The Tirthankaras
Sagar Chakravarti
सगर चक्रवर्ती · સગર ચક્રવર્તી
Sixty thousand princes, one holy mountain, and a lesson no emperor can escape
- 5 min full story
- 2 min children's telling
- Best shared with a grown-up
The second world emperor, cousin of Bhagwan Ajitnath, has sixty thousand sons who set out to protect a holy mountain. Their good intention, carried out without thought, leads to a sorrow that changes their father forever.
What it teaches Impermanence Thinking before acting Grief and wisdom
The opening of the children's telling
Long ago there was a great emperor named Sagar. He had many, many sons, sixty thousand of them. The eldest was named Jahnu.
One day the princes went travelling. They came to a holy mountain called Ashtapad, where there was a beautiful temple. Jahnu said, let us protect this temple. So the brothers dug a deep ditch all around the mountain.
Read the whole story See plans
To carry into the day
A good intention still needs a careful mind.
To talk about together
The princes wanted to do something good. What could they have done differently after the first warning?
Retold for JainStory from the traditional narrative and checked against published Jain sources. Details vary between tellings.