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Glimpses of World Religions
desire to search for a way of safety and bereft of fear as well as a way of freedom from miseries. On seeing the fearless and delightful faces of the touring ascetics who had renunciated everything in life, he felt that those persons must have found out the remedy for the ills.
During his strolling here and there in the town, of course by chariot, he saw the scenes or occasions of renunciation viz. an old man, a diseased or sick man, a dead body being taken to the burial, and an ascetic, and realised that each and every Jiva or human being has to undergo all these conditions of life and he felt sure that one must find out the remedy for these. In order to search out the way of freedom from miseries, he decided to leave his house. He made it known to his father Suddhodan, mother Gautami. But (without notice) Gautam set out leaving his residence at a very young prime age of 29 years only.
Taking to the life of asceticism, he approached to the Ashram (hermitage) of Ālārkālām. The latter taught him very carefully seven grounds of meditation and Rudraka taught him the eighth step or ground; yet he did not have a complete and sure remedy for the miseries. His yearning for having absolute peace was not fructified.
Going to Rajgruhi, he saw the repentences rituals of the Shramanas. He resolved to secure absolute, undeterred peace (Param Shanti) by doing austerities of penance. While searching and searching for a proper place for repentence or penance, he reached Urwetā. He performed acute form of penance, but he could not get peace. As the obscenities of the 'Chitta' were not destroyed, he again turned to the path of meditation. Gautam began to do supreme efforts to abolish Kāma, Dwesh and Hinsā (wishes, jealousy & violence) as well as to cultivate and develop desireless tendencies, fellow feeling and non-voilence. He also
