At the hermitage of a Sadhu, there lived a baby elephant. Everyone at the hermitage loved him for his politeness, faithfulness and hard working nature. He would go to the forest and bring dry wood required for cooking food for the residents of the hermitage. Everyday, early in the morning, Sadhu went for a bath in a river, a few kilometres away from his cottage. The baby elephant carried him to the river on his back. On reaching the bank of the river, the sadhu dismounted the elephant for taking bath.
A short distance away, the elephant too enjoyed bathing in the river. He would first roll his body in the mud on the bank of the river. Then he would fill his long trunk with plenty of water. After that, raising the trunk high over his head he would shower his body with the cool water of the river. There were a large number of banana trees on the bank of the river. Elephants like to eat bananas. While the Sadhu took bath, the baby elephant would go to the forest on the bank of the river to eat bananas. Having a stomach full of bananas, he would also bring a bunch of bananas for his master.
The path leading to the river was very dusty. While returning back to the hermitage, the baby elephant would also carry plenty of water in his trunk, and sprinkle it on the path ahead to keep the dust from rising up and spoiling the clothes of the Sadhu. During the night, when the Sadhu went to sleep, he would sweep the compound of the hermitage to clean it of the dry leaves and stems of wood, which had fallen from the trees during the night. Though the Sadhu never asked him to do work for the hermitage, the baby elephant liked to carry out these tasks.
When one carries out work without worrying for results, one gets a lot of pleasure in working. Generally, during work, people also keep on thinking about the results. Working, while thinking about the results, one cannot give full attention to the work in hand. If there is no anxiety for results, rewards or appreciation for the work being carried out, the mind remains concentrated in work itself. With greater concentration, one performs better and at the same time gets greater enjoyment in working.
The baby elephant did not desire any appreciation or reward and felt happy in helping people. However, there was one thing he did not understand. When he went out to the nearby town with the Sadhu, he saw people living there very comfortably in big houses, wearing a variety of clothes and eating many types of food. He wondered why human beings did not have to work so hard for their food and living comfort like animals.
Now and then the baby elephant asked people about the reason for this difference in living conditions of animals and human beings. Everyone told him that human beings did not have to do more physical labour for searching for food and shelter because they had better brains than animals.
The baby elephant wondered whether he could also have a brain like that of man. Though he enjoyed doing hard work, much of his time was spent in looking for his food and shelter when he went out during bad weather. He thought that he could work more to help others if he did not have to spend a lot of time on food and protection.
One day, the Sadhu called the elephant and said; “I find that you are regularly carrying out many tasks for the hermitage without asking for anything. You are also never complaining about your difficulties. I am very pleased to notice it and want to give you some reward. Tell me what do you want to have? I shall pray to God to give you anything you want. God answers to my prayers and makes things happen according to my request.”
The baby elephant thought for a while and said, “Sir! I do not want a reward for my work. I enjoy helping others. But if you are pleased, please ask God to give me the brain of man, so that sometimes I may go to the town and help more people.” “How would you help the people in the town after having a brain like that of a human?” asked Sadhu. The elephant said, “I see that because of his greater intelligence man has to spend little time and effort for a more comfortable living than animals. Since man does not have to worry much for his food and protection, he has more time and energy for helping others.
With his better brain, man easily builds a house for himself. His house protects him from heat during the summer, rains during the monsoon and cold during the winter. On the other hand, an animal has to waste a lot of time looking for his food and shelter everywhere in the forest and has to bear the hardships of summer, winter and monsoon. I am much stronger than man. Only if I had the intelligence of a human being, I could work better than man.
Could you pray to God for giving me a brain like that of a human?” The Sadhu said, “It is true that man is the most intelligent being on this earth. Because of his great intelligence man can easily acquire many things of comfort for himself. But do you know why God has made human beings more intelligent than animals?” The elephant, “Why has God favoured human beings by making them more intelligent than other beings of the world?”
The sadhu said, “God has created human beings to work as his managers to look after the things made by HIM. God has given a greater intelligence to man so that after arranging for his food and shelter, he has enough time and energy left for working for God. However, if a human being does not use this extra time and energy for working for God, and spends life in self-enjoyment only he does not achieve any success in life. He lives and dies like an animal eating, sleeping and producing children. People forget such a person soon after his death. Those who work for God are remembered for a long time after their death.
The elephant asked, “How does man use his brain for God’s work?” The sadhu replied, “ Working as a manager of God means ensuring that everything created by God works properly. Working for God means maintaining the ecological balance. Cutting of trees should be restrained to maintain the natural vegetation. Wild animals should not be killed or disturbed in their natural environment. The atmosphere should not be polluted with harmful gases by burning a lot of wood or petroleum products. Plastic products should not be thrown here and there to pollute the earth and natural sources of water. Besides, the most important work of God is to make other human beings happier and more comfortable. God does not like one who harms a fellow being by thoughts or deeds.
The elephant said, “Why do human beings not have to face so many difficulties as we animals do.”
The sadhu said, “Man too has to face many problems that animals do not. If man does not use his brain correctly he has to face many difficulties in life in spite of having good food and home right from his childhood. Right from their birth, the animals know how to look for their food. By nature they know what to eat and when to eat their meals.
On the contrary, unlike animals, man has to learn how to use his brain for acquiring his food and learning what to eat and when to eat throughout life? With his greater intellect he also learns how to read, write, and do things with hands and feet that animals can’t. However, good knowledge makes man capable of doing God’s work. In spite of these qualifications human beings have to face many problems in life. You may go to the town and see for yourself; the many problems human beings face in life.”
Next day, the baby elephant went to the city. There he found men, women and children suffering from diseases. He saw sick people being carried to hospitals. He was surprised to see that amongst the human beings no one tried to help each other. Men, women and children quarrelled and injured each other over small matters. He found people snatching and stealing things belonging to other persons.
He also found men, women and children consuming drugs and liquors. Under the effect of drugs, they appeared sleepy and limp while walking. The elephant had never seen animals living in the forest falling sticks. In the forest no animal ever required medicines or a doctor. The animals did not fight unless one intruded in another’s territory. Animals also did not steal food from other animals. The baby elephant came back to the hermitage and asked the sadhu the reason for such peculiar behaviour of human beings.
He asked: “Why do human beings fall sick and need medicines? When human beings have strong legs, why do they walk with bent backs and need a stick for walking. Why does man quarrel over small matters? The Sadhu replied, “ When man develops a habit of eating and drinking without feeling hungry or thirsty he becomes sick. When he eats for taste only without feeling hungry, the human body does not digest the food; the undigested food creates all types of diseases.
The other reason for man’s sickness is eating food, which is not meant for the human body. Non-vegetarian food does not suit men. God has not made the human body suitable for eating and digesting animal food. The teeth of man are small. These cannot be used for tearing flesh like the canines of meat eating animals. Man’s intestines are very long in comparison to those of animals. Because the intestines of flesh eating animals are small, the waste and poisonous products of animal food eaten by them do not remain in their body for a longer period. On the other hand, intestines in a human body are long and meant for digesting vegetarian food only. They retain the food eaten for a longer time.
On taking non-vegetarian food the human stomach becomes infected with the germs of diseases carried by the animal. These poisonous substances of non-vegetarian food lying in the intestines of the human body for a long time, begin to rot and create diseases. The baby elephant asked, “Why does man eat when he is not hungry?” The Sadhu: “It is in the nature of man to imitate other human beings. Right from childhood a human being learns by imitating. The liking for a particular type of food also begins by imitating others. By repeatedly eating some particular type of food people develop a taste for it. In this way, some people become habituated to eating junk food, sweets, and spicy-, fat- rich food. Because of such a habit , man is tempted to eat for taste only, even when he is not hungry.
The baby elephant, “How does eating without hunger make one sick?”
The Sadhu: “ When more food is taken than is required by the body, the excess fat and protein makes the joints in the body stiff, which makes movement of limbs difficult. It also spoils the digestive system. When undigested food remains in the long intestines of the stomach for a long time it begins to rot. It also makes man sick.
The baby elephant: “Why does man smoke and take drugs?”
The Sadhu: “No one likes the taste of cigarettes or drugs initially. Initially one takes these things in bad company. Imitating persons, in bad company, children begin to smoke and take drugs. Sometimes they imitate the grown up persons who had formed such habits during their childhood. After some time, it becomes a habit. Thereafter the habit changes to necessity. The person becomes an addict. He is unable to leave the habit even though he knows that it is harmful.
The baby elephant, “How do intoxicating substances harm the human body.”
The intoxicating food like alcohol, drugs and tobacco creates an addiction.
The body of man is unable to digest these things. Man cannot digest unnatural food or drink. The harmful chemicals in tobacco and drugs damage his liver, lungs, throat and heart. Long time smoking; chewing tobacco, and drinking liquor shortens the life of man. His organs become diseased; he suffers from diseases and dies early.
God has given more intelligence to man than to animals, but HE has also given man more responsibility to use his brain properly. God desires man to eat only that food which is good for his body.
Baby elephant: Does the better intelligence of man not help him in selecting the right food?
Sadhu: God has given independence of thinking to man. However when he is very young, man has to learn from his parents, what to eat, when to eat and how to eat? From childhood his parents and teachers taught him how to live properly. It requires total obedience. Children who do not obey their parents and teachers remain ignorant when they grow up and have to face many such problems.
The baby elephant: “Does it mean, animals have better food habits than man?”
The Sadhu: “Yes! Animals are definitely more fortunate than those human beings who do not use their intelligence properly in forming good eating habits.
Animals do not eat until they feel hungry. They also do not eat in excess, or beyond what their body needs. That is why, unless forced to live in an unnatural environment with human beings, they do not suffer from diseases or die of diseases.
The baby elephant: “Does it mean if animals had a brain like that of man, they won’t be able to work better than man.”
The Sadhu: “Simply having a brain like man will not help you to work better than man.
You will also have to learn what to eat and when to eat. God has built the brains of animals in such a way that from their very birth they know when to eat, what to eat, and how much to eat, without having to learn from others.
Animals do not eat stale food. They do not eat when they are not hungry. They also do not overeat something for the sake of taste. If they are forced to eat something, which is not natural for them, they become sick.
All animals in this world have their own particular natural food for keeping healthy and alive. Animals do not eat what is not meant for them by God. God has made the bodies of the herbivorous and carnivorous animals suitable for their own particular type of foods. For healthy living the herbivorous animals do not eat non-vegetarian food and the carnivores consume only flesh of other animals.
As an animal you should be thankful to God for whatever HE has given you. Otherwise, with a brain like that of man, you would have required to learn a lot to keep yourself happy and healthy.
Do you still want to have the brain of a man and live with the human beings in the city?”
The baby elephant said, “I think most human beings are living a life worse than the animals. I am happy to live here with whatever God has given me.
Moral
For keeping healthy one should not take food without feeling hungry and eat only that kind of food, which is good for health. One should respect and maintain the system of Nature.
