Monks and Acharyas
Kshapak Muni and Harsh Words
क्षपक मुनि और कठोर वचन · ક્ષપક મુનિ અને કઠોર વચન
Why the goddess could not tell the monk from the man who hit him
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
- Shvetambar telling
A monk famous for his long fasts is insulted in the street and answers back in anger. Afterwards a goddess who honours him gives him an answer he never expected.
What it teaches Forbearance Anger Self-awareness
The opening of the children's telling
Once there was a monk who fasted for many, many days. A kind goddess saw him and was amazed. "You are a wonderful monk," she said. "If you ever need help, I will help you." The monk felt very proud. "A goddess likes me," he thought.
One day a grumpy man shouted rude words at the monk. "You are lazy! You are a beggar!" he called. The monk tried to walk on, but the words stung.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Anyone can be calm when praised; the test of peace is how we answer unkind words.
To talk about together
What can you do inside yourself when someone says something unkind to you?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.