The Beginnings of Buddhist Art and Other Essays in Indian and Central-Asian Archaeology c10.6

c10.6

For this purpose we will direct our attention to a celebrated legend, which, however, it may not be useless briefly to recall to the reader, that of the « elephant with six tusks » (Skt. Shaḍdanta, Pâli Chaddanta, Chinese Lieu ya siang). Of course, this marvellous animal was none other than one of the innumerable past incarnations of our Buddha; and he lived, happy and wise, in the company of his two wives and of his troop of subjects in a hidden valley of the Himâlayas. However, the second wife, wrongly believing herself slighted for love of the first, gives herself up to death in an access of jealous fury, making a vow one day to avenge herself upon her husband for his supposed want of affection. In the course of her succeeding existence she becomes, thanks to some remnant of merit, queen of Benares, and possesses the gift of remembering her previous birth. She astutely obtains from the king permission to despatch against her former husband the most skilful hunter in the country, with orders to kill him and bring back his tusks as a proof of the success of his mission. The man does, in fact, succeed at great risk of his life in striking the noble elephant with a deadly arrow. But the soul of the Bodhisattva is inaccessible to any evil passion : not content with sparing his murderer, he voluntarily makes a present of the tusks whereof the man had come to rob him. When the hunter finally brings back to the queen this mournful trophy, she feels her heart break at the sight of it.