Parables of Wisdom
Maheshvardatta
महेश्वरदत्त · મહેશ્વરદત્ત
A feast day, a wandering monk, and a truth hidden in plain sight
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- Best shared with a grown-up
- Shvetambar telling
Maheshvardatta is a busy merchant who loves his little son and honours his late father's memory with a feast. But a monk who comes to his door sees something the merchant cannot, and refuses to stay.
What it teaches Attachment Illusion Ahimsa Rebirth
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago in a city by the sea lived a merchant named Maheshvardatta. He loved his little son very much. He worked hard every day and always thought about money.
Maheshvardatta's father and mother had both left this world. But Jains believe that every soul is born again. His father's soul was now a big buffalo, and his mother's soul was now a dog who lived near his house. Maheshvardatta did not know this.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Every soul we meet may once have been someone we loved; be kind to all.
To talk about together
If every animal has a soul just like us, how might that change the way we treat them?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.