Life of Mahavir
Mahavir and the Cowherd
महावीर और ग्वाला · મહાવીર અને ગોવાળ
The first evening of a silent journey
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
- Shvetambar telling
On the very first evening after he leaves his palace, Mahavir stands in meditation outside a village, and a busy cowherd makes a hasty assumption.
What it teaches Patience Self-reliance Forgiveness
The opening of the children's telling
Prince Vardhaman had given away everything: his fine clothes, his jewels and his palace. Now he was a monk. On his very first evening, he stood under a big tree near a village called Kurmar. He stood so still, deep in meditation, that a bird might have thought he was made of stone.
A cowherd came along the path with two bullocks. He was in a hurry to go and milk his cows. "Monk, please watch my bullocks. I will be back soon," he called. Mahavir was deep in meditation and did not hear him. But the cowherd did not wait for an answer. Off he went.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Before we judge, it is wise to pause and ask what we have not seen.
To talk about together
The cowherd was sure he knew what had happened. Have you ever been sure about something and then found out you were wrong?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.