Parables of Wisdom
The Slave and the Lion
दास और सिंह · દાસ અને સિંહ
A thorn, a frightened lion, and a kindness that came back years later
- 3 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
A runaway slave named Androcles hides in a cave and finds a lion groaning in pain. Instead of running, he helps it, and years later that one act of kindness returns to him when he needs it most.
What it teaches Compassion Kindness returned Ahimsa
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago, a man named Androcles ran away from a very unkind master. He hid in the hills, and one rainy night he went into a cave to sleep.
Inside the cave was a big lion! Androcles was very scared. But the lion was not angry. It was hurt. It came slowly towards him, holding up one paw, and it made a sad sound. Androcles looked, and he saw a long, sharp thorn stuck in the lion's paw.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Kindness is a seed that blossoms when we least expect it.
To talk about together
How can we help an animal that is hurt or in trouble?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.