Indasamānagotta Jātaka

The Buddha told this story at Jetavana about a headstrong person, a monk who would not take advice. The circumstances are given in the Vulture Birth, the Gijjha Jātaka, No. 427. There the Buddha found a monk who would not listen to the guidance of his teachers and companions. He answered their good-natured corrections by saying that he knew what was good for him. The Buddha then said that in olden days this same monk was trampled to death by a mad elephant because he was headstrong and careless of the advice of the wise. He told the old story, which is recorded as No. 161 of the Jātaka collection.

In the days when Brahmadatta was king of Benares, the Bodhisatta was born into a brahmin family. As he grew up, he left his worldly home and took to the religious life. In time he became the leader of a company of five hundred anchorites, all of whom lived together in the region of the Himalaya.

Among these anchorites was a headstrong and unteachable man named Indasamānagotta. He kept a pet elephant. The Bodhisatta found this out and sent for him, asking if he really did keep a young elephant. Indasamānagotta said that he did. It was an elephant that had lost its mother.

The Bodhisatta told him plainly that when elephants grow up, they kill even those who have fostered them. He advised the man not to keep the animal any longer. Indasamānagotta replied that he could not live without his elephant. The Bodhisatta said, "Oh, well, you'll live to repent it." The warning was clear and was given kindly, and it was not heeded.

The hermit went on rearing the creature, and in time it grew to an immense size. The story does not describe the elephant as cruel. It describes a man who loved his pet and a teacher who knew what such love would eventually bring. The danger grew day by day alongside the affection.

One day the anchorites all went far into the forest to gather roots and fruits. They were gone for several days. At the first breath of the south wind, the elephant fell into a frenzy. It thought of smashing the water-jar, overturning the stone bench, and tearing up the pallet. It thought of killing the hermit, and then going off. It ran into the jungle and waited, watching for the return of the anchorites.

Indasamānagotta came back first, laden with food for his pet. When he saw the elephant, he hurried up, thinking that all was well. Out rushed the elephant from the thicket. It seized him in its trunk and dashed him to the ground. With a blow on the head it ended his life. Then it trumpeted madly and ran off into the forest. The text tells the event briefly and without elaboration.

The other anchorites brought the news to the Bodhisatta. He said, "We should have no dealings with the bad," and spoke two verses. In the first, the good, who know what duty bids them do, should avoid friendship with evil, because bad companions will do mischief sooner or later, as the elephant slew its master. In the second, one should choose a kindred spirit equal in virtue, wisdom, and learning, since good friends and blessings go together. In this way the Bodhisatta showed his band of anchorites that it is better to be docile than obstinate. He then performed Indasamānagotta's funeral rites. Cultivating the Excellences, he came at last to the Brahma heaven.

After the discourse, the Buddha identified the Birth: "This unruly fellow was then Indasamānagotta, and I was myself the teacher of the anchorite band."

The Indasamānagotta Jātaka, No. 161, is a short story with a very direct lesson. Its first verse concerns evil companionship. The elephant here stands for something that seems harmless and affectionate while its nature has not yet shown itself. The second verse gives the other half of the teaching. A person should seek a friend who matches them in virtue, wisdom, and learning. The story also reflects on the obstinate monk of the frame. He could not take guidance from kind teachers, and the Buddha showed him that this habit had cost him his life once before. The point is not that the elephant is to be hated. It is that warnings from someone who has seen further are a gift, and a person who loves too stubbornly to listen may lose what is most precious to him.