Lay Followers
Haribal's Vow
हरिबल का व्रत · હરિબળનું વ્રત
A poor fisherman, one small promise, and the same fish again and again
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
- Shvetambar telling
Haribal the fisherman cannot give up fishing, so a monk asks him for one small promise instead. When the river tests that promise, his whole life begins to change.
What it teaches Ahimsa Keeping a Vow Honesty
The opening of the children's telling
Once there was a fisherman named Haribal. He was kind and honest, but he caught fish every day to feed his family.
One day he met a gentle monk by the river. The monk said, "Try not to hurt any living creature." Haribal said, "But I must fish, or we will be hungry." The monk smiled. "Then make one small promise. Every day, let the first fish you catch go free." Haribal said, "Yes, I promise."
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Even a small vow, kept with a whole heart, can grow into great good.
To talk about together
Haribal could not stop fishing completely. Why was his small promise still so important?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.