Sep
Elephant Tales
This is an amusing story that has a useful lesson. I first heard it over thirty years ago.
There was a young student of spirituality in India, He listened intently when his teacher explained that all beings are creatures of the Gods. The teacher said that as all partake of the Gods, all are in harmony.
Leaving class, the young student walked through a village. People were running in terror. He saw an elephant that had gone mad. The mahout driving it had lost control of the animal. It was charging in a rage.
“Run away, “shouted the mahout. “This elephant has gone mad. Run for your life!”
The student did not run. ‘This elephant is a creature of the Gods, as am I,’ he thought, ‘We are in harmony. He will not harm me!’
The elephant charged at the student, grabbed him up in his trunk and threw him with tremendous force. The beast continued his mad charge out of the village. The boy lay injured. The villagers called for the teacher, who was also the local healer.
“Why did you not run away?” the teacher asked.
“You told me that we are all creatures of the Gods, and that we are in harmony. The elephant is a creature of the Gods. How could he have hurt me?” the student said.
“The man riding that elephant is also a creature of the Gods, and he told you to run away,”” replied the teacher.
