The Tirthankaras
The Compassion of Lord Parshvanath
भगवान पार्श्वनाथ की करुणा · ભગવાન પાર્શ્વનાથની કરુણા
A burning log, two snakes, and a storm that could not move him
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
Young Prince Parshva sees what no one else in the crowd can see inside an ascetic's sacred fire, and his act of kindness sets off a story that will return years later as a raging storm.
What it teaches Compassion Ahimsa Equanimity
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago, in the city of Varanasi by the river Ganga, lived a kind prince named Parshva. He felt the happiness and the hurt of every living thing as if it were his own.
One day a famous holy man named Kamath came to the city. He sat in the hot sun with four big fires burning around him. Crowds came to watch and bow to him.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
True compassion looks for the small life everyone else has missed.
To talk about together
Parshvanath felt the same toward the one who saved him and the one who attacked him. Why do you think that is so hard for us?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.