NAEKA. Since the loss of his son, the Maharaja is most depressed. Did you hear anything about the Maharani?

SAHELI. I have heard she hardly eats and never speaks, and only moans during her sleep. While awake she calls the name of her son: Puran, Puran! She has aged so much that one can hardly recognize her, and she has almost lost her sight by weeping. Did you hear about Puran's garden, Bai, which has been neglected for all these years since he went? Many trees died and plants withered away. Wolves were making their home in the place where the Prince lived. But now they say that a wanderer has come there. He sits under the shade of a tree; and since he sprinkled a few drops of water from his pitcher, the whole garden has flourished again. People go in hundreds and thousands to see him. (Looking out of the window.) There he is, going along, do you see, Bai?

NAEKA. Who?

SAHELI. The sage of whom they talk so much in the city.

NAEKA (also looking out of the window.) He is the sort of man who can read one's fortune. Saheli, I pray, call him here.

SAHELI (anxiously.) Oh, Bai, if the Maharaja knows I called a stranger here, he will give me to the vultures!

NAEKA (smiling.) Go, it will be all right.

(SAHELI leaves. NAEKA goes to the mirror and arranges her hair,-Enter PURAN, wearing a flowing beard, in the mantle the VAIRAGI has given him, with the rosary round his neck. Both sit down.)

NAEKA. When I saw you I thought you might see into my problem and help me out of it.

(PURAN listens. The MAHARAJA enters, and seeing NAEKA speaking to a stranger is shocked and stands still, looking at what is going on.)

NAEKA. The Maharaja, who has loved me so long, I believe is losing interest in me.

PURAN. What do you think is the reason?

NAEKA. In the beginning he was blindly in love with me, but suspecting his son in connection with me, he condemned him to death, and since then he seems as though his heart were becoming frozen.

(The MAHARAJA holds his heart and hangs his head back with half-closed eyes, remembering the incident.)

PURAN. And what did the Maharani do?

NAEKA (reluctantly.) She was most grieved at the loss of her son.

PURAN. What is she doing now?

NAEKA (with hanging head, weeping.) She has almost lost her mind thinking about him.

PURAN. I wish to see her. Will you please send for her?

NAEKA. Immediately?

PURAN. Yes, now.

(NAEKA calls SAHELI, whispers something in her ear.)

PURAN. Now tell me, was Puran really at fault?

NAEKA. That I can't say; my lips tremble, my heart fails.

PURAN (looking in her eyes.) Tell me.

NAEKA. I could not have told anyone in the world, but I cannot keep any secret from you. I know you look into my soul.

(The MAHARAJA listens eagerly; NAEKA weeps.)

NAEKA. It was my fault; I wanted to be queen, but young Puran's wife, and one day my heart burst out before him, and he refused. But the impression the Maharaja got was that he made love to me. In a fit of anger he condemned his son to death.

(SAHELI brings the MAHARANI, dressed simply; she puts cushions for her to sit on the right of PURAN.)

MAHARANI (as if she were speaking in a dream.) Why did you bring me here? Why am I brought here?

PURAN. What have you to say?

MAHARANI (nervously straightens as if hearing a familiar voice.) I long to see my son.

NAEKA. But he is dead.

MAHARANI (agitated.) No, he is living.

PURAN (whispering.) He is living dead.

MAHARANI. This voice, this is his voice. (Stands up, draws nearer to PURAN, stretches out her hands.) I want to look at you. (She feels his hand, cries.) My Puran, you are my Puran.

PURAN. Mother.

(They embrace, NAEKA is horrified.)

MAHARANI. I wish to see you.

(PURAN puts his two hands over her eyes. She looks at him, and kisses him.)

MAHARAJA (steps forward-NAEKA faints.) Do my eyes deceive me; are you really there? My son! Puran! I never thought I would ever see you again. (Stretches his hands upwards.) Thanks, Providence! (To PURAN) Will you ever forgive me? I can never forgive myself for the pain I have caused you.

PURAN. Father, I am always your son.

MAHARAJA. What more do I want? I have had my day. Now you reign over this country.

PURAN. No, father; I am going in search of another kingdom.

CURTAIN