Parables of Wisdom
A Change of Heart
हृदय परिवर्तन · હૃદય પરિવર્તન
A wall built in anger, a storm in the night, and a gate where none had been
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
For three years Jayantilal's neighbour has quarrelled with him over everything, and now he has built his wall a foot inside Jayantilal's yard. His son wants to go to court. Jayantilal wants to wait, and nobody understands why.
What it teaches Forgiveness Kshama Neighbourliness
The opening of the children's telling
Jayantilal Dada lived in a house with a garden. His neighbour, Bhagwanji, was often grumpy. One day Bhagwanji built a new wall right inside Dada's garden. It even squashed Dada's jasmine plant.
Dada's son Ketan was very cross. "Papa, we must make him pull it down!" But Dada said, "Let us wait a little." That evening Dada sat quietly with his eyes closed. "Anger is like a fire," he thought. "It burns the person who holds it."
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Forgiveness does not lose the argument; it ends it.
To talk about together
Why do you think Jayantilal chose to wait instead of going to court straight away?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.