Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta was king of Benares, the Bodhisatta came into this world as an Elephant in the Himalayas. He lived as the head of eighty thousand wild elephants in the forest.

A poor man who lived in Benares, seeing the workers of ivory in the ivory bazaar making bangles and all manner of ivory trinkets, asked them would they buy an elephant’s tusks, if he should get them. To which they answered, Yes.

So he took a weapon, and dressed like a Pacceka Buddha, with a covering band about his head. Hiding in the path of the elephants, he killed one elephant with his weapon, and sold the tusks in Benares; and in this manner he made a living. After this he began to kill upto the last elephant in the Bodhisatta’s group. Day by day the elephants decreased. Then they went and asked the Bodhisatta how it was that their numbers dwindled. He perceived the reason. He thought, “Some man stands in the place where the elephants go, having dressed like a Pacceka Buddha. Now can it be he that one kill the elephants? I will find out.” So one day he sent the other elephants before him and he followed after. The man saw the Bodhisatta, and made a rush at him with his weapon. The Bodhisatta turned and stood. The Bodhisatta thought, “I will beat him to the earth, and kill him!” and stretched out his trunk. When he saw the yellow robes which the man wore, The Bodhisatta said, “I ought to pay respect to those sacred robes!”. So drawing back his trunk, he cried “O man! Is not that dress, the flag of sainthood, unsuitable to you? Why do you wear it?”

The Bodhisatta told him that just because of the yellow robe his life was spared and told him to never come there again, else he should die for it. Thus he drove him away.