The Elephant and the Dog

In the royal stables of Varanasi lived the King's majestic state elephant. He was fed the finest sweet rice. One day, a scrawny stray dog snuck into the stable to eat the sweet rice that fell from the elephant's mouth.

The elephant, rather than chasing the dog away, enjoyed the company. He would intentionally drop large lumps of rice for the dog. Soon, a deep and beautiful friendship blossomed between the massive beast and the tiny stray. They became inseparable—eating, sleeping, and playing together every single day.

One day, a wealthy villager saw the dog and liked it. He offered the Mahout (elephant keeper) a good sum of money for the dog. The greedy Mahout agreed and sold the dog, who was dragged away whining.

The moment the dog was gone, the great elephant was heartbroken. He refused to eat, drink, or bathe. He just stood completely still, staring at the spot where his small friend used to sleep.

The King, worried that his prized elephant was dying, sent his wise minister (the Bodhisatta) to investigate. The minister examined the physically healthy elephant and realized the problem was emotional. 'Has this elephant formed a close bond with anyone?' he asked the guards.

The guards admitted he was inseparable from a stray dog that had been sold. The King immediately issued a decree ordering the return of the dog. As soon as the dog was set free, it ran as fast as it could back to the stable. The elephant trumpeted with pure joy, picked the dog up with his trunk, placed him on his head, and finally began to eat again.