Mad Elephants

The mad elephant

Meanwhile the king left for the woods where he met the raging elephant. He was a huge bull elephant,  taller than a tree. 

He was pulling down bamboo trees with his trunk and sweeping the forest floor before him with the broken bamboo, trumpeting and screaming in combined rage and agony. Dushyant approached him slowly, picking up some mangos that had fallen to the ground and gathering them in his cape. He came around one side of the elephant which was as high as a wall.

As he uncovered the mangos he had in his cape, he began using special mantras he had learned from his own royal elephant trainer to Ganesh, the Lord of Elephants, saying, “ ओं गं गनपत्ययः नमः oṁ gaṁ ganapatyayaḥ namaḥ.”   

ओं गं गनपत्ययः नमः

Hearing this the elephant relaxed his grip on the bamboo, hesitated and looked squarely at King Dushyant. Dushyant offered him a handful of mangos. The elephant eagerly accepted the fruit as he was exhausted, both hungry and tired. Just as an expert mahout, King Dushyant pacified the elephant,  who soon forgot his rage and began chewing on the sugar cane breaks that grew there by the river. So pacifying the raging elephant, and realising that much time had passed, Dushyant returned through the woods to the clearing where he had left his chariot driver and the horses in the morning. Night was falling.

“Let us return to our royal entourage,” said the king to his charioteer, “We shall make camp there, further in the forest.” So it was the king returned to his entourage to make camp. The next day the King Dushyant made preparations to return to his palace where his Queen had planned a celebration for the birthday of the prince. And as he was leaving he came upon some forest sages who stopped his horse and chariot saying, “O King. Help us! A terrible demon is preventing us from performing the ceremony of Vedic sacrifice.”

The king decided it would be best to come to the aid of the forest sages and help them with their sacrifice, sending the royal entourage on to celebrate the birthday of the prince. He sets out to quell the disturbance in the forest. Using his powers as king, he punished the demon who was responsible for disrupting the ceremony.

Meanwhile, Shakuntala, not understanding what had happened with her guest, began to worry. When she consulted with her friends, she realized that she wasn’t worried, that what pierced her heart like an arrow was love. She was enchanted by their guest. 

She was now feverish with love for the handsome stranger who had entered the grove and spoke so sweetly and who had bravely placated the mad elephant.

King Dushyant and Shakuntala at the ashrama of Kanva Muni