Page 110 - The Book of Rumi

Elephant in the Dark

n a faraway region, there was a remote town built purely by the sweat of its
Iinhabitants’ brows. The people of this town had never seen an elephant before,
and when Hindus arrived with their majestic animal, it was indeed a novel event.
The elephant was a prized possession, and the Hindu owners insisted that he be
kept indoors to spare him from the cold desert night. Thus, the glorious animal
was kept in the largest structure the inhabitants could provide.
The townspeople were thrilled when they discovered that the owners of
the noble beast had brought him to put on a show in every town they passed
through. They insisted on seeing the elephant that same evening despite the
owners’ emphatic insistence that the animal could not be viewed properly
in the dark. However, the townspeople did not mind the darkness, and they
were willing to pay extra. They were adamant that they couldn’t wait until the
following morning and had to see the animal that very fi rst night. At last the
owners relented and allowed the people to enter the stable but insisted that
they had to go inside one by one, as the elephant was taking up most of the
space inside the structure.
The fi rst viewer walked in cautiously and felt the elephant’s trunk. “This
animal resembles a pipe!” he declared when he stepped outside.
The second person stepped in and began to caress the elephant’s ear.
“No, this beast is like a big fan!” he reported.
The third curious person walked in and pressed his palms against the
elephant’s strong and sturdy legs, exclaiming as he stepped out: “What fan?
This elephant is as robust as a pillar!”
The fourth man, who was very tall, entered the enclosure and began to
run his hands over the elephant’s back. “This creature is as flat as a bed!” he

said with disappointment.
As more and more people walked inside the dark room, each one came
out with a different understanding of the phenomenon they had encountered.
None of them were able to truly fi nd out what the elephant actually looked
like, for they were in the dark and had to rely on the acute limitations of their
imperfect senses.

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