Monks and Acharyas
Shayyambhav and Manak
शय्यंभव और मनक · શય્યંભવ અને મનક
A father writes a little book for a son who has very little time
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- Best shared with a grown-up
- Shvetambar telling
A great acharya left home before his son was born. Eight years later, a small boy walks into the town where the acharya is staying, looking for the father he has never met.
What it teaches A parent's love Knowledge Detachment
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago, a wise man named Shayyambhav became a monk. When he left home, his wife was going to have a baby. The baby was a boy, and his name was Manak.
When Manak was eight years old, he asked his mother, "Where is my father?" She said, "Your father is a great monk." So brave little Manak walked a long, long way to find him.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Love can give the best of what it knows in the shortest time.
To talk about together
If you could write a little book of the most important things for someone you love, what would you put in it?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.