Court of Magadh
Abhaykumar and Ardrakumar
अभयकुमार और आर्द्रकुमार · અભયકુમાર અને આર્દ્રકુમાર
A gift sent across the sea, and a prince who remembered who he had been
- 5 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
- Shvetambar telling
Prince Ardrakumar lives on a faraway island and has never heard of the Jinas. A thoughtful gift from his new friend Abhaykumar wakes a memory from another life and sends him on a long journey.
What it teaches Friendship Past Lives Compassion Renunciation
The opening of the children's telling
Far away, across the wide blue sea, there was an island. On the island lived a prince named Ardrakumar. He had never heard of Bhagwan Mahavir.
One day a ship brought presents from King Shrenik. Ardrakumar wanted a friend in that faraway land, so he sent pearls to the king's wise son, Abhaykumar. Abhaykumar thought, "What is the best gift for a friend?" He sent back a beautiful, peaceful image of Bhagwan Adinath.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
The kindest gift we can give a friend is something that helps them find the good already inside them.
To talk about together
Why do you think Abhaykumar chose an image of Adinath instead of jewels for his friend?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.