The Pilgrim Kamanita · Chapter
XIII: The Boon Companion explained
Kamanita describes his life in Ujjeni after returning to his parents' home, immersing himself in the city's pleasures and courtesans.
What happens
Kamanita describes his life in Ujjeni after returning to his parents' home, immersing himself in the city's pleasures and courtesans. A theft at his father's house leads to ruin, but the courtesans help recover the stolen goods, prompting Kamanita to reform. He devotes himself to caravan trade, using knowledge of robbers and bribery to amass great wealth. He marries an unloved wife, has two daughters, and builds a lavish pleasure-garden, becoming known for his opulent lifestyle.
Themes in this chapter
Renunciation and Worldliness
Kamanita initially indulges in worldly pleasures but later reforms, though he remains attached to wealth and display.
Illusion and Reality
The theft and recovery reveal the illusory nature of Kamanita's dissipated life, prompting a shift toward material ambition.
Characters to notice
- Kamanita
Narrates his life in Ujjeni, indulging in pleasures, recovering from a theft, reforming, and becoming a wealthy merchant.
- Vajaçravas
Mentioned as a deceased friend whose teachings about robbers and bribery aid Kamanita's success.
- Ujjeni
Kamanita's native city, described as famed for revels, palaces, temples, and courtesans.
Key passages
“Thus madly did I dive deep down into the rushing whirl of the pleasures of my native city, and it became, O stranger, a proverbial saying in Ujjeni: 'As fast as young Kamanita.'”
Kamanita threw himself recklessly into the pleasures of Ujjeni, earning a reputation for his fast living.
Illustrates Kamanita's initial hedonistic phase.
“These kind maidens, seeing me in despair because of the ruin threatening me and mine, discovered the culprits, and forced them, by threatening the complete withdrawal of their favour, to hand over the plunder, so that we got off leniently with the loss of the little that had already been spent, and with a fright which did not fail of its effect in my own case.”
The courtesans helped Kamanita recover stolen goods by threatening the thieves, saving him from ruin and shocking him into reform.
Key turning point where courtesans aid Kamanita, leading to his change in lifestyle.
“And it became, O stranger, a proverbial saying in Ujjeni: 'His table is like the merchant Kamanita's.'”
Kamanita's lavish banquets became legendary in Ujjeni.
Shows Kamanita's later wealth and ostentation.