Level 7 – Love as Slavery: Two Jātaka Tales on Dependency and Jealousy
ABHIṆHA: The elephant will not eat without his dog. It is tenderness, but it is dependency. | MACCHA: The caught fish fears his wife may betray him. It is jealousy. Both show worldly attachment as a cage, albeit a poetic one.
THE COMMENTED TALE
Welcome to the seventh level of this journey through the Jātakas, the ancient stories of the Buddha's past lives. Today we explore two twin tales, two sides of the same coin: love that, instead of liberating, imprisons.
27. ABHIṆHA-JĀTAKA – The Elephant Who Wouldn't Eat
34. MACCHA-JĀTAKA – The Fish Who Feared for His Wife
Two seemingly distant stories—one on land, in the royal stables of Benares; the other in the crystalline waters of the Aciravatī River—yet united by a subtle and powerful thread: the revelation that worldly attachment, even when it takes the most tender and poetic forms, remains a cage.
Abhiṇha the elephant loves his little dog with such total devotion that without him, he stops eating and chooses to die. It is tenderness, yes, but it is also dependency: his life is so intertwined with the dog's that separation becomes death.
Maccha the fish loves his wife Macchī with such anxious love that he cannot tear his gaze away from her, even when a glistening bait passes before him. Caught, dying on the riverbank, his last concern is not his own death, but the fear that she might misunderstand his absence. It is fidelity, but it is also jealousy: the thought of betrayal consumes him more than the air that kills him.
Both, in their own way, inhabit a prison. A golden prison, made of affection and habit, of glances and fears. A prison we call love.
THE VIDEOS
I have gathered the 17 images that make up these two stories in two video formats, both available on my YouTube channel:
Video 1 – The Complete Tale, a 1,31-minute film that follows the full narrative, scene by scene, immersing you in the atmosphere of the two worlds.
Video 2 – Rhythmic Sequence, the same 17 images, each lasting 5 seconds, in a continuous, meditative flow, ideal for silent contemplation.
THE IMAGES – COMPLETE GALLERY
Below you will find all the individual images, in the order they appear in the stories. You can scroll through them to revisit the key moments of each scene.
PART ONE – ABHIṆHA-JĀTAKA (The Elephant and the Dog)
THE IMAGES – COMPLETE GALLERY
Below you will find all the individual images, in the order they appear in the stories. You can scroll through them to revisit the key moments of each scene.
PART ONE – ABHIṆHA-JĀTAKA (The Elephant and the Dog)
Main Image
– The royal stables of Benares. The elephant and the dog rest together in the sunset light.
Scene One
– The Garden of Unlikely Friends – Intimacy and tenderness in the stable. The elephant protects the sleeping dog.
Scene Two
– The King's Command – The separation. The dog is taken away; the elephant strains helplessly against his chains.
Scene Three
– The Refusal – The elephant, facing the wall, refuses food. His trunk touches the empty spot where the dog used to sleep.
Scene Four
– The King's Dilemma – The King and the elephant face each other. The rejected food lies between them. The sovereign sees the consequences of his order for the first time.
Scene Five
– The Return – The dog runs towards the elephant. The mahout weeps with joy. The King watches from the balcony with a complex expression.
Epilogue
– The Golden Chain – The dog eats on the elephant's back. A barely perceptible golden chain surrounds them.
PART TWO – MACCHA-JĀTAKA (The Jealous Fish)
Main Image
– The Aciravatī River, divided between the world of air and the world of water. The fisherman waits.
Scene One
– The Weavers of the Stream – Maccha and Macchī swim together. He is vigilant, protective. In the background, another male silhouette.
Scene Two
– The Glint in the Water – The bait glistens. Maccha is torn between desire and Macchī, who swims unaware among the plants.
Scene Three
– The Cage of Air – Maccha lies dying on the riverbank. His gaze is fixed on the river, on Macchī swimming away.
Scene Four
– The Brahmin on the Shore – A brahmin stops. His gaze meets the eye of the dying fish. The fisherman watches, perplexed.
Scene Five
– The Question – Intense close-up. The brahmin bent over the fish. Two eyes speaking in silence.
Scene Six
– The Return – The brahmin, immersed in the water, opens his hands. Maccha darts away, a trail of blood following him.
Scene Seven
– The Reconciliation – Maccha and Macchī swim together again. He looks upward: the brahmin's face hovers in the light.
EPILOGUE – THE THREAD THAT CONNECTS THEM
The Diptych
– On the left, the elephant and the dog with their golden chain. On the right, Maccha and Macchī in their cage of light. In the center, the King and the Brahmin merge into a single figure of wisdom, holding two keys.
SYMBOLIC COMMENTARY
These two stories speak of us. Of our relationships. Of the ways we transform love into necessity, fidelity into obsession, tenderness into prison.
The elephant represents affective dependency. His love is so all-encompassing that without the other, he loses his will to live. His chain is golden—made of devotion, habit, shared memory—but it remains a chain. It can kill.
The fish represents jealousy. His love is so anxious that he cannot trust. His cage is made of light and shadow—of thoughts, fears, suspicions—but it is just as real. It can consume from within.
And at the center, the figures of wisdom—the King who has the courage to admit his mistake and bring back the dog; the Brahmin who recognizes in the dying fish a being worthy of compassion and frees him—hold the keys. They do not use them. They wait. Because liberation cannot be given: it must be chosen.
FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION
Before moving on to Level 8—where the peacock will dance and vanity will reveal itself—let us pause on a few questions:
- In my relationships, am I more like the elephant or the fish?
- Is my tenderness a blanket that warms, or a chain that imprisons?
- Is my fidelity a gift, or a disguised fear?
- What would it mean, for me, to use the key?
NEXT LEVEL
Level 8 – Desire that Exposes
32. NACCA-JĀTAKA – The Peacock Who Dances with Pride
The peacock dances to show his beauty, but excessive vanity makes him lose his bride. Joy must be tempered by awareness.
Thank you for following this journey. If the video and images spoke to you, share them with someone who might need them. See you at the next level.
