Parables of Wisdom
The Power of Unity
एकता की शक्ति · એકતાની શક્તિ
One stick snaps easily, but what about a bundle?
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
An old man's four sons quarrel about everything, even about who should help the village prepare for Paryushan. Before it is too late, their father calls them together with a strange request.
What it teaches Unity Anekantavada Community
The opening of the children's telling
Once there was an old grandfather named Devchand. He had four sons. They were good, strong boys, but they argued all day long. They argued at breakfast, and they argued at dinner. "My way!" said one. "No, my way!" said another.
One evening, Devchand called them to the courtyard. "Bring me some sticks and a piece of string," he said. He tied the sticks together into a bundle. "Can you break this?" he asked.
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To carry into the day
Each of us is a single stick; held together with patience, we are hard to break.
To talk about together
When you and someone in your family see a thing differently, how could you both be a little bit right?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.