Parables of Wisdom
Surasen and Mahasen
सूरसेन और महासेन · સૂરસેન અને મહાસેન
Two loving brothers, a strange illness, and a wish made long ago
- 5 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
When a prince falls ill with a sickness no doctor can cure, his younger brother refuses to leave his side. A wise teacher later reveals why the illness came, and the answer lies in a careless wish from another life.
What it teaches Brotherly love Karma Navkar Mantra Repentance
The opening of the children's telling
Once upon a time there were two princes, Mahasen and Surasen. They were brothers and the best of friends. They did everything together.
One day Mahasen got a sore on his tongue. It hurt very much. The doctors tried many medicines, but nothing worked. The sore made his mouth smell bad, and many people stopped coming to see him. Mahasen felt sad and lonely.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
A harsh wish is a small seed of harm, so plant kind ones instead.
To talk about together
Vir never hurt the snake, so why do you think his angry wish still mattered?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.