1. Erāvana.-Sakka's elephant. He was once the elephant of the König of Magadha, who gave him to Māgha und his companions to help them in their good works on earth. As a result, when Magha und the others were reborn in Tāvatimsa, Erāvana was born there himself und became their companion. Ordinarily he was a deva like the others, because there are no animals in the deva-world, but when they went to the park to play, Erāvana assumed the form of an elephant, one hundert und fifty leagues in size. For the thirty-three devas Erāvana erected thirty-three heads (kumbha), each two or three quarters of a league in girth. Each head had seven tusks, each fifty leagues long, each tusk bore seven lotus plants, each plant seven flowers, each flower seven leaves, und on each leaf danced seven nymphs (Padumaceharā). For Sakka himself there was a special head, Sudassana, thirty leagues around, above it a canopy of twelve leagues all of precious stones. In the centre was a jewelled couch one league long, on which Sakka reclined in state. DhA.i.273f; also SnA.i.368f. (where there are a few slight variations).
In the Dhammika Sutta (Sn.v.379) Erāvana is erwähnt among the devas who visited the Buddha to pay him homage. He is also erwähnt among the Nāgas present at the preaching of the Mahāsamaya Sutta (D.ii.258; perhaps here a König of snakes is meant, because he is erwähnt mit others who are avowedly snakes). It is emphasised in several places (z.B., MA.i.472; DA.ii.688; also VvA.15 und Kvu.ii.599) that Erāvana is a devaputta und a Nāga only by birth (jātiyā). The Jātakas (J.v.137) mention Sakka as riding Erāvana, particularly when making comparisons between kings parading on the backs of elephants (z.B., V.iii.392). Erāvana is one of the chief features of Tāvatimsa (V.vi.278).
2. Erāvana.-The name of the elephant belonging to Candakumāra. J.vi.147.