The Tirthankaras
Kalikund Tirth
कलिकुंड तीर्थ · કલિકુંડ તીર્થ
A great elephant, a quiet lake, and an offering of lotuses
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- Best shared with a grown-up
- Shvetambar telling
A small man who is laughed at all his life wishes only to be big and strong, and in his next life his wish comes true in a way he never expected. Then, beside a lake in a wild forest, he meets Lord Parshvanath, and a holy place is born.
What it teaches Devotion Self-acceptance Past Lives
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago there lived a man who was very short. Many people laughed at him, and that made him very sad. Wherever he went, people pointed and giggled.
A kind friend said to him, Come with me. Let us listen to a wise monk. The man listened, and his sad heart began to feel better. He learned to be good and kind. He felt warm and calm inside for the first time in a long while.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
What we wish for shapes where we go; let the wish be for goodness.
To talk about together
The short man wished to be big. If you could ask for one thing for your heart, what would it be?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.