Once, the Bodhisattva was born as the wise Elephant King. One day, a man from Benaras got lost in the forest and started crying. Hearing his cries, the Elephant King came to his rescue. He carried the man on his back and left him near the city. On reaching the city market, the man saw beautiful statues made of ivory. Wanting to make some money, the man took a saw and went back to the forest. There he pleaded with the Elephant King to give him part of his tusks. Being a noble animal, the Elephant King bent on his knees, and let the man take a piece of his tusk. The same thing happened again. But the third time, the greedy man pulled the tusks out of the roots of the Elephant King’s head. As he departed carrying away the bloody tusks, the earth cracked open and red flames engulfed him.
Moral: Never be ungrateful.
