Parables of Wisdom
The Honest Shopkeeper
ईमानदार दुकानदार · પ્રામાણિક દુકાનદાર
An old brass scale that never told a lie
- 3 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
Sixteen year old Parth spends his summer helping his uncle in a small grain shop in Mumbai, and cannot understand why Kaka keeps choosing the honest way when it costs him money.
What it teaches Honesty Non-stealing Trust
The opening of the children's telling
In a busy street in Mumbai there was a little shop full of rice, lentils and bright yellow turmeric. It belonged to Hasmukh Kaka. On the counter stood a shiny brass scale. Kaka always said, "Full weight, clean heart."
One summer his nephew Parth came to help. One day a grandmother with weak eyes bought some moong dal. She gave Kaka a big five hundred rupee note, but she thought it was only a hundred. Then she walked away.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Every honest measure we give adds weight to our word.
To talk about together
Hasmukhbhai said his vow was tested at the shop, not in the temple. Where is your honesty tested each day?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.