Megh Kumar — The Elephant's Compassion

Prince Megh Kumar, inspired by Lord Mahavira's teachings, renounced his royal life and became a Jain monk. However, on his very first night in the monastery, he was assigned a spot near the door. All night, older monks walked past him in the dark, accidentally stepping on his royal, delicate body.

By morning, Megh Kumar was exhausted, bruised, and full of regret. He went to Lord Mahavira and said, "Lord, I cannot bear these hardships. The other monks disrespected me. I want to return to my palace."

Mahavira did not scold him. Instead, he said, "Megh Kumar, remember who you were in your past life. You were a magnificent elephant named Meruprabh in the Vindhya forest. When a massive forest fire broke out, all the animals ran to a small patch of land that had been cleared of grass."

"You stood there for three days. At one point, you lifted your foot to scratch your leg. When you tried to put it down, a terrified little rabbit had taken shelter in the exact spot where your foot was going to land."

"To save that one tiny rabbit, you held your heavy foot in the air for two and a half days! When the fire finally died down, your leg was paralyzed. You fell and died, but your supreme compassion for that rabbit brought you to this royal human birth."

Mahavira concluded, "As an animal, you endured agonizing pain for days just to save a rabbit. Now, as a human seeking eternal liberation, you want to quit because of a few accidental bumps in the night?" Megh Kumar wept, deeply ashamed. He renewed his vows and went on to become a great ascetic.