Anugatabandha: The third technique

Coming to the traditional techniques discussed in Mātaṅgalīlā, the third method i.e. the ‘pursuit’ in the open with the object of tiring out the wild elephants, and then catching them is briefly mentioned in the Mātaṅgalīlā^[1] (Chapter X, v.11).

“Bherītūryakakāhalādininadairvidrāvya nāgān bhṛśaṃ bhītānāśu sadā sasainyamanudhāvanto bhaṭā nirbhayāḥ /
yāvat pādapariśrameṇa kalabhāḥ stabdhāḥ syuretāṃstadā badhnīyuścaturā javādanugatākhyoâyaṃ gajānāṃ grahaḥ //^[2]

The text describes this method thus:

…with sound of kettledrums, musical instruments, drums, etc., driving apart the elephants, the herders, always with a crowd (of followers), swiftly and fearlessly pursuing the greatly frightened animals, when the young elephants are lame with foot weariness, shall then quickly and cleverly catch them.

Mānasollāsa vividly characterized this method as Anugatabandha (v. 198-212). According to this late treatise having observed with perseverance through hunters that an elephant herd is sleeping [at a particular place in the forest] one should proceed for the operation accompanied by many people carrying snares and bundles of grass in their hands. The elephant-catcher, accompanied by people carrying trumpets, goads, as also different kinds of musical instruments,–some riding on horses, others on tamed cow-elephants, all very watchful and appointed by the king for the purpose should start on the expedition of catching elephants. Intelligent servants carrying trumpets with them should be positioned at all the places on the trees nearby, where elephants come for drinking water. Early morning in Nidagha (summer), the catcher should silently approach the place where the herd is resting in deep sleep, in the direction to which the wind is blowing, and hushing up the noise of men, he should order a sudden and simultaneous blowing of trumpets along with the beating of drums. The herd awakened suddenly, bewildered and frightened starts running speedily in confusion. At that time the experts in the operation of Vāribandha should follow them on the path by which the frightened herd has left for another forest. The capturers who carry snares and grass bundles should then follow the elephant that get separated from the herd while running in fear and confusion. Exhausted and thirsty, when the elephant approaches for water, hearing the noise of the trumpets there, he runs away from the place. With his mouth completely parched the elephant stands still with his trunk and tail slackened and ears motionless. At that time, the cow-elephants controlled and goaded by the riders should speedily approach the elephant and surround him on all sides. Then the watchful men having the snares, concealed behind the bodies of the cows should bravely ensnare that elephant at his various limbs. Ensnared at the armpits and throat with ropes of leather, the elephant should then be tied to the trunk of a nearby tree. When an elephant is caught with this kind of a method the expert catchers call it Anugatabandha.^[3]

Gajaśāstra (v. 32) briefly describes Anugatabandha method in a different form and it mentions that in this technique the deluded elephant follows the female, by the experts in capturing elephants^[4]. This method more or less complements Megasthenese’s description, which has been mentioned earlier thus it was a very common practice which did not change over a long period of time.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Franklin Edgerton. tr. The Elephant-Lore of the Hindus, p.90.

[2]:

T. Ganapati Śāstri. ed. The Mātaṅgalīlā of Nīlakaṇṭha, p. 27.

[3]:

Nalini Sadhale & Y.L. Nene. ‘On Elephants in Manasollasa-1.Characteristics, Habitat, Methods of Capturing and Training’, Reproduction from Asian Agri-History, Vol.8, No.1, 2004, pp.5-25.

[4]:

Shri Mantramurti K.S.Subrahmanyaśāstri. ed. &tr. (in Tamil), Gaja-śāstram of Pālakāpya muni with extracts from other works and Coloured Illustrations, p.62.