Court of Magadh
Kunik and Chelna
कूणिक और चेलना · કૂણિક અને ચેલણા
A mother tells her son the secret of his crooked little finger
- 4 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- Best shared with a grown-up
- Shvetambar telling
Prince Kunik has grown up believing his father never loved him, and in his anger he has done a terrible thing. Only his mother, Queen Chelna, knows the story of his first days, and at last she decides to tell it.
What it teaches A parent's love Anger Regret
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago, Queen Chelna had a baby boy. Before he was born, she had worried that he would bring trouble to the family. So when he was born, she was afraid, and she let him be taken out to a garden.
In the garden, a rooster pecked the baby's little finger. The baby cried and cried.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Before we judge someone's love, it is worth asking for the whole story.
To talk about together
Why do you think Chelna waited so long to tell Kunik the story of his finger?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.