Parables of Wisdom
Learning About Name-Calling
बुरे नामों से पुकारने के बारे में सीखना · ખરાબ નામે બોલાવવા વિશે શીખવું
Pranjal thought a funny name was just a joke, until his friend stopped coming to play
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
Pranjal gives his friend Om a nickname that makes the whole building laugh. Om laughs too, at first. Then Pranjal's Ba takes him out to her balcony garden to show him what words can grow into.
What it teaches Kind Speech Ahimsa Friendship
The opening of the children's telling
Pranjal and Om were best friends. They played together every evening. One day Om got new glasses. They were big and round. Pranjal laughed and said, "Look, it's an owl! Hoo hoo!" All the other children laughed and said hoo hoo too. Om laughed a little bit as well.
When Pranjal rang Om's doorbell, Om's mother said he was busy. Pranjal went home and sat on the sofa with a frown. "It was only a joke," he said. "Om laughed too!"
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Every word I speak is a seed; I want to plant kind ones.
To talk about together
Has anyone ever called you a name that hurt, even if you laughed? What kind words could you plant today?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.