THE WOMAN AT THE WELL

  ANANDA, the favorite disciple of the Buddha, having been sent by the

Lord on a mission, passed by a well near a village, and seeing Pakati,

a girl of the Matanga caste, he asked her for water to drink. Pakati

said: "O Brahman, I am too humble and mean to give thee water to

drink, do not ask any service of me lest thy holiness be contaminated,

for I am of low caste." And Ananda replied: "I ask not for caste but

for water"; and the Matanga girl's heart leaped joyfully and she

gave Ananda to drink.

  Ananda thanked her and went away; but she followed him at a

distance. Having heard that Ananda was a disciple of Gotama Sakyamuni,

the girl repaired to the Blessed One and cried: "O Lord help me, and

let me live in the place where Ananda thy disciple dwells, so that I

may see him and minister unto him, for I love Ananda." The Blessed One

understood the emotions of her heart and he said: "Pakati, thy heart

is full of love, but thou understandest not thine own sentiments. It

is not Ananda that thou lovest, but his kindness. Accept, then, the

kindness thou hast seen him practice unto thee, and in the humility of

thy station practice it unto others. Verily there is great merit in

the generosity of a king when he is kind to a slave; but there is a

greater merit in the slave when he ignores the wrongs which he suffers

and cherishes kindness and good-will to all mankind. He will cease

to hate his oppressors, and even when powerless to resist their

usurpation will with compassion pity their arrogance and

supercilious demeanor.

  "Blessed art thou, Pakati, for though thou art a Matanga thou wilt

be a model for noblemen and noble women. Thou art of low caste, but

Brahmans may learn a lesson from thee. Swerve not from the path of

justice and righteousness and thou wilt outshine the royal glory of

queens on the throne."