Life of Mahavir
Chandanbala
चंदनबाला · ચંદનબાળા
A princess, a handful of lentils, and a vow fulfilled
- 5 min full story
- 3 min children's telling
- Best shared with a grown-up
- Shvetambar telling
A princess who loses everything ends up chained and forgotten in a merchant's house, while across the city Mahavir keeps a fast that no one knows how to end.
What it teaches Patience Devotion Charity
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago, in the city of Champa, there lived a princess named Vasumati. She was bright and gentle.
One day an army came from the kingdom of Kaushambi, and Champa was lost. Vasumati was taken far away from home. Her mother's life came to an end on the way, and the little princess was left all alone. In the market of Kaushambi, a kind merchant named Dhanavah saw her. He took her home and cared for her like his own daughter. Because she was so cool and calm, like sandalwood, everyone called her Chandanbala.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
What we give with a pure heart is never small, even if it is only a handful.
To talk about together
Chandanbala chose to share her first food in days. What makes giving feel hardest, and what makes it feel joyful?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.