Court of Magadh
Meghakumar
मेघकुमार · મેઘકુમાર
The young monk who could not sleep, and the elephant he once had been
- 4 min full story
- 3 min children's telling
- For all ages
- Shvetambar telling
A prince of Rajgruhi becomes a monk, but after one hard night he wants to go home. Bhagwan Mahavir answers him with a story from a life he has forgotten.
What it teaches Compassion Patience Steadfastness
The opening of the children's telling
King Shrenik and Queen Dharini were waiting for a baby. Before he was born, the queen wished to walk under dark rain clouds, and wise Prince Abhaykumar found a way to make her wish come true. So when the baby boy came, they named him Meghakumar, the prince of the clouds.
Meghakumar grew up gentle and kind. One day Bhagwan Mahavir came to the city. Meghakumar went to listen, and his heart said, I want to be a monk. His mother and father cried, but at last they gave their blessing, and Meghakumar became a monk.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Small discomforts feel smaller when we remember what love once helped us bear.
To talk about together
Can you remember a time when you gave up your own comfort to protect someone smaller than you?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.