THE PARABLE OF AN ELEPHANT.
Argument:--Freedom of the Incarcerated Elephant; and his falling again
into the Pit.
Chúdálá said:--Hear O holy hermit! another very interesting story of
mine, which well applies to your case; as the ruler of a land and to
serve to awaken your understandings: (from its present theory).
2. There lived a large elephant in the Vindhya mountains, which was the
head and leader of a great number of elephants; and had as clear an
understanding in its big and elevated head, as the lofty summit of the
mountain was humbled down at the bidding of Agastya--the sage. (Agastya
is recorded as the first Aryan emigrant, who crossed the Vindhya and
settled in southern India, and civilized the wild mountainous and rude
people of Deccan by his wise law and instructions).
3. His two tusks were as strong as the thunderbolts of heaven, and as
long and stunning as the far reaching flashes of lightning; they were
as destructive as the flames of final desolation (kalpánta), and as
piercing as to bore and uproot a mountain.
4. He came to be caught by an iron trap laid by elephant catchers in
his way, and was fast held in it as the Vindhya by the Muni's charm;
and as the giant Bali was bound in the chains of India. (Vindhya and
its people were spell bound by the Agastya sage).
5. The captive and patient elephant was tormented by the iron goad in
his proboscis, and suffered the excruciating pains of his torture;
like the Tripura giant under the burning fire of Hara. (Siva is called
Tripura-hara for his quelling that giant by his fire arms).
6. The elephant lay in this sad plight in the net for three days
together, and was thus watched over by his hunter for a distance. (See
the paper of elephant catching in the Asiatic Researches).
7. The great suffering of the elephant made him open his mouth widely,
and utter a loud scream that growled about like the loud noise of
roaring clouds.
8. Then he exerted the force of both his tusks, and succeeded thereby
to break asunder the iron bar; as the Titan of old, broke open the
bolts at the gate of heaven.
9. The hunter saw the breaking of his hard fetters by the infuriate
beast from a distance, as Hara beheld the breaking of the demon Bali
(Belos) from his subterranean cell beneath the mountain, in order to
invade his heaven on high.
10. The elephant catcher then mounted a tall _tála_ (palm) tree, and
leaped from its top in order to fall down on its head; but haplessly
he fell down on the ground, as the demon was hurled down to hell by
victorious Hara.
11. The hunter missed the head of the huge animal, and fell headlong
upon his legs on the ground; as a ripe fruit, is dropped down by the
hurrying winds.
12. The great elephant took pity in seeing him falling, and lying
prostrate before him; as the mind of the noble, is compassionate on
others even in their own piteous state.
13. The noble animal thought in his mind, that it was no valour on his
part to trample over the self-fallen; and had thus the magnanimity of
sparing the life of his own enemy.
14. He broke only the chains in two pieces, and took his way before
him; leaving away all obstacles and barriers, as the rushing waters
bear down the strongest bridge.
15. His strength broke the strong net, but his piety spared the life of
the weak man; he went off as the sun sets, after dispelling the evening
clouds.
16. The hunter rose up from the ground after he saw the elephant had
gone away; and he found himself to be as same and sound after his fall
as he had been before it; and as the elephant was relieved from his
pains, after his liberation from the chains.
17. Notwithstanding with great shock which the man had felt by his
fall from the tall palm tree, he felt no hurt with any part of his
body; whence I ween, the bodies of scoundrels are fortified against
every harm.
18. The wicked gain greater strength by execution of their repeated
crimes, as the rainy clouds gather the more by their frequent showers.
Thus the hunter went after his fresh excursion.
19. The elephant catcher felt very sorry, at the escape of the elephant
and unsuccessfulness of his attempt; as one in dejected mind, is to
lose a treasure that has fallen into his hand.
20. He sought about and beat the forest, to find out the hiding
elephant amidst the thickets; as the ascending node of Rahu rises in
the sky, to lay hold on the moon covered under the clouds.
21. After a long search, he came in sight of the elephant halting under
a tree; as when a warrior returns from the battlefield, and breathes
the air under a shady arbour.
22. The cunning huntsman collected a great many tools, capable to
entrap the elephant at his resting place.
23. He dug a circular ditch round about that place in the forest, as
the great creator of the world had stretched the ocean encircling this
earth.
24. He then covered the great pit, with green branches and soft leaves
of trees; as the season of autumn covers the face of the empty sky with
fleecy and flimsy clouds.
25. The elephant roaming at large in the forest, happened to fall down
into the pit one day; as the fragment of a rock on the coast, falls
headlong on the dried bed of the sea.
26. The big elephant was thus caught in the circular pit, which was as
deep as the dreadful depth of the sea; and lay confined in it, as some
treasure is shut up in the hollow womb of a chest.
27. Being thus confined at the bottom of that far extending pit, still
passes his time in endless trouble and anxiety; like the demon Bali in
his dark cave under the grounds.
28. This is the effect of the silly elephant, letting unhurt his cruel
hunter who had fallen ere long before him; or else he would not be
thus pent up in the pit, if he made an end of him in time.
29. Hence all foolish people that had not foresight to prevent their
future mishaps, and provide against their coming mischances by their
precautions at present, are surely to be exposed like the calamity as
the vindhyan elephant. (Hence all unforeseeing men are designated as
_gaja murkha_ or elephantine fools).
30. The elephant was glad with the thought of his freedom from the
hunter's chains, and thought no more of any future mishap; which was
the sole cause of his being by another mischance, which lay at a long
distance from him.
31. Know, O great soul! that there is no bondage of man except his own
ignorance; and the jail prisoners are not under such thraldom, as the
intellectual servitude of freemen under their errors and prejudice.
The enlightenment of the soul and the knowledge of the cosmos as one
universal soul, is the greatest freedom of man; while the ignorance of
this truth, is the root of the slavery of mankind to the errors of this
world.