But as the chained elephant longs for the wilds of the jungle, so Siddhattha longed to see the world; and he asked his father for permission to do so. Suddhodana complied with his son's request, and ordered a chariot, drawn by four horses, to be in readiness, and commanded that the roads through which the prince would pass should be adorned.
The houses of the city were decorated with curtains and banners, and spectators arranged themselves on either side; and Siddhattha rode with Channa the charioteer through the streets, and into a country watered by rivers and covered with forests.
By the wayside they met an old man with bent body, wrinkled face and heavy brow; and Siddhattha asked Channa, "Who is this? His head is white, his eyes are sunken, his body is withered; he can barely support himself with his staff."
And Channa answered: "These are the marks of old age. This man was once a suckling babe, and then a youth, full of strength; now his youth is gone, and the strength of his body has departed."
Siddhattha meditated upon this strange sight. At length he said: "What joy can men take in life, if they must soon wither and waste away?"
As they passed on, a sick man was seen by the wayside, gasping for breath, and moaning with pain. Siddhattha asked Channa, "What kind of man is this?"
And Channa answered, "This man is sick.
