Lay Followers
King Udayan
राजा उदायन · રાજા ઉદાયન
A king who won a war forgave his enemy on the day of forgiveness, and later gave up his crown for good
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- Best shared with a grown-up
- Shvetambar telling
King Udayan of Sindhu-Sauvir is brought to the Jain path by his devoted queen Prabhavati. When a rival king steals a sacred image from his palace, Udayan wins the war, but the real victory comes on the day of Paryushan.
What it teaches Forgiveness Renunciation Devotion
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago, in the city of Vitabhaya, there lived a great king named Udayan. His queen, Prabhavati, loved Bhagwan Mahavir very much. She taught the king about kindness, and in time the king loved the Jain path too.
In the palace there was a beautiful image of Mahavir, carved from sweet-smelling sandalwood. One night another king, named Chandpradyot, took the image away to his own city.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Forgiveness is only real when we let the other person go free.
To talk about together
Udayan could have kept Chandpradyot as his prisoner. Why do you think forgiving him meant setting him free?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.