Parables of Wisdom
Food Without Harm
अहिंसक भोजन · અહિંસક ભોજન
Why Aarya's lunchbox has no potato, and what a pea plant taught her friend
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
At a new school in Leicester, Aarya's friend Molly cannot understand why Aarya's family will not eat meat, eggs, or even potatoes. A Saturday afternoon in Dadaji's allotment gives them both a way to talk about it.
What it teaches Ahimsa Food Friendship
The opening of the children's telling
Aarya was a little girl who lived in Leicester, in England. One day at school her friend Molly asked, "Why do you never eat ham? And why don't you eat potatoes?"
Aarya said, "Because we are Jain. We try not to hurt living things." Molly was puzzled. She scratched her head. "But a potato isn't alive," she said.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Every meal is a small choice about how gently we walk through the world.
To talk about together
Can you think of one food choice that causes a little less harm, and that your family could try this week?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.