Parables of Wisdom
The Soul in Every Being
हर जीव में आत्मा · દરેક જીવમાં આત્મા
An ant, a tree and a question that no one in the family could answer at first
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
When a line of ants marches across the kitchen counter in Nairobi, Kiaan reaches for the spray, and his little sister Mitali asks a question that sends the whole family to Ba for answers.
What it teaches Jiva Ahimsa Self-effort
The opening of the children's telling
One sunny morning, Kiaan saw a line of ants on the kitchen table. He picked up the bug spray. "Wait!" said his little sister Mitali. "They are alive!"
They ran to ask Ba, their grandmother. Ba was sitting in the garden under a big purple tree. First she helped them carry the ants outside on a sheet of paper. The ants walked happily into the grass, busy and safe.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
The light inside you is the same light inside the smallest ant.
To talk about together
If every living being has a soul, how might that change the way you walk, play or eat tomorrow?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.