Lay Followers
Chandragupta Maurya's Sixteen Dreams
चंद्रगुप्त मौर्य के सोलह स्वप्न · ચંદ્રગુપ્ત મૌર્યનાં સોળ સ્વપ્ન
An emperor dreams of a setting sun, and learns what truly lasts
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- Best shared with a grown-up
- Digambar telling
One full moon night, the mighty emperor Chandragupta Maurya wakes from a series of strange dreams. His teacher Acharya Bhadrabahu explains them, and what he hears changes the course of the emperor's life.
What it teaches Detachment Devotion to the Guru Impermanence
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago, there was a great emperor named Chandragupta. He had a huge kingdom, a beautiful palace and many soldiers. He also had a wise teacher, the monk Bhadrabahu.
One full moon night, Chandragupta had many strange dreams, sixteen of them! In one dream, the sun went down in the middle of the afternoon. In another, a branch fell from a magic tree. In another, he saw a big snake with twelve heads.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Kingdoms fade like dreams; a peaceful heart is the treasure that stays.
To talk about together
Chandragupta gave up a whole kingdom. What do you think made him so sure it was the right choice?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.