Parabola Magazine

THE SHAPE OF HISTORY

By Margo McLoughlin

From renowned storyteller Margo McLoughlin comes an original translation from the Pali of an essential Buddhist legend.

Once there was a great elephant named Nalagiri. When he was a young calf, he was captured and brought to the city to be a tusker in the king's army. King Bimbisara had no elephant in his service equal to Nalagiri, with his massive shoulders, his gleaming tusks, and his ferocious strength. Enraged, he was unstoppable, trampling and crushing everything that lay in his path. All the king's enemies trembled at the sight of Nalagiri, and, on rare occasions, when he was paraded through the streets of the city, decked in glittering brocade, the people trembled too. They hung back from the roadside or watched from the safety of rooftops.

"Maha-hatthi," they whispered, "The great elephant, Nalagiri."

Once Nalagiri was startled by a dog barking in an alleyway and began stampeding through the streets. His great feet fell like thunderbolts, shook the earth and raised a cloud of dust. Nalagiri was frightened, and ran to ease his panic, but the people, seeing the great elephant on the loose, fled in terror for their lives. When Nalagiri saw them running, he lifted his trunk and trumpeted, swung his tusks from side to side, and knew that he inspired fear. Thereafter his legs were bound with chains and his keepers took to giving him eight measures of palm-wine every day. And so, he spent his hours in a bewildered haze like a smoldering fire that only needs a bit of fuel to set it ablaze.

At that time the Buddha often dwelt at Veluvane (Bamboo Grove), a sanctuary offered to him by King Bimbisara, which lay at the foot of the mountain known as Vulture's Peak. The Buddha and the monks would go on alms round into the city nearby, and there they received offerings from the king and the people. The Buddha had already been teaching for many years. He had many supporters and followers....