Doe adore

Moving story of a female deer :

Jayanthi Liyanage

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The horse Kanthaka that carried Prince Siddartha over the river Neranjana during the renunciation of the Prince, is said to be an animal which could understand the thoughts and wishes of his master without having to express them verbally.

According to Buddhist lore, it died of a broken heart after leaving Siddartha on the other shore. Author D.H. Lawrence makes reference in his writings to shamanism in which there is a mention of animals being able to detect the thoughts of humans in an intelligent manner.

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When I heard the story of a Buddhist Thera raising a young doe, which had fallen into an agricultural well and subsequently rescued by young devotees of the Thera, I spoke to him and tried hard to elicit from his story the forces and the undercurrents of compassion which made this seemingly symbiosis of human-animal possible. The Thera, Ven. Gathehigama Mettananda, Chief Incumbent of Devanampiyatissapura Temple, Anuradhapura, remembers the date of his first encounter with the kid as June 28, 2007. It appeared to be about three months old then. The kid was examined by a veterinarian and its needs of food and water provided. Since then, it has settled in the temple and although it is not kept tied up, does not appear likely to leave.

When the Thera expressed his views as, “Unge sithata dukak vedanavak ethi unoth, un marenawa,” (If the feelings of these creatures are hurt and they become sad, they can die through pain of mind), all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle fell into place. This perception was further enhanced with his words, “Although I live alone, I do not feel lonely with these innocent creatures around. When you look at them, the difficultires of life dissolve away.”

The spotted doe has been given the pet name “Bindu” (Spots) and it responds when the name is called out. “I do not keep Bindu tied up because then it tries to break away hurting its neck,” explained the Thera. The doe limits its movements to the temple premises and just like any pet dog or cat, survives on rice and curry and fruits.

The Thera also says that although a vet was called to check out the health situation of the doe when it was first brought in, no such remedies are now necessary.

“Now we know what to do if it falls ill. The only ailment it could get is worms.” Bindu cannot eat bread and if she does so, gets a bloated stomach and is treated with a pink medicinal mixture given to humans when they suffer from gastritis. Bindu also has two puppies for company, at the temple.

A female deer tends to bite playfully when one tries to get up close with it, but you do not have to panic as you do when you are bitten by a dog, says the Thera, assuring that there is no risk of rabies. Deer can be tamed very quickly, he has seen, and although Bindu does not cuddle close as a dog or cat would do, it recognises the Thera and responds to his speech. It also shows its preference for small children coming to the temple.

Bindu’s appearance near the temple could perhaps be explained from the habit that some pregnant female deer have of coming close to human settlements to give birth, the Thera feels. Since the villagers know that Bindu is treated kindly at the temple and has stayed there voluntarily, the Thera does not anticipate any legal hassle in adopting the doe.

When we hear of humans trying to tame wild life in a brutal manner or humans being called to account for their cruelties to other humans and fauna, the story of Ven. Mettananda Thera and his protégé Bindu strikes a chord of resonance as would the story of any other human and animal, sharing refuge and interdependency of compassion.