Years ago, in the village of Ratnapur, there was a well-known temple. A priest conducted daily worship and rituals at the temple. The priest had an elephant companion that he would take with him to the temple every day. The people in the village admired the elephant, and it warmly welcomed all the devotees who came to the temple.
After completing the morning rituals, the priest would take his elephant to the pond for a bath. Every day after the bath, they would stop at the tailor’s shop. The tailor, too, would lovingly offer a banana to the elephant. After enjoying the banana, the elephant would greet the tailor with its trunk and then return home with the priest.
This routine was a part of the priest and the elephant’s daily life. One day, when the elephant stopped at the tailor’s shop for its usual banana, the tailor decided to play a prank. After giving the banana, he kept a needle in his hand. As the elephant greeted him, the tailor pricked the elephant’s trunk with the needle.
In pain, the elephant trumpeted loudly, expressing its discomfort. The tailor found amusement in the situation and burst into laughter, mocking the elephant’s pain.
Unaware of what had happened, the priest continued to pat and comfort the elephant, taking it back home. The next day, as they were returning from the pond, the elephant made a stop at the tailor’s shop again. Today, the elephant had covered its trunk with mud.
Understanding the elephant’s retaliation, the tailor got drenched in mud, and the soaked mud ruined the fabrics in his shop. Realizing the consequences of his previous actions, the tailor approached the elephant, seeking forgiveness. He admitted that he deserved the consequences of his mischievous act.
The priest, unaware of the incident, continued his routine. The following day, the priest and the elephant were returning from the pond again. This time, the elephant stopped at the tailor’s shop, where it had filled its trunk with mud.
Without hesitation, the elephant sprayed the mud all over the tailor’s shop, ruining his fabrics once more. The tailor, now understanding the consequences of his past actions, apologized to the elephant and acknowledged that he had learned not to harm anyone, even in jest.
From this story, the lesson is to treat others with kindness and not engage in actions that may cause harm, even in the name of humor.
