The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c19.s9.206

v1.c19.s9.206

A king's son, pure bred, cedes his share of the kingdom to his sister, turns trader and travels with his caravan⁶. A prince, whose wife in a fit of displeasure has returned to her father, apprentices himself at that father's court, without entailing subsequent social disgrace, to the court potter, florist, and cook successively, in order to gain access to her⁷. Another noble, fleeing from his brother, hires himself to a neighbouring monarch as an archer⁸. A prince resigning his kingdom, dwells with a merchant on the frontier, working with his hands⁹. A commentarial tradition represents a child of the Vaccha Brāhmans as the 'sand-playmate' of the little Siddhattha, afterwards the Buddha¹⁰. A wealthy, pious Brāhman takes to trade to be better able to afford his charitable gifts¹¹. Brāhmans engaged personally in trading without such pretext¹², taking service as archers¹³, as the servant of an archer who had been a weaver¹⁴, as low-caste trappers¹⁵, and as low-caste carriage-makers¹⁶.