The Tirthankaras
Life of Bhagwan Aranath
भगवान अरनाथ का जीवन · ભગવાન અરનાથનું જીવન
An emperor who ruled the whole land, and then let all of it go
- 5 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- For all ages
In Hastinapur a prince is born who will one day hold the wheel of a world emperor in his hand. The story follows him from a just king in an earlier life to the moment he sets down the greatest power on earth.
What it teaches Detachment Attachment and aversion Generosity
The opening of the children's telling
Long, long ago, in the city of Hastinapur, a queen named Devi had fourteen beautiful dreams. In one of them she saw the spoke of a great wheel. Soon a baby boy was born, shining like gold. Because of that dream, his father named him Ara.
Ara grew up kind and wise. When he became king, he ruled gently, and everyone was happy. One day a shining wheel appeared in the palace, a magic wheel that floated in the air. It meant that Ara would become emperor of the whole land. He followed the wheel, and every king welcomed him.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
What we hold loosely cannot weigh us down.
To talk about together
Aranath had everything in the world. What do you think helped him give it all away so calmly?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.