Once upon a time, when Brahmadatta was king of Benares, there was a village of carpenters in which five hundred carpenters lived. They would go up the river in a vessel, and enter the forest, where they would shape beams and planks for housebuilding. These will be brought down to the river bank, and put them all aboard; then rowing down stream again, they would build houses to order as it was required of them; after which, when they received their wage, they went back again for more materials for the building, and in this way they made their livelihood.

Once an Elephant trod upon a splinter of acacia wood which pierced his foot, and caused it to swell up and he was in great pain. In his agony, he caught the sound of these carpenters cutting wood. Limping on three feet, he went before them, and lay down close by. The carpenters, noticing his swollen foot, went up, cleaned and put medicines on it and bandaged it. In a very short time the wound was healed.

Grateful for this cure, the Elephant thought “My life has been saved by the carpenters; now I must make myself useful to them.” So ever after that, he used to pull up trees for them, or when they were chopping he would roll up the logs or bring them to the storing place. And the carpenters, when it was time to feed him, used to bring him each a portion of food, so that he had five hundred portions in all.

Now this Elephant had a young one, white all over, a magnificent highbred creature. The Elephant thought that he was now old, and he had better bring his young one to serve the carpenters. So without a word to the carpenters he went into the wood, and brought his son to them, saying, “This young Elephant is my son. You saved my life, and I give him to you as a fee for saving me; from now onwards he shall work for you.” So he explained to the young Elephant that it was his duty to do the work which he had been used to do himself, and then went away into the forest, leaving him with the carpenters. So after that time the young Elephant did all their work, faithfully and obediently and they fed him, as they had fed the other, with five hundred portions for a meal.

His work once done, the Elephant would go play about in the river, and then return again. The carpenters children used to play with him. Now noble creatures never dung or stale in the water. So this Elephant did nothing of the kind when he was in the water, but waited until he came out upon the bank.

One day, rain caused flood and a half dry cake of his dung was carried into the river. This floated down to the Benares where it stuck fast in a bush. Just then the king’s elephant keepers had brought down five hundred elephants to give them a bath. But the creatures scented this soil of a noble animal, refused to enter the water; up went their tails, and off they all rain. The keepers told this to the elephant trainers who replied, “There must be something in the water, then.” So orders were given to clean the water and there in the bushes this lump was seen. “That’s what the matter is!” cried the men. So they brought a jar, and filled it with water; next powdering the stuff into it, they sprinkled the water over the elephants. At once they went down into the river and bathed.

When the trainers made their report to the king, they advised him to secure the Elephant for his own use.

The king accordingly embarked upon a raft, and rowed up stream until he arrived at the place where the carpenters had settled. The young Elephant, hearing the sound of drums as he was playing in the water came out.

The carpenters paid their honour to the king, and said to him, “Sir! If woodwork is wanted, what need to come here? Why not send and have it brought to you?”

The king answered, “It is not for wood that I come, but for this elephant here.”

“He is yours, Sir!” But the Elephant refused to budge.

“What do you want me to do, Elephant?” asked the king.

“Order the carpenters to be paid for what they have spent on me, Sir!”

The king ordered to give one hundred thousand pieces of money to the carpenters. But this was not enough for the Elephant. So to each of the carpenters was given a pair of cloths, and to each of their wives robes to dress in, nor did he omit to give enough whereby his playmates the children should be brought up. Then with a last look upon the carpenters, and the women, and the children, he departed in company with the king.

The king brought him to his capital city. He led the Elephant round the city in solemn procession, and then into his stable, which was fitted up with splendour and pomp. There he solemnly sprinkled the Elephant, and appointed him for his own riding. The king treated him like a comrade, and gave him the half of his kingdom, taking as much care of him as he did of himself. After the coming of this Elephant, the king won supremacy over all India.

In course of time the Bodhisatta was conceived by the Queen; and at the time of delivery, the king died. These matters were not told to the Elephant. But the neighbour, the king of Kosala, heard of the king’s death. “Surely the land is at my mercy,” thought he and marched with a mighty army beleaguered the kingdom. The gates were closed, and a message was sent to the king of Kosala:- “Our queen is about to deliver the heir to the throne in seven days. If she gives birth to a son, we will not yield the kingdom; Otherwise it is yours. So wait for seven days.” And to this the king agreed.

In seven days the Queen delivered a son, who was named as Prince Winheart.

On the very same day that he was born, the townsfolk began to do battle with the king of Kosala. But as they had no leader, little by little the army gave way. The courtiers told this news to the Queen, adding, “Since our army loses ground in this way, we fear defeat. We have not told the state Elephant about the death of our king, birth of the prince and that the king of Kosala is here to give us battle. Shall we tell him?”

The Queen said, “Yes, tell him.” So she dressed up her son, and laid him in a fine linen cloth after which she with all the court came down from the palace and entered the Elephant’s stable. There she laid the baby at the Elephant’s feet, saying, “Master! your comrade is dead, but we feared to tell it to you thinking that you might break your heart. This is your comrade’s son; the king of Kosala has started a war against your son; the army is losing ground; either kill your son yourself, or else win the kingdom back for him!”

At once the Elephant stroked the child with his trunk, and lifted him upon his own head; them making moan and lamentation he took him down and laid him in his mother’s arms, and with the words “I will defeat the king of Kosala!” he went into the battle field.

Then they unlocked the city gate, and escorted him. The Elephant emerging trumpeted, and frightened all the host so that they ran away and broke up the camp; then seizing the king of Kosala by his topknot, he carried him to the young prince, at whose feet he let him fall. Some rose to kill him, but the Elephant stayed and he let the captive king go with this advice. “Be careful in future, and be not presumptuous by reason that our Prince is young.”

After that, the power over all India fell into the Bodhisatta’s own hand, and not a foe was able to rise up against him.

The Bodhisatta, when he came to life’s end he went to swell the hosts of heaven.