The son of a slave who studied herbs and plants, Yatala’s father gave him a potion that would make him grow to be powerful and invincible. His parents were killed shortly after he received the potion which caused him to grow twenty feet high by adulthood. Yatala then killed the elephant that killed his parents and wandered off, killing livestock and terrorizing villages. Many tried to kill him unsuccessfully, including a person with a bazooka. Finally, Virudhaka, or Prince Crystal, tamed him by offering him a position within the Kosalan palace guard. However, Yatala was angered by how Virudhaka abused his mother simply because of her caste and escaped whereupon he met Buddha who helped him achieve enlightenment. He later went to work for the Kinga of Magadha before shaving his head and becoming Buddha’s disciple.
