Taming the Mad Elephant Short Story in English For Kids

This Buddha and elephant story for kids introduces children to the surprising ways and actions of Buddha, who is the sole entity worshipped in the religion of Buddhism. This story is about how Buddha’s brother Devadatta, full of jealousy, plots to fatally harm Buddha by putting him in harm’s way and how Buddha expertly avoids that situation and protects himself.

This story will teach children to not panic during dangerous times, but to handle it in a mature manner and be calm, always. This article proceeds to portray the moral in the story in a smooth language that can be understood by children.

Buddha and the Angry Elephant Story Summary in English

The story begins with Buddha’s brother Devadatta, who harbours ill feelings, envy and jealousy towards his brother. He felt left out when people around him worshipped Buddha and did not really pay him much attention. His anger was so great that he decided to come up with a plan to kill Buddha. He knew that in a few days, Buddha would pass through a certain area in town. He brought a wild elephant from a jungle and hid it in town. Then, he wanted to feed the elephant a lot of liquor, as his plan was to get the elephant drunk and go on a rampage, trampling on and killing Buddha in the process.

On the day of the attack, when Devadatta could see Buddha from a distance, he took a heavy stick and beat the elephant severely, after feeding it liquor. Now filled with blind rage, Devadatta let go of the elephant, making sure it was charging towards the direction of Buddha. As the elephant was full of pain, anger and confusion, it ran towards Buddha at an alarming speed, trumpetting out a lot of noise while shaking its ears and tail wildly. On seeing the fearful sight, the disciples of Buddha fled to safety, all but one - Ananda, who remained firmly planted at Buddha’s side.

He got the courage to do so from Buddha, as he himself was calm, fearless and controlled. He glanced at the elephant and concentrated on radiating his love, compassion, kindness and empathy towards the arriving elephant. It seemed to work, as the elephant began to slow and calm down due to the intensity of Buddha’s positive feelings towards it. The elephant then gently walked over to Buddha and bowed down in respect. He stroked its trunk and ears, offering words of comfort, ease and appreciation. This was how Buddha tamed a very violent elephant, much to the great disappointment of Devadatta.

The Angry Elephant Calms Down Due To Buddha’s Touch and Bows Down To Him in Respect in the Buddha and Elephant Story for Kids

Moral of the Buddha Elephant Story

The Buddha and the Angry Elephant story is an excellent example of always being calm. The moral of this story is to never react immediately or panic during a life threatening situation and to be sure to treat it with serenity, tranquillity and patience. In the story, the way Buddha was able to easily overpower such a huge elephant just by keeping a calm demeanour speaks volumes. Likewise, children too must learn to keep their cool and not be easily triggered by difficult or hectic situations.

Note to Parents 

Story-telling is an excellent way to make sure children keep up with the popular stories that are famous amongst their age group. Narrating this story not only gets you closer to the children, but will also urge children to pick up a book and read by themselves, developing a reading habit. This will also encourage them to read more stories and will be eagerly waiting for each story-telling session. Teaching them this story will allow them to understand the importance of patience, kindness and compassion.