The Elephant and the Dog – A Jataka Tale

The Elephant and the Dog – A Jataka Tale : By Buddhists in India (300 BC) – Retold by Navin

Once upon a time, long, long ago, in India, there was a rich king. He had many stables of wonderful animals, but his favorite animals were elephants. However, he had never seen one that caught his fancy enough to make him want to keep it as a pet.

One stormy day, in a nearby village, the temple’s elephant was going to have a baby. All the priests and helpers watched, fascinated, as the baby was born. Like all baby elephants, it stood up on its own legs within minutes of being born. Unlike most elephants though, this baby was completely white! It had smooth skin that looked like porcelain! The priests were astounded, and they decided to give the elephant to the king as a gift. As soon as the baby was weaned from its mother, the priests led it to the king, who gratefully accepted it. He had never seen such a beautiful elephant!

Now, on the same night that the white elephant was born, a less remarkable birth occurred. A brown dog delivered 7 squealing puppies on a side street in the rain. When the puppies were a few weeks old, the mother told the oldest (by a few minutes) and strongest pup, “I cannot take care of all of you and your siblings. There isn’t enough food. One of you must go, and I feel that you are best suited to taking care of yourself.” The puppy agreed, asked for his mother’s blessings, and left home. He wandered all around the village and the region, and with his last bit of energy, fell into the white elephant’s stable in the king’s palace. The white elephant was sitting, eating its supper, and was surprised to see a puppy so skinny. It heaped some food on a leaf and pushed it towards the dog. Revived by the smell of sambar and the steaming idlis, or rice cakes, the puppy opened its eyes and ate ravenously. Afterwards, the puppy and the elephant were always together and became great friends. The elephant keeper became accustomed to the sight of the puppy eating from the elephant’s plate, being bathed by a trunk-full of water, sleeping beside it, and playing with it. The elephant played with the dog by catching him up in its great trunk and swinging it to and fro. Neither the elephant nor the dog was happy unless the other was nearby.

One day, a farmer came through the town and saw the puppy. He asked the keeper if he could purchase it, as he needed a dog to herd his sheep. The keeper, not thinking much of the stray, agreed. After the farmer took the dog away to his own lands, the elephant was disconsolate. It did not eat, sleep, bathe, or play. The king was alarmed to see the elephant becoming skinnier and sickly. He questioned the keeper:

“Has the elephant been ill?”

“No, my lord!”

“Has it been harmed by a tiger?”

“No, my lord!”

“Then what on earth has happened to it?!”

“I know not, my lord.”

At this point, the king’s young son, who was standing nearby sucking a lolly paused his consumption and interjected, “Why, it is obvious the elephant has lost a playmate! Everyone needs a playmate for company!”

The keeper realized how important the dog was to the elephant, and he told the king about it. At once, he was ordered to return the dog to its friend. The keeper traveled many miles to the farm where the dog now lived. It was a sad looking thing. The farmer was only too pleased to give it back, saying that its temperament was not how it was when he had bought it in the elephant’s stable.

When the elephant and dog were reunited, they were both ecstatic to see their friend again. The elephant took up the dog, swung him, and placed him on its head. The king’s son stopped by every day with a biscuit for the dog and a sugarcane for the elephant, and the two animals lived happily ever after.

THE END 🐘🐕