The Brave Elephant: A Lesson in Courage and Wisdom

In a past life, the Bodhisatta was a mahout, a skilled handler of elephants, who served a powerful king. This king had set his sights on conquering a rival kingdom, and so he led his army to lay siege to the city of his enemy. The rival king, unwilling to surrender, chose to face the invaders in battle. He ordered his soldiers to man the walls, armed with catapults and boiling pots of mud, while his own troops stood ready in the towers.

The Bodhisatta’s king mounted his grand state elephant and charged towards the city gates. However, the elephant, seeing the deadly barrage of rocks and boiling mud from above, was struck by fear and refused to move forward. The Bodhisatta, ever wise and determined, saw that the elephant’s fear was a shame, and he rebuked the animal. He urged the elephant to be brave and reminded it of the importance of overcoming fear for the sake of the battle. “It is shameful to be afraid now,” he said. “You must break through the city gate!”

With his words, the Bodhisatta rekindled the elephant’s courage. The great beast, now emboldened, charged forward with renewed strength, forcing its way into the enemy city. The gates broke open, allowing the king’s forces to enter and ultimately secure victory in the battle, leading to the conquest of the rival kingdom.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha

In the time of the Buddha, the Bodhisatta’s elephant was revealed to be an earlier incarnation of Nanda, the Buddha’s younger half-brother. Nanda had once been reluctant to become a monk, burdened by his love for his wife. After joining the sangha, he regretted leaving her and felt sorrowful. To help Nanda see the wisdom of his decision, the Buddha took him on a journey. They flew through the sky to the Himalayas and then to the heavenly realm of Indra, king of the gods. There, Nanda was shown the five-hundred dove-footed nymphs, famous for their extraordinary beauty.

The Buddha asked Nanda if these heavenly beings were more beautiful than his wife, and Nanda, in awe, replied that they were far more beautiful. The Buddha then promised Nanda that if he remained a monk, he would win the love of one of these nymphs after death. Nanda, still attached to his worldly desires, was encouraged by this promise and remained in the monastic order.

However, as time passed, Nanda’s fellow disciples learned of the Buddha’s promise and began to scold him for practicing for the wrong reasons. Realizing his mistake, Nanda became truly committed to the spiritual path. He overcame his attachment and began to develop deep spiritual insight, eventually attaining arahantship. At that point, he released the Buddha from the promise of the nymphs.

Later, when the Buddha heard his disciples discussing Nanda’s transformation, he told them this story to show that Nanda had once been quick to follow wise advice, just as he had followed the Bodhisatta’s guidance in his past life.

Moral of the Story

This story highlights the power of wise counsel and the importance of overcoming fear and attachment in the pursuit of greater things. Just as the Bodhisatta encouraged the elephant to overcome its fear, the Buddha’s guidance helped Nanda conquer his attachments to worldly desires. The tale teaches us that true strength lies not in avoiding challenges, but in facing them with courage and wisdom.

The Moral

Courage and wisdom can transform fear and doubt into victory and clarity.