A rich man became an ascetic and lived in a forest. Once, he came across a baby elephant. He instantly bonded with the baby elephant. He took it to his hermitage. From then on, he started taking care of the elephant. He fed it every day. One day, the ascetic was away for some work. The baby elephant got hungry and ate more than it could digest. Soon, it got sick and died. When the ascetic came back, he was filled with sorrow. He remained in that state for many days. One day, a great sage was passing by. He saw the ascetic grieving. The sage taught the ascetic not to grieve as he was a man who had given up all attachments. This sermon helped the ascetic overcome his grief and he resumed his life preaching others.
The Ascetic and the Baby Elephant
