Monks and Acharyas
Pujyapad and Akalank
अकलंक और निकलंक · અકલંક અને નિકલંક
Two brothers, a secret school, and a promise to keep the light of knowledge burning
- 5 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- Best shared with a grown-up
- Digambar telling
Two young brothers who loved the Jain teachings go in disguise to a faraway school to learn the logic of other thinkers. When their secret is discovered, one brother makes a choice that shapes the future of Jain learning.
What it teaches Love of learning Sacrifice Courage Brotherhood
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago there were two brothers named Akalank and Nikalank. They loved each other very much, and they loved to learn.
Their mother and father were kind Jains. When the boys were small, they all went to the temple together and made a promise to live a pure and simple life. The brothers kept that promise all their lives.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
Learning is precious, and so is the love that protects it.
To talk about together
Nikalank never wrote a book, yet the story honours him. Why do you think that is?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.