Parables of Wisdom
A Lamp for the Night
रात का दीपक · રાતનો દીવો
One small flame, one dark room, and a shadow that was not what it seemed
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
When the power goes out on a stormy monsoon night in Bengaluru, seven year old Ishika is frightened of the dark, until her grandfather lights a small ghee lamp and asks her to look again.
What it teaches Knowledge Courage Sharing
The opening of the children's telling
One rainy night, all the lights in Ishika's home went out. The fan stopped. Everything was dark. Ishika did not like the dark at all. In the corner, something tall seemed to wave at her. She shut her eyes tight.
"I am here," said Dadaji, her grandfather. He struck a match and lit a little brass lamp called a diya. A soft golden glow filled the room. "Now open your eyes," said Dadaji, "and look at the corner."
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
A fear often lives only in the place we have not yet looked.
To talk about together
What is something you were once afraid of that stopped being scary when you understood it?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.