Phyo Thara - Thirty-eight Stories of Blessings

Long ago, King Brahmadatta ruled the land of Varanasi. That king had a beautiful elephant called Mahilamukha. That elephant was full of virtue and never hurt anyone, my children.

The elephant was kept in a stable at the edge of the forest in the garden. One day, thieves came to the stable. They discussed how to rob travelers in the forest. They suggested to each other to kill people and take their belongings.

The elephant heard the robbers talking every night. The robbers came to the elephant's stable every night to consult. There, the elephant heard many cruel acts and became accustomed to them.

Thus, the elephant began to transform into a wild animal. It began to attack anyone who came to it every morning.

When the king heard the news, he was very surprised. His elephant was very gentle and kind, and he was very saddened by this.

The king sent a high official to investigate the matter. The official examined the elephant's body but found no disease. Why was the elephant so damaged? He began to wonder who had destroyed the elephant's life.

At that moment, the minister had a thought. He thought that someone might have been acting badly near the elephant. So he called the mahout and asked him.

The elephant keeper kept a watchful eye day and night near the elephant stables to answer the question. There, at night, he saw thieves and robbers talking and consulting near the elephant stables. The elephant keeper reported it to the minister. The minister, who knew everything about the king, posted guards around the elephant stables and arranged for sermons to be delivered near the elephant stables at night.

Thus, the elephant began to hear polite words, and its violent temper began to disappear. The elephant, accustomed to the virtuous words of the monks and brahmins, returned to its blessed state.

Even animals can become evil if they are around stupid people, so let's be careful that we don't associate with stupid people.