“Once I lived in the forest as an elephant who provided for his mother. At that time no one on earth could equal my virtues.
Seeing me in the forest, a forester informed the king about me. ‘Great King, an elephant that befits you is dwelling in the forest grove.
No need to dig a moat around him, nor tether him to a post in a pit. Taken by the trunk, he will come here by himself.’
When he heard these words, the king, elated, sent an elephant-tamer, a well-trained and expert tutor.
When the elephant-tamer reached there, he saw me in a lotus pond, pulling out lotus roots to feed my mother.
Discerning my moral virtue, he checked me for marks. Saying, ‘Come, child’, he took me by the trunk.
What was at that time the natural strength of my body, would equal a thousand of the elephants of today.
If I had been upset with those who came to capture me, I would have had the power to defeat even a kingdom of men.
Nevertheless, for the sake of guarding my ethics, and fulfilling my perfection of ethics, I did not let my mind change, even as they caged me.
And even were they to beat me with hatchets and lances, I would never become upset, for fear of violating my ethics.”
The Conduct of One Who Provided for His Mother
Cp 11 · Mātuposakacariya
Connections
Collection & context
- CariyāpiṭakaThe collection containing this text
- The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
- Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
- The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting
About this edition
Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0
This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.
Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.
The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.