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FOREWORD
Story-telling has been as ancient as humanity. Man at first, is a listening animal, later an asking animal. Every child is an intensive listener, allowing himself to be transported into the visionary world of the story. As the story ends, the child slowly returns to this world, carrying the indelible impressions of the message of the story. It is these impressions, gathered and nurtured in his unconscious that guide and govern his conscious.
Every religion, therefore, has utilised the art of story-telling , as potent seeds for the growth of spirituality. Jainism, in
particular, has an enormous mass of stories, myths, legends, parables, etc. both, in prose and verse. These stories are told, even to-day, in families, schools, theatre, etc. re-integrating the human values, harmonising the sacred and secular strings.
Pujya Shree Mrigendra Muniji has rendered an invaluable service to the Jain community by presenting a few select Jain stories in English, in this volume entitled "Stories from Jainism? The well-known stories of Bahubali, Muni Suvrat Swami, King Udayi etc. are retold in simple and lucid language, captivating the attention of the reader as well as of the listener. The printing is pleasing. The next publication, in this series, assures the inclusion of illustrations and pictures also.
These stories in English, in particular, will be found more useful to the students educated through English Medium both
