（三）
(3)
昔迦葉佛時有兄弟二人，出家俱為沙門，兄好持戒坐禪，一心求道而不好布施；弟好布施修福而喜破戒。釋迦文出世，其兄值佛出家修道即得羅漢，而獨薄福，常患衣食不充，與諸伴等遊行乞食，常獨不飽而還。其弟生象中，為象多力能却怨敵，為國王所愛，以好金銀珍寶瓔珞，其身封數百戶邑，供給此象隨其所須。時兄比丘者值世大儉，遊行乞食七日不得，末後得少麤食殆得存命。先知此象是前世兄弟，便往詣象前，手捉象耳而語之言：「我與汝俱有罪也。」象便思惟比丘語，即得自識宿命，見前世因緣，象便愁憂不復飲食。象子怖懼便往白王言：「象不復飲食，不知何意？」王問象子：「先有人犯此象不？」象子答王言：「無他異人，唯見一沙門來至象邊，須臾便去耳。」王即遣人四出覓此沙門。有人於林樹間得，便攝此沙門將詣王前，王問沙門言：「至我象邊何所道說？」沙門答王言：「無所多說，我直語象言：『我與汝俱有罪耳。』」時沙門便向王具說前世因緣事，王意便悟，即放此沙門令還所止。
Once, during the time of the Buddha Kasyapa, there were two brothers who left home to become monks. The older brother was devoted to keeping the precepts and practicing meditation, single-mindedly seeking the Way, but he disliked giving to others. The younger brother was fond of giving to cultivate merit but tended to break the precepts.
When Shakyamuni Buddha appeared in the world, the older brother encountered the Buddha, left home to cultivate, and soon achieved Arhatship. However, because he had given little in the past, he suffered from a constant lack of food and clothing. When he traveled with other monks to beg for alms, he was often the only one who returned hungry and unsatisfied.
Meanwhile, his younger brother was reborn as a powerful elephant. This elephant was so strong it could repel enemies, making it a favorite of the king. The king adorned it with precious gold, silver, and jeweled ornaments, and granted it a fief of several hundred households to provide for all its needs.
At that time, the older brother, now an Arhat, encountered a great famine. For seven days he wandered begging for alms but received nothing. Finally, he obtained a small amount of coarse food, barely enough to sustain his life. Knowing deep inside that this elephant was his brother from a former life, he went before the elephant, gently grabbed its ear, and said: "You and I both bear karmic faults."
The elephant then pondered the monk’s words and suddenly recalled its past lives, seeing the causes and conditions clearly. Overcome with sorrow, the elephant refused to eat or drink.
Alarmed, the elephant keeper reported to the king: "The elephant has stopped eating and drinking. We don't know why."
The king asked, "Has anyone been near the elephant recently?"
The keeper answered, "No one unusual, except for one monk who came and stood beside the elephant for a short while before leaving."
The king immediately sent men to search everywhere for the monk. They found him in a forest grove, brought him before the king, who asked: "What did you say to my elephant?"
The monk replied, "I said nothing much. I simply told the elephant: 'You and I both bear karmic faults.'" Then, the monk explained to the king the whole story of their past lives together.
The king understood immediately. He released the monk and let him return to his dwelling.