Monks and Acharyas
Ilachikumar
इलाचीकुमार · ઇલાચીકુમાર
Enlightenment on a tightrope
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- Best shared with a grown-up
- Shvetambar telling
A rich young man gives up his home to join a troupe of acrobats for the love of a dancer. High on a rope above a king's court, a single glance at a quiet monk shows him who he has become.
What it teaches Self-reflection Desire Awakening
The opening of the children's telling
Once there was a rich merchant's son named Ilachikumar. He was bright and full of energy, but he often did things without thinking where they might lead.
One day a group of acrobats came to town. The leader's daughter walked on a rope high in the air while her father played the drum. Ilachikumar watched again and again, and he wished to marry her. Her father said, "Then you must leave your home, live as we live, and learn our art." His parents cried and begged him to stay, but he went.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
When I look honestly at my own faults, I start to become free of them.
To talk about together
Ilachikumar saw his own fault while looking at the king's fault. Why is it so hard to see our own mistakes?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.