refuge in it. But you, my honoured friend, don't you also want to walk
the path of salvation? Would you want to hesitate, do you want to wait
any longer?"

Siddhartha awakened as if he had been asleep, when he heard Govinda's
words. For a long tome, he looked into Govinda's face. Then he spoke
quietly, in a voice without mockery: "Govinda, my friend, now you have
taken this step, now you have chosen this path. Always, oh Govinda,
you've been my friend, you've always walked one step behind me. Often I
have thought: Won't Govinda for once also take a step by himself,
without me, out of his own soul? Behold, now you've turned into a man
and are choosing your path for yourself. I wish that you would go it up
to its end, oh my friend, that you shall find salvation!"

Govinda, not completely understanding it yet, repeated his question in
an impatient tone: "Speak up, I beg you, my dear! Tell me, since it
could not be any other way, that you also, my learned friend, will take
your refuge with the exalted Buddha!"

Siddhartha placed his hand on Govinda's shoulder: "You failed to hear
my good wish for you, oh Govinda. I'm repeating it: I wish that you
would go this path up to its end, that you shall find salvation!"

In this moment, Govinda realized that his friend had left him, and he
started to weep.

"Siddhartha!" he exclaimed lamentingly.

Siddhartha kindly spoke to him: "Don't forget, Govinda, that you are
now one of the Samanas of the Buddha! You have renounced your home