Parables of Wisdom
The Bitter Gourd Pilgrimage
कड़वी तुंबी की तीर्थयात्रा · કડવી તુંબડીની તીર્થયાત્રા
It bathed in every holy river in the land. Was it still bitter?
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
A group of villagers set out on a long pilgrimage to bathe in holy rivers, and a wise old woman asks them to take a bitter gourd along. When they come home, she cooks it for them.
What it teaches Inner purity Humility True religion
The opening of the children's telling
In a little village, some people decided to go on a long trip. They wanted to visit holy rivers and bathe in each one. They said, The holy water will make us good and pure.
Before they left, they went to see a wise old grandmother. She gave them a long green vegetable. It was a karela, very, very bitter. She said, Please take this with you. Every time you bathe in a holy river, dip the karela in the water too.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Water washes the outside; only our own conduct can clean the inside.
To talk about together
What is one bitter feeling we sometimes carry inside, and what could help it become sweet?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.