The Tirthankaras
Krishna Helps an Old Man
कृष्ण ने बूढ़े की मदद की · કૃષ્ણે વૃદ્ધની મદદ કરી
A king climbs down from his elephant to carry one brick
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
On his way to see Bhagwan Neminath, the great king Krishna notices a frail old man struggling with a heap of bricks, and one small act of help turns into something nobody expected.
What it teaches Humility Compassion Example
The opening of the children's telling
One sunny morning, King Krishna set out from his palace. He sat high up on his big royal elephant, and many, many people walked along behind him. They were all going to see the wise and gentle teacher, Bhagwan Neminath.
On the way, Krishna saw an old, old man. He was very thin, and his hands shook. In front of his little house was a big pile of bricks. The old man was carrying the bricks inside, one by one, very, very slowly.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
When the great bend down to help, everyone around them learns to bend too.
To talk about together
When Krishna carried one brick, everyone else carried one too. Who do you copy, and who might be copying you?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.