Life of Mahavir
Devananda's Tears
देवानंदा के आँसू · દેવાનંદાનાં આંસુ
Why did a quiet Brahmin lady weep with joy at the sight of Mahavir?
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
- Shvetambar telling
When Bhagwan Mahavir comes to the town of Brahmankund, an elderly Brahmin couple go to hear him. At the sight of him, the wife is overcome by a feeling she cannot explain, and Gautam Swami asks the question everyone is wondering about.
What it teaches A Mother's Love Devotion Renunciation
The opening of the children's telling
One day Bhagwan Mahavir came to a town called Brahmankund. Everyone hurried to hear him speak. Among them was a kind old couple, Rishabhdatta and his wife Devananda. They rode to the garden in their chariot, then walked in quietly with folded hands.
Devananda sat down quietly and looked at Bhagwan Mahavir. Suddenly her eyes filled with happy tears. Her heart felt warm and full, the way a mother feels when she holds her baby. She could not stop looking at him.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
A mother's love remembers what the mind forgets, and the purest love sets us free.
To talk about together
How do you think Devananda felt when she learned who Mahavir was?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.