The Social Organisation in North-East India in Buddha's Time c17.13

c17.13

Similarly in the Upâhana Jâtaka mention is made of a pupil of an elephant tamer (hatthâcariya, II. 221) who demands the same salary as his teacher. The king announces by beat of drum, “To-morrow a teacher and his pupil will both exhibit their skill in elephant-taming; who wants to see must come to the palace.” The night before the performance, the teacher instructs the elephant to commit all kinds of mistakes, so that when given the order “Go forward,” it goes backwards, and when ordered to go backwards, it goes forward, etc. The consequence is, that next day, as the elephant does the reverse of what it is ordered to do by the pupil, the angry crowd kills him by throwing stones and beating him with sticks.