Lay Followers
Anand Shravak
आनंद श्रावक · આનંદ શ્રાવક
When the greatest monk said sorry to a householder
- 5 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
- Shvetambar telling
A wealthy householder takes the twelve vows from Lord Mahavir and lives by them for years, until one day his word is doubted by the Lord's own chief disciple.
What it teaches Truth Humility Lay vows
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago, in a town called Vanijyagram, there lived a man named Anand. He was very, very rich. He had heaps of gold and thousands and thousands of cows.
One day Lord Mahavir came to his town. Anand listened to him and made twelve good promises. He promised not to hurt anyone, not to lie, and not to take what was not his. He also promised not to keep wanting more and more things. Anand kept his promises every day for many years.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Truth needs courage to speak, and humility to accept.
To talk about together
Why do you think it was hard, and also wonderful, for Gautam Swami to say sorry to Anand?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.